Workers' Compensation: No Shopping Zone: Medicare Is Not Part Of New Insurance Marketplaces

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

No Shopping Zone: Medicare Is Not Part Of New Insurance Marketplaces

Medicare is integrated with many aspects of state workers' compensation programs. From medical fee setting to reimbursement for conditional payments under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act. Today's post was shared by Kaiser Health News and comes from www.kaiserhealthnews.org

While the Obama administration is stepping up efforts encouraging uninsured Americans to enroll in health coverage from the new online insurance marketplaces, officials are planning a campaign to convince millions of seniors to please stay away – don't call and don't sign up.

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"We want to reassure Medicare beneficiaries that they are already covered, their benefits are not changing and the marketplace doesn't require them to do anything," said Michele Patrick, Medicare's deputy director for communications.

To reinforce the message, she said the 2014 "Medicare & You" handbook – the 100-plus-page guide that will be sent to 52 million Medicare beneficiaries next month -- contains a prominent- notice: "The Health Insurance Marketplace, a key part of the Affordable Care Act, will take effect in 2014. It's a new way for individuals, families, and employees of small businesses to get health insurance. Medicare isn't part of the Marketplace."

Still, it can be easy to get the wrong impression.

"You hear programs on the radio about the health care law and they never talk about seniors and what we are supposed to do," said Barbara Bonner, 72, of Reston, Va. "Do we have to go sign up like they're saying everyone else has to? Does the new law apply to us seniors at all and if so, how?"

Enrollment in health plans offered on the marketplaces, also called exchanges, begins Oct. 1 and runs for six months. Meanwhile, the two-month sign-up period for private health plans for...

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