WHAT’S NEWIN MEDICARE 2021

■ Medicare Advantage plans are available for people with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) as of 2021.

■ Medical Advantage plans have the flexibility to include telehealth provider in practice areas including primary care, cardiology, dermatology, psychiatry, gynecology, and endocrinology

■ StandardMedicare PartDprescription drug plan coverage parameters are new in 2021. Initial Deductible will increase by $10 to $445 in 2021. Initial Coverage Limit will increase to $4,130 in 2020 from $4,020 in 2020; Out-ofPocket Threshold will increase to $6,550 from $6,350 in 2020. Coverage Gap (DonutHole) will begin once you reach yourMedicare PartDplan’s initial coverage limit of $4,130 in 2021 from $4,020 in 2020 and will end when you spend a total of $6,550 out-of-pocket in 2021.

■ The threshold for entering the catastrophic coverage phase (where out-of-pocket spending decreases significantly) is increasing to $6,550.

■ As part of the new PartDSenior SavingsModel, about 30% of all 2021 stand-aloneMedicare PartDplans andMedicare Advantage plans with drug coverage will offer coverage of different types of insulin at a maximumco-pay of $35 per month.

■ This is the second year PartDenrollees will receive a 75% discount on the total cost of their brand-name and generic drugs purchased while in the DonutHole. This includes a 70% discount paid by the brand-name drug manufacturer and a 5% discount paid by yourMedicare PartDplan.

■ The maximum out-of-pocket limit forMedicare Advantage plans is increasing to $7,550 for 2021, up from $6,350 in 2020 and $5,100 in 2019.

■ The income brackets forMedicare Part B andDare projected to start at $88,000 for a single person, (from $87,000 in 2020) and the high-income surcharges for PartDand Part B will increase in 2021.

■ The standard Part B premium is projected to increase to $144.30 from $135.50.

■ The averageMedicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) premiums for 2021 is expected to be lower—$21/month in 2021, down from $23/month in 2020.