AHIP Exam 2022/2023 Latest Updated

Ms. Moore plans to retire when she turns 65 in a few months. She is in excellent health and will have considerable income when she retires. She is concerned that her income will make it impossible for her to qualify for Medicare. What could you tell her to address her concern? - ANSWER Medicare is a program for people age 65 or older and those under age 65 with certain disabilities, end stage renal disease or Lou Gehrig's disease, so she will be eligible for Medicare. Mr. Schmidt would like to plan for retirement and has asked you what is covered under Original Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare? What could you tell him? - ANSWER Part A, which covers hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice and home health services and Part B, which covers professional services such as those provided by a doctor are covered under Original Medicare. Mr. Hernandez is concerned that if he signs up for a Medicare Advantage plan, the health plan may, at some time in the future, reduce his benefits below what is available in Original Medicare. What should you tell him about his concern? - ANSWER Medicare health plans must cover all benefits available under Medicare Part A and Part B. Many also cover Part D prescription drugs. Mrs. Raskin is a widow who will attain aged 65 and enroll in Medicare in just a few weeks. She concerned about having prescription drug coverage. Which of the following statements provides the best advice? - ANSWER Prescription drug coverage can be obtained by enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes Part D coverage. Mrs. Willard wants to know generally how the benefits under Original Medicare might compare to the benefit package of a Medicare Health Plan before she starts looking at specific plans. What could you tell her? - ANSWER Medicare Health Plans may offer extra benefits that Original Medicare does not offer such as vision, hearing, and dental services and must include a maximum out-of-pocket limit on Part A and Part B services. Mr. Meoni's wife has a Medicare Advantage plan, but he wants to understand what coverage Medicare Supplemental Insurance provides since his health care needs are different from his wife's needs. What could you tell Mr.Meoni? - ANSWER Medicare Supplemental Insurance would help cover his Part A and Part B cost sharing in Original Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare as well as possibly some services that Medicare does not cover. Mrs. Chen will be 65 soon, has been a citizen for twelve years, has been employed full time, and paid taxes during that entire period. She is concerned that she will not qualify for coverage under part A because she was not born in the United States. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Most individuals who are citizens and over age 65 are covered under Part A by virtue of having paid Medicare taxes while working, though some may be covered as a result of paying monthly premiums. Mr. Bauer is 49 years old, but eighteen months ago he was declared disabled by the Social Security Administration and has been receiving disability payments. He is wondering whether he can obtain coverage under Medicare. What should you tell him? - ANSWER After receiving such disability payments for 24 months, he will be automatically enrolled in Medicare, regardless of age. Mr. Davis is 49 years old and has been receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration for 12 months. Can you sell him a Medicare Advantage or Part D Prescription Drug policy? - ANSWER No, he cannot purchase a Medicare Advantage or Part D policy because he has not received Social Security or Railroad Retirement disability benefits for 24 months. Ms. Henderson believes that she will qualify for Medicare coverage when she turns 65, without paying any premiums, because she has been working for 40 years and paying Medicare taxes. What should you tell her? - ANSWER In order to obtain Part B coverage, she must pay a standard monthly premium, though it is higher for individuals with higher incomes. Mr. Diaz continued working with his company and was insured under his employer's group plan until he reached age 68. He has heard that there is a premium penalty for those who did not sign up for Part B when first eligible and wants to know how much he will have to pay. What should you tell him? - ANSWER Mr. Diaz will not pay any penalty because he had continuous coverage under his employer's plan. Mrs. Peňa is 66 years old, has coverage under an employer plan and will retire next year. She heard she must enroll in Part B at the beginning of the year to ensure no gap in coverage. What can you tell her? - ANSWER She may enroll at any time while she is covered under her employer plan, but she will have a special eight month enrollment period that differs from the standard general enrollment period, during which she may enroll in Medicare Part B. Mrs. Kelly is entitled to Part A, but is not yet enrolled in Part B. She is considering enrollment in a Medicare health plan. What should you advise her to do before she will be able to enroll into a Medicare health plan? - ANSWER In order to join a Medicare health plan, she also must enroll in Part B. Mrs. Park has a low, fixed income. What could you tell her that might be of assistance? - ANSWER She should contact her state Medicaid agency to see if she qualifies for one of several programs that can help with Medicare costs for which she is responsible. Mr. Yu has limited income and resources so you have encouraged him to see if he qualifies for some type of financial assistance. Mr. Yu is not sure it is worth the trouble to apply and wants to know what the assistance could do for him if he qualifies. What could you tell him? - ANSWER He might qualify for help with Part D prescription drug costs and help paying Part A and/or Part B premiums, deductibles, and/or cost sharing. Mr. Patel is in good health and is preparing a budget in anticipation of his retirement when he turns 66. He wants to understand the health care costs he might be exposed to under Medicare if he were to require hospitalization as a result of an illness. In general terms, what could you tell him about his costs for inpatient hospital services under Original Medicare? - ANSWER Under Original Medicare, there is a single deductible amount due for the first 60 days of any inpatient hospital stay, after which it converts into a per-day amount through day 90. After day 90, he would pay a daily amount up to 60 days over his lifetime, after which he would be responsible for all costs Mrs. Shields is covered by Original Medicare. She sustained a hip fracture and is being successfully treated for that condition. However, she and her physicians feel that after her lengthy hospital stay she will need a month or two of nursing and rehabilitative care. What should you tell them about Original Medicare's coverage of care in a skilled nursing facility? - ANSWER Medicare will cover Mrs. Schmidt's skilled nursing services provided during the first 20 days of her stay, after which she would have a coinsurance until she has been in the facility for 100 days. Mr. Rainey is experiencing paranoid delusions and his physician feels that he should be hospitalized. What should you tell Mr. Rainey (or his representative) about the length of an inpatient psychiatric hospital stay that Medicare will cover? - ANSWER Medicare will cover a total of 190 days of inpatient psychiatric care during Mr. Rainey's entire lifetime. Mrs. Quinn has just turned 65 and received a letter informing her that she has been automatically enrolled in Medicare Part B. She wants to understand what this means. What should you tell Mrs. Quinn? - ANSWER Part B primarily covers physician services. She will be paying a monthly premium and, with the exception of many preventive and screening tests, generally will have 20% co-payments for these services, in addition to an annual deductible. Mr. Buck has several family members who died from different cancers. He wants to know if Medicare covers cancer screening. What should you tell him? - ANSWER Medicare covers periodic performance of a range of screening tests that are meant to provide early detection of disease. Mr. Buck will need to check specific tests before obtaining them to see if they will be covered. Mrs. Turner is comparing her employer's retiree insurance to Original Medicare and would like to know which of the following services Original Medicare will cover if the appropriate criteria are met? What could you tell her? - ANSWER Original Medicare covers ambulance services. Mrs. Wolf wears glasses and dentures and has enjoyed considerable pain relief from arthritis through acupuncture. She is concerned about whether or not Medicare will cover these items and services. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Medicare does not cover acupuncture, or, in general, glasses or dentures. Mr. Hernandez is concerned that if he signs up for a Medicare Advantage plan, the health plan may, at some time in the future, reduce his benefits below what is available in Original Medicare. What should you tell him about his concern? - ANSWER Medicare health plans must cover all benefits available under Medicare Part A and Part B. Many also cover Part D prescription drugs. Mr. Schmidt would like to plan for retirement and has asked you what is covered under Original Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare? What could you tell him? - ANSWER Part A, which covers hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice and home health services and Part B, which covers professional services such as those provided by a doctor are covered under Original Medicare. Mr. Wu is eligible for Medicare. He has limited financial resources but failed to qualify for the Part D low-income subsidy. Where might he turn for help with his prescription drug costs? - ANSWER Mr. Wu may still qualify for help in paying Part D costs through his State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program. Mrs. Willard wants to know generally how the benefits under Original Medicare might compare to the benefit package of a Medicare Health Plan before she starts looking at specific plans. What could you tell her? - ANSWER Medicare Health Plans may offer extra benefits that Original Medicare does not offer such as vision, hearing, and dental services and must include a maximum out-of-pocket limit on Part A and Part B services. Mrs. Wolf wears glasses and dentures and has enjoyed considerable pain relief from arthritis through acupuncture. She is concerned about whether or not Medicare will cover these items and services. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Medicare does not cover acupuncture, or, in general, glasses or dentures. Mr. Bauer is 49 years old, but eighteen months ago he was declared disabled by the Social Security Administration and has been receiving disability payments. He is wondering whether he can obtain coverage under Medicare. What should you tell him? - ANSWER After receiving such disability payments for 24 months, he will be automatically enrolled in Medicare, regardless of age. Mrs. Quinn has recently turned 66 and decided after many years of work to begin receiving Social Security benefits. Shortly thereafter Mrs. Quinn received a letter informing her that she has been automatically enrolled in Medicare Part B. She wants to understand what this means. What should you tell Mrs. Quinn? - ANSWER Part B primarily covers physician services. She will be paying a monthly premium and, with the exception of many preventive and screening tests, generally will have 20% co-payments for these services, in addition to an annual deductible. Mrs. Lyons is in good health, uses a single prescription, and lives independently in her own home. She is attracted by the idea of maintaining control over a Medical Savings Account (MSA), but is not sure if the plan associated with the account will fit her needs. What specific piece of information about a Medicare MSA plan would it be important for her to know, prior to enrolling in such a plan? - ANSWER All MSAs cover Part A and Part B benefits, but not Part D prescription drug benefits, which could be obtained by also enrolling in a separate prescription drug plan. Mr. Diaz continued working with his company and was insured under his employer's group plan until he reached age 68. He has heard that there is a premium penalty for those who did not sign up for Part B when first eligible and wants to know how much he will have to pay. What should you tell him? - ANSWER Mr. Diaz will not pay any penalty because he had continuous coverage under his employer's plan. Mrs. Paterson is concerned about the deductibles and co-payments associated with Original Medicare. What can you tell her about Medigap as an option to address this concern? - ANSWER Medigap plans help beneficiaries cover coinsurance, co-payments, and/or deductibles for medically necessary services. Mr. Patel is in good health and is preparing a budget in anticipation of his retirement when he turns 66. He wants to understand the health care costs he might be exposed to under Medicare if he were to require hospitalization as a result of an illness. In general terms, what could you tell him about his costs for inpatient hospital services under Original Medicare? - ANSWER Under Original Medicare, there is a single deductible amount due for the first 60 days of any inpatient hospital stay, after which it converts into a per-day coinsurance amount through day 90. After day 90, he would pay a daily amount up to 60 days over his lifetime, after which he would be responsible for all costs. Mrs. Shields is covered by Original Medicare. She sustained a hip fracture and is being successfully treated for that condition. However, she and her physicians feel that after her lengthy hospital stay she will need a month or two of nursing and rehabilitative care. What should you tell them about Original Medicare's coverage of care in a skilled nursing facility? - ANSWER Medicare will cover Mrs. Shields' skilled nursing services provided during the first 20 days of her stay, after which she would have a coinsurance until she has been in the facility for 100 days. Mr. Rainey is experiencing paranoid delusions and his physician feels that he should be hospitalized. What should you tell Mr. Rainey (or his representative) about the length of an inpatient psychiatric hospital stay that Medicare will cover? - ANSWER Medicare will cover a total of 190 days of inpatient psychiatric care during Mr. Rainey's entire lifetime. Mrs. Quinn has recently turned 66 and decided after many years of work to begin receiving Social Security benefits. Shortly thereafter Mrs. Quinn received a letter informing her that she has been automatically enrolled in Medicare Part B. She wants to understand what this means. What should you tell Mrs. Quinn? - ANSWER Part B primarily covers physician services. She will be paying a monthly premium and, with the exception of many preventive and screening tests, generally will have 20% co-payments for these services, in addition to an annual deductible. Mr. Buck has several family members who died from different cancers. He wants to know if Medicare covers cancer screening. What should you tell him? - ANSWER Medicare covers periodic performance of a range of screening tests that are meant to provide early detection of disease. Mr. Buck will need to check specific tests before obtaining them to see if they will be covered. Mrs. Turner is comparing her employer's retiree insurance to Original Medicare and would like to know which of the following services Original Medicare will cover if the appropriate criteria are met? What could you tell her? - ANSWER Original Medicare covers ambulance services. Mrs. Wolf wears glasses and dentures and has enjoyed considerable pain relief from arthritis through acupuncture. She is concerned about whether or not Medicare will cover these items and services. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Medicare does not cover acupuncture, or, in general, glasses or dentures. Mr. Singh would like drug coverage, but does not want to be enrolled into a health plan. What should you tell him? - ANSWER Mr. Singh can enroll in a stand-alone prescription drug plan and continue to be covered for Part A and Part B services through Original Fee-for-Service Medicare. Mr. Alonso receives some help paying for his two generic prescription drugs from his employer's retiree coverage, but he wants to compare it to a Part D prescription drug plan. He asks you what costs he would generally expect to encounter when enrolling into a standard Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. What should you tell him? - ANSWER He generally would pay a monthly premium, annual deductible, and per-prescription cost-sharing. Mrs. Geisler's neighbor told her she should look at her Part D options during the annual Medicare enrollment period because features of Part D might have changed. Mrs. Geisler can't remember what Part D is so she called you to ask what her neighbor was talking about. What could you tell her? - ANSWER Part D covers prescription drugs and she should look at her premiums, formulary, and cost sharing among other factors to see if they have changed. Mrs. Paterson is concerned about the deductibles and co-payments associated with Original Medicare. What can you tell her about Medigap as an option to address this concern? - ANSWER Medigap plans help beneficiaries cover coinsurance, co-payments, and/or deductibles for medically necessary services. Mrs. Gonzalez is enrolled in Original Medicare and has a Medigap policy as well, but it provides no drug coverage. She would like to keep the coverage she has, but replace her existing Medigap plan with one that provides drug coverage. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Mrs. Gonzalez cannot purchase a Medigap plan that covers drugs, but she could keep her Medigap policy and enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan. Mr. Kelly has substantial financial means. He enrolled in Original Medicare and purchased a Medigap policy many years ago that offered prescription drug coverage. The prescription drug coverage has not been comparable to that offered by Medicare Part D for several years and despite notification, Mr. Kelly took no action. Which of the following statements best describes what will occur if Mr. Kelly now decides to enroll in Medicare Part D? - ANSWER He will incur a late enrollment penalty. Mr. Capadona would like to purchase a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan and a Medigap plan to pick up costs not covered by that plan. What should you tell him? - ANSWER It is illegal for you to sell Mr. Capadona a Medigap plan if he is enrolled in an MA plan, and besides, Medigap only works with Original Medicare. What impact, if any, will the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) have upon Medigap plans? - ANSWER The Part B deductible will no longer be covered for individuals newly eligible for Medicare starting January 1, 2020. Mr. Lopez has heard that he can sign up for a product called "Medicare Advantage" but is not sure about what type of plan designs are available through this program. What should you tell him about the types of health plans that are available through the Medicare Advantage program? - ANSWER They are Medicare health plans such as HMOs, PPOs, PFFS, and MSAs. Mr. Wells is trying to understand the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. What would be a correct description? - ANSWER Medicare Advantage is a way of covering all the Original Medicare benefits through private health insurance companies. Mrs. Radford asks whether there are any special eligibility requirements for Medicare Advantage. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Mrs. Radford must be entitled to Part A and enrolled in Part B to enroll in Medicare Advantage. Mr. Castillo, a naturalized citizen, previously enrolled in Medicare Part B but has recently stopped paying his Part B premium. Mr. Castillo is still covered by Part A. He would like to enroll in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan and is still covered by Part A. What should you tell him? - ANSWER He is not eligible to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan until he re-enrolls in Medicare Part B. Mrs. Billings enrolled in the ABC Medicare Advantage (MA) plan several years ago. Her doctor recently confirmed a diagnosis of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). What options does Mrs. Billings have in regard to her MA plan during the next open enrollment season? - ANSWER She may remain in her ABC MA plan or enroll in a Special Needs Plan (SNP) for individuals suffering from ESRD if one is available in her area. Daniel is a middle-income Medicare beneficiary. He has chronic bronchitis, putting him at severe risk for pneumonia. Otherwise, he has no problems functioning. Which type of SNP is likely to be most appropriate for him? - ANSWER C-SNP Mr. Kumar is considering a Medicare Advantage HMO and has questions about his ability to access providers. What should you tell him? - ANSWER In most Medicare Advantage HMOs, Mr. Kumar must obtain his services only from providers who have a contractual relationship with the plan (except in an emergency). Mrs. Ramos is considering a Medicare Advantage PPO and has questions about which providers she can go to for her health care. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Mrs. Ramos can obtain care from any provider who participates in Original Medicare, but generally will have a higher cost-sharing amount if she sees a provider who/that is not part of the PPO network. Mr. Sinclair has diabetes and heart trouble and is generally satisfied with the care he has received under Original Medicare, but he would like to know more about Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs). What could you tell him? - ANSWER SNPs have special programs for enrollees with chronic conditions, like Mr. Sinclair, and they provide prescription drug coverage that could be very helpful as well. Mr. Greco is in excellent health, lives in his own home, and has a sizeable income from his investments. He has a friend enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan (SNP). His friend has mentioned that the SNP charges very low cost-sharing amounts and Mr. Greco would like to join that plan. What should you tell him? - ANSWER SNPs limit enrollment to certain sub-populations of beneficiaries. Given his current situation, he is unlikely to qualify and would not be able to enroll in the SNP. Mr. Gomez notes that a Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan available in his area has an attractive premium. He wants to know if he must use doctors in a network like his current HMO plan requires him to do. What should you tell him? - ANSWER He may receive health care services from any doctor allowed to bill Medicare, as long as he shows the doctor the plan's identification card and the doctor agrees to accept the PFFS plan's payment terms and conditions, which could include balance billing. Mrs. Lee is discussing with you the possibility of enrolling in a Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan. As part of that discussion, what should you be sure to tell her? - ANSWER PFFS plans may choose to offer Part D benefits but are not required to do so. Mr. McTaggert notes that a Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan available in his area has an attractive premium. He wants to know what makes them different from an HMO or a PPO. What should you tell him? - ANSWER Enrollees in a PFFS plan can obtain care from any provider in the U.S. who accepts Original Medicare, as long as the provider has a reasonable opportunity to access the plan's terms and conditions and agrees to accept them. Dr. Elizabeth Brennan does not contract with the PFFS plan but accepts the plan's terms and conditions for payment. Mary Rodgers sees Dr. Brennan for treatment. How much may Dr. Brennan charge? - ANSWER Dr. Brennan can charge Mary Rogers no more than the cost sharing specified in the PFFS plan's terms and condition of payment which may include balance billing up to 15 percent of the Medicare rate. Mrs. Lyons is in good health, uses a single prescription, and lives independently in her own home. She is attracted by the idea of maintaining control over a Medical Savings Account (MSA), but is not sure if the plan associated with the account will fit her needs. What specific piece of information about a Medicare MSA plan would it be important for her to know, prior to enrolling in such a plan? - ANSWER ll MSAs cover Part A and Part B benefits, but not Part D prescription drug benefits, which could be obtained by also enrolling in a separate prescription drug plan. Which of the following statement is correct about Medicare Savings Account (MSA) Plans? I. MSAs may have either a partial network, full network, or no network of providers. II. MSA plans cover Part A and Part B benefits but not Part D prescription drug benefits . III. An individual who is eligible for health care benefits through the Veteran's Administration may enroll in an MSA. IV. Non-network providers must accept the same amount that Original Medicare would pay them as payment in full. - ANSWER I, II, and IV only. Mr. Davies is turning 65 next month. He would like to enroll in a Medicare health plan, but does not want to be limited in terms of where he obtains his care. What should you tell him about how a Medicare Cost Plan might fit his needs? - ANSWER Cost plan enrollees can choose to receive Medicare covered services under the plan's benefits by going to plan network providers and paying plan cost sharing, or may receive services from non-network providers and pay cost-sharing due under Original Medicare.