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.
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. 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.
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 generally obtain his services only from providers
who have a contractual relationship with the plan (except in an emergency or where
care is unavailable within the network).
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 a
part of the PPO network.
Mr. Rivera has Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) eligibility and is thus covered by
both Medicare and Medicaid. He decides to enroll in a Medicare Advantage (MA) PPO
plan. Later he sees an out-of-network doctor to receive a Medicare covered service.
How much may the doctor collect from Mr. Rivera? - answer The doctor may only
collect from Mr. Rivera the cost sharing allowable under the state's Medicaid program.
Mrs. Davenport 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. Davenport 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