AHIP Exam Study Guide Questions & Answers (Latest 2023 / 2024)

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? - To obtain Part B coverage, she must pay a standard monthly premium, though it is higher for individuals with higher incomes. 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? - 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. Juan Perez, who is turning age 65 next month, intends to work for several more years at Smallcap, Incorporated. Smallcap has a workforce of 15 employees and offers employer-sponsored healthcare coverage. Juan is a naturalized citizen and has contributed to the Medicare system for over 20 years. Juan asks you if he will be entitled to Medicare and if he enrolls how that will impact his employer-sponsored healthcare coverage. How would you respond? - Juan is likely to be eligible for Medicare once he turns age 65 and if he enrolls Medicare would become the primary payor of his healthcare claims and Smallcap does not have to continue to offer him coverage comparable to those under age 65 under its employer-sponsored group health plan. Agent John Miller is meeting with Jerry Smith, a new prospect. Jerry is currently enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. Jerry has also purchased a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan which he has had for several years. However, the plan does not provide drug benefits. How would you advise Agent John Miller to proceed? - Tell prospect Jerry Smith that he should consider adding a standalone Part D prescription drug coverage policy to his present coverage. 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? - She may enroll at any time while she is covered under her employer plan, but she will have a special eight-month enrollment period after the last month on her employer plan that differs from the standard general enrollment period, during which she may enroll in Medicare Part B. 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? - 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. 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? - Medicare is a program for people age 65 or older and those under age 65 with certain disabilities, end-stage renal disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease so she will be eligible for Medicare. 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? - Medicare covers the 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. Duarte is enrolled in Original Medicare Parts A and B. She has recently reviewed her Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) and disagrees with a determination that partially denied one of her claims for services. What advice would you give her? - Mrs. Duarte should file an appeal of this initial determination within 120 days of the date she received the MSN in the mail. 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? - 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. 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? - He generally would pay a monthly premium, annual deductible, and per-prescription cost- sharing. Mr. Moy'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. Moy? - Medicare Supplemental Insurance would help cover his Part A and Part B deductibles or coinsurance in Original Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare as well as possibly some services that Medicare does not cover. 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? - Medicare will cover a total of 190 days of inpatient psychiatric care during Mr. Rainey's entire lifetime. 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? - Most individuals who are citizens and age 65 or over 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. Mrs. Park is an elderly retiree. Mrs. Park has a low fixed income. What could you tell Mrs. Park that might be of assistance? - 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. 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? - After receiving such disability payments for 24 months, he will be automatically enrolled in Medicare, regardless of age Mr. Davis is 52 years old and has recently been diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and will soon begin dialysis. He is wondering if he can obtain coverage under Medicare. What should you tell him? - He may sign-up for Medicare at any time however coverage usually begins on the fourth month after dialysis treatments start. Mrs. West wears glasses and dentures and has enjoyed considerable pain relief from arthritis through massage therapy. She is concerned about whether or not Medicare will cover these items and services. What should you tell her? - Medicare does not cover massage therapy, or, in general, glasses or dentures. 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? - 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. Xi will soon turn age 65 and has come to you for advice as to what services are provided under Original Medicare. What should you tell Mr. Xi that best describes the health coverage provided to Medicare beneficiaries? - Beneficiaries under Original Medicare have no cost-sharing for most preventive services which include immunizations such as annual flu shots. 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? - C-SNP Mrs. Davenport enrolled in the ABC Medicare Advantage (MA) plan several years ago. In midFebruary of 2021, her doctor confirms a diagnosis of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). What options will Mrs. Davenport have regarding her MA plan during the next open enrollment season? - She may remain in her ABC MA plan, enroll in another MA plan in her service area, or enroll in a Special Needs Plan (SNP) for individuals suffering from ESRD if one is available in her area. Mrs. Chi is age 75 and enjoys a comfortable but not extremely high-income level. She wishes to enroll in a MA MSA plan that she heard about from her neighbor. She also wants to have prescription drug coverage since her doctor recently prescribed several expensive medications. Currently, she is enrolled in Original Medicare and a standalone Part D plan. How would you advise Mrs. Chi? - Mrs. Chi may enroll in a MA MSA plan and remain in her current standalone Part D prescription drug plan. Mr. Kumar is considering a Medicare Advantage HMO and has questions about his ability to access providers. What should you tell him? - In most Medicare Advantage HMOs, Mr. Kumar must generally obtain his services only from providers within the plan's network (except in an emergency or where care is unavailable within the 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? - 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. 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? - He is not eligible to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan until he re-enrolls in Medicare Part B. Mr. Lombardi is interested in a Medicare Advantage (MA) PPO plan that you represent. It is one of three plans operated by the same organization in Mr. Lombardi's area. The MA PPO plan does not include drug coverage, but the other two plans do. Mr. Lombardi likes the PPO plan that does not include drug coverage and intends to obtain his drug coverage through a stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan. What should you tell him about this situation? - He could enroll either in one