New cards, other good news for Medicare beneficiaries

Here’s some good news! Starting in April, the government will be mailing out new Medicare ID Cards, which will no longer include your Social Security number. Instead, the card will have a new Medicare number made up of a random mix of 11 numbers and letters. Your benefits remain the same; nothing changes in your coverage. The new card will help to minimize much of the identity theft and fraud that occurs because this information exists today on the Medicare ID card.

You do not need to do anything to receive your new card, you do not need to activate the card once you receive it and you do not need to confirm your identity or Medicare number. There is no fee to get the new card. You may begin using your new card as soon you receive it.

Scammers posing as Medicare representatives have begun to call asking for information, so be aware that you should never give your information to anyone who calls you on the phone.

Understanding the complexities of Medicare can be quite an undertaking. Determining the best combination of plans takes research and expertise. RSVP provides state-trained APPRISE Medicare counselors to the public. Their sessions are completely free and confidential. No question is too big or too small. Counselors offer one-on-one sessions or can address a group.

Last year alone, RSVP’s APPRISE counselors provided free counseling sessions or presentations to 4,500 local seniors about their best options in Medicare coverage.

There is more good news. The Bipartisan Budget Act signed into law on Feb. 9 features some positive changes to Medicare. The “doughnut hole” (the gap in prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D) is closing in 2019 instead of 2020, thereby decreasing the amount people have to pay to 25 percent of the prescription cost. This is especially good news for the almost 25 percent of people enrolled in Medicare Part D prescription plans who reach the coverage gap.

RSVP’s APPRISE counselors report that one of the most difficult issues to resolve is about paying for essential yet expensive medications. Seniors who cannot afford their medications sometimes take them less frequently than prescribed or not at all in order to save money. APPRISE counselors are knowledgeable about resources to provide assistance as well as advice regarding how to avoid falling into the dreaded “doughnut hole.” Ending the cov-

SUBMITTED PHOTO — RSVP RSVP APPRISE counselor meets with Medicare beneficiary to discuss health plan options.