Medicare
As we approach the new year, it is important that employers and benefit advisors not forgot some of the reporting obligations that come along with offering group health plans and other employee benefit programs.
Here are four reporting reminders:
On November 6, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2021 premiums, deductibles and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and B programs. Below is a summary of some of the key cost components:
Each year employers must provide a written notice to Medicare-eligible employees who are covered under their group health plan. The notice must include information about the creditable coverage status of the prescription drug benefit. In other words, the notice tells employees if the prescription drug benefit on the group health plan is at least as good as the standard Medicare Part D plan.
The regulatory agencies have been busy issuing guidance these last several weeks. Here are some important updates in case you missed them:
Annual Medicare Part D reporting is required for all employers who provide health benefits with prescription drug coverage. The reporting is an online filing to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and it lets CMS know if the prescription drug coverage available on the employer’s health plan is “creditable.”
Each year employers must provide a written notice to Medicare-eligible employees who are covered under their group health plan. The notice must include information about the creditable coverage status of the prescription drug benefit. In other words, the notice tells employees if the prescription drug benefit on the group health plan is at least as good as the standard Medicare Part D plan.
Is it or isn’t it a qualifying event?
Medicare entitlement of the employee is listed as a COBRA qualifying event; however, it is rarely a qualifying event. In situations where it is a qualifying event, it is only a qualifying event for the spouse or children that are covered under the group health plan.
Each year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) adjusts the cost sharing limits for the standard Medicare Part D plan. Earlier this month, CMS announced the adjustments for 2020. Below is a summary of the adjustments for next year:
The term “Medicare for All” has been making headlines recently. Democrats across the country have made this concept a central part of their platforms, and polls have shown that more than half of Americans are in favor of it.
But what does it really mean? Well, the best answer is that it means different things to different people.
Annual Medicare Part D reporting is required for all employers who provide health benefits with prescription drug coverage. The reporting is an online filing to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS), and it lets CMS know if the prescription drug coverage available on the employer’s health plan is “creditable.”
Benefits Buzz
Enter Your Email
Join Our Mailing List
Benefits Buzz RSS Feed
