month period that passed during which he could have enrolled and did not. 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 u nder age 65 with certain disabilities, end -stage renal disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease so she will be eligible for Medicare. Mildred Savage enrolled in Allcare Medicare Advantage plan several years ago. Mildred recently learned that she is suffering from inoperable cancer and has just a few months to live. She would like to spend these final months in hospice care. Mildred's family asks you whether hospice benefits will be paid for under the Allcare Medicare Advantage plan. What should you say? Mildred ma y remain enrolled in Allcare and make a hospice election. Hospice benefits will be paid for by Original Medicare under Part A and Allcare will continue to pay for any non -hospice services. Mr. Gomez notes that a Private Fee -for-Service (PFFS) plan availabl e in his area has an attractive premium. He wants to know if he must use doctors in a network as his current HMO plan requires him to do. What should you tell him? 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. Mr. Kelly wants to know whether he is eligible to sign up for a Private fee -for-
service (PFFS ) plan. What questions would you need to ask to determine his eligibility? You would need to ask Mr. Kelly if he is enrolled in Part A and Part B and if he lives in the PFFS plan's service area. Mrs. Wang wants to know generally how the benefits under Orig inal Medicare might compare to the benefits package of a Medicare Advantage Plan before she starts looking at specific plans. What could you tell her? Medicare Advantage Plans may offer extra benefits that Original Medicare does not offer such as vision, h earing, and dental services. It must include a maximum out -of-
pocket limit on Part A and Part B services. 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. Barker enjoys a com fortable retirement income. He recently had surgery and expected that he would have certain services and items covered by the plan with minimal out -of-pocket costs because his MA -PD coverage has been very good. However, when he received the bill, he was su rprised to see large charges in excess of his maximum out -of-pocket limit that included some services and items he thought would be fully covered. He called you to ask what he could do? What could you tell him? You can offer to review the plans appeal proc ess to help him ask the plan to review the coverage decision. 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?