Other E-alert

On Thursday, July 1, 2021 from 3:00-4:30 pm ET, please join the Administration on Community Living (ACL) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a webinar on Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy Among Direct Service Workers.

The Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help are important programs designed to help low-income Americans afford Medicare coverage. Many people who are eligible for these programs are not yet enrolled. Each May, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends letters to 2 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries, informing them about the Medicare Savings Programs and how they can help with Medicare costs. These include the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualifying Individual (QI) programs.

On March 11, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the updated State Phased-Down (SPD) Billing Guide. The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (Medicare Modernization Act or MMA) established the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. As a result, Medicare became the primary payer for most prescription drugs for full-benefit dually eligible individuals.