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Medicare Advantage: ID Cards, Calls, and Confusion

by on Dec. 23, 2009, under Health

Confusion is in the air as Medicare Advantage cards and calls are arriving this week.

Seniors who have changed Medicare Advantage plans  may be in for some confusion when they receive an ID card from their current plan before they receive a card from their new plan (for 2010).  The Advantage plans assumed (and hoped) that people enrolled in their plans would stay put for 2010, so they’ve sent ID cards for 2010.  However, quite a few people put in applications to change plans and they haven’t yet received their new plan ID cards.  I’ve had two calls and an email this week from confused clients.

A bit more confusion is being added to the mix as Medicare is requiring Advantage plan companies to call everyone who enrolls in their plans to quiz them on how much they understand about what they signed up for. These are called “verification calls”.  Part D enrollees are getting calls as well.

I was talking with an agent who told me about her client who got a call from Health Net to verify her enrollment in one of their plans. This lady was already a bit confused because she had just received an ID card from Secure Horizons (the plan she wanted to leave).  Then she got the call from Health Net  quizzing her about the plan for which she had filled out an application a month earlier.  After a few questions this lady got very anxious and told the caller she had NOT enrolled in Heath Net and would not answer any more questions.  Yikes! 

I have written about how confusing Part D plans and Medicare Advantage plans can be for seniors when they are face-to-face with an insurance agent.  Now they are getting quizzed about the details of meetings they had a month previously.  

Once again, Medicare coverage has become even more complicated, causing lots of confusion. What a great system!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 11:23 am and is filed under Health. Tags for this post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • Medicare Guy

    The Medicare Advantage plans are simply following the rules established by the Federal govt when they send ID cards or make “verification” calls.  This is what happens when the Feds run Medicare, imagine what it will be like when they get their hands on the rest of the US healthcare system – you ain’t seen nothin yet!

    • medicareblogger

      The Feds make the rules, but the private insurance companies implement them.   Rosie in NJ is right about outsourcing. A call center is contracted to make the calls and I wonder how much they even know about Medicare beyond the script they have in front of them.

      The health care bill that just passed was a win for the insurance companies and will keep for-profit companies running our health care system for the long run. So you don’t need to worry about the government running your healthcare.

  • http://www.TotalDrugmart.com W Bisky

    a better solution is online canadian pharmacies.  I am usin http://www.totaldrugmart.com – really just visit and compare the prices to your part d plan and you will see the savings
    W. Bisky

  • Rosie Rose in Jersey now

    Medicare guy is correct – Feds REQUIRE those calls be made, monitor them, and audit them.  Sometimes the people on the other end are Medicare employees not enrollees.
    Unfortunately the Health net rep should have had a better script.
    When I wrote them for plans in New York we addressed the mult carrier issue.
    Medicare allows you to keep the old insurance ID card and continue using it until you get the new card, then the two insurances pay each back for the claims.  This could have easily been explained and your bene caused less confusion.
    Unfortunately due to the number of enrollees and changes at this time of the year, many large companies hire temps to make the calls and they are not as well trained as regular employees, and if the script isnt perfect or they arent trained on the scripts well, you get an upset bene.

    • medicareblogger

      Your point about Medicare allowing people to use the old id card is interesting.  I think I’ll email my contact at Health Net and ask him if he is aware of this.  I think agents are winging it when it comes to advising seniors about dealing with start-of-the-month coverage transfer.

      • medicareblogger

        A 12/24  email from Health Net on start-of-the month coverage talked about the lag time in coverage transfer from one Part D plan, or one Medicare Advantage plan, to another.  The email said to make  clients aware of the possible lag and to advise them to refill prescriptions before the end of the month.  From this email it doesn’t appear that Health Net is aware of any ability to use a card from a previous plan. 

        I’m pretty sure, now that I think of it, that enrollees are told to use the copy of their application for the new plan if they need proof of coverage. It’s hard to imagine Humana working with United to collect money.

  • Jimmy Frasnot

    Could not agree more BW the solution is just buy from Canada.  I looked at that site.   Totaldrugmart.com I will be able to save closet to $385.00 per month on my medications.  Thanks for the name of the Canadian Pharmacy.
    J. Frasnot SR.

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