Medicare Glossary

The Must-Read Medicare Glossary

*Repost* http://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2017/medicare-glossary-reference.html

A reference tool for some of the most commonly used Medicare terms

by Dena Bunis, AARP Bulletin, October 2017|Comments: 0

There are key terms you should know when researching Medicare options.

Medicare: The federal program that helps people over 65 and some people with disabilities pay for their health care. It is structured as an insurance program with several “parts.” Each covers a different type of cost.

---

AARP Membership: Join or Renew for Just $16 a Year

Part A: Covers hospital stays, selected costs of continuing care after a hospital stay, some home health services and hospice.

Part B: Covers doctor visits and services, preventive care, lab tests and screenings, medical equipment and supplies, and some home health care.

Part C: Allows private health insurance companies to provide Medicare benefits. Known as Medicare Advantage plans, they are often HMOs or PPOs offering comprehensive health coverage that includes the services covered by parts A and B and sometimes more. Most also cover prescription drugs (Part D).

Part D: Covers outpatient prescription drug costs.

Supplemental Insurance, also known as Medigap: This is optional private insurance that Medicare recipients can buy to pay for out-of-pocket expenses (such as coinsurance costs) that traditional Medicare doesn’t cover. 

Coinsurance: The percentage of the cost that you pay for a medical service or equipment. For example, for many Part B services, Medicare pays 80 percent of the cost; your coinsurance in those cases is 20 percent.

Copay: A specific dollar amount that you pay as your share of the cost of a medical service or equipment. For example, in a Medicare Advantage plan, you might have a $25 copay for a doctor visit; under Part D, you might have $10 copay for a particular prescription each time you get a refill.

Coverage gap: Also called the doughnut hole, this kicks in when you and your prescription drug plan costs reach a coverage limit that the government sets each year — $3,750 for 2018. After that, you pay a larger share of your prescription drug costs until your out-of-pocket costs reach a government-set threshold — $5,000 in 2018. After that, the government picks up most of the tab for your drugs. Under the Affordable Care Act, this coverage gap will be eliminated in 2020.

Deductible: The amount you must pay before insurance pays anything. For example, the Part B deductible in 2017 was $183; that means you must pay for the first $183 in expenses that fall under Part B before it will begin covering costs. 

Also of Interest

• READ: Medicare Resource Center
• WHERE AARP STANDS: AARP CEO: We'll fight for Medicare
• READ: Navigating the Medicare maze
• TELL US: What are your concerns about Medicare?

Learn about health discoveries, explore brain games and read great articles in the 'Your Health' Newsletter

Join the Discussion

 |  Comments: 0 | ADD YOURS

How To Get Prescription Drugs During A Disaster

How to Get Your Prescription Drugs During a Disaster

Medical stations are open in Houston and Dallas — and soon in Baton Rouge

by Victoria Sackett, AARP, August 31, 2017|Comments: 0

Repost: AARP http://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-2017/emergency-prescriptions-hurricane-harvey-fd.html?cmp=SNO-ICM-FB-AO-EV&socialid=1056705924

MICHAEL CIAGLO/HOUSTON CHRONICLE VIA AP

Even for people who were able to gather their medicines before evacuating their homes, there’s concern about drugs that require refrigeration.

Thousands of people rescued from rooftops and plucked from rising water during Hurricane Harvey had to leave everything behind. For many, prescription drugs were among the items they abandoned.

Missing days of essential medicine can pose a health threat and adds to the sense of panic people feel during such emergencies — especially natural disasters. Fortunately, disaster response teams and medical units have been set up across the ravaged Texas counties. Those teams are helping provide access to prescription refills and vital medical care.

“This is a horrible, devastating time, but people should realize that continuing to take their medicines will help them meet the challenges,” said Barbara Young of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

For example, the more than 10,000 evacuees taking shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston have an on-site medical facility — established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additional medical stations have opened in Dallas and are ready to be deployed in Baton Rouge, La.

Texas state law allows pharmacists to dispense as much as a 30-day supply of a prescription drug during a natural disaster without a doctor’s authorization. American Red Cross volunteers also are authorized to help with refilling prescriptions in an emergency.

Even for people who were able to gather their medicines before evacuating their homes, there’s a concern about drugs that require refrigeration. It’s important to check with medical experts or a pharmacist for advice. Any drugs that have been exposed to flood water or unsafe tap water should be discarded, as they might be contaminated.

Government and charitable organizations have some tips for individuals and their families who require medicine or need places to receive treatments, such as drug infusions and kidney dialysis. Here is a sampling of available resources.

• To find an open pharmacy, go to RxOpen.org, which maps open and closed pharmacies during disasters. The site also has locations of American Red Cross shelters and infusion centers in the affected communities.
• Low-income patients can go to community health centers or clinics where the charity Direct Relief (directrelief.org) provides free prescription drugs and medical supplies.
• For those with a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, medicare.gov recommends contacting the plan to find the nearest network pharmacy that is open. If one is unavailable, the plan can connect evacuees with an out-of-network pharmacy. People might have to pay full price, but may be eligible for a refund. Call your plan for more details and instructions. To find your plan’s phone number, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
• Medicare recipients who need dialysis treatments should contact their End-Stage Renal Disease Network (ESRD) or call 800-MEDICARE to get ESRD Network contact information. Those who have a Medicare Advantage Plan should contact their provider to find out how they can get supplies, transportation to dialysis services and other information about dialysis treatments.
• For people who need chemotherapy or other cancer treatments, the National Cancer Institute (800-4CANCER) can help locate cancer care providers.

More on Hurricane Harvey

• Financial impact of Harvey will affect everyone
• Medical red tape cut for Hurricane Harvey victims
• WATCH: Disaster preparedness tips from AARP live

Join the Discussion

 |  Comments: 0 | ADD YOURS

Where's My Tax Refund?

Where’s My Refund?

Go online to find out when to expect your money

by Tracy Thompson, AARP |Comments: 0

*REPOST* Brought to you by AARP

This year some taxpayers won’t get their refunds until the week of Feb. 27. — Getty Images

On Feb. 15, something wonderful happened: The river of money taxpayers send to the federal government temporarily reversed its flow.

Yes, it’s tax-refund season, although that reverse flow won’t start hitting individual bank accounts until next week at the earliest, depending on whether you filed on paper or electronically and whether you asked for direct deposit. The season officially began Feb. 15 for taxpayers who claim child-related deductions and for low-to-moderate-income families who qualify for the earned income tax credit, thanks to legislation called the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015.

The IRS’ Where’s My Refund? webpage, which the agency will start updating on Feb. 18, lets you check on when your money should arrive. There’s also a smartphone app, for the super impatient who need hourly updates.

Starting this year, the 2015 law requires the Internal Revenue Service to hold refunds until Feb. 15 to give it more time to detect fraudulent claims. Tax season is a boom time for identity thieves, who file thousands of bogus returns early in the season in an attempt to pilfer refunds before the real taxpayers get around to filing. Earned-income and child-related refunds are favorite targets because those are usually worth thousands of dollars.

“It’s a quick refund, and it adds up to be a lot of money when you file a lot of fraudulent returns,” Richmond, Va.-based CPA David Creasy told the Los Angeles Times. “They don’t just file one or two. They file in the hundreds or even in the thousands of returns.”

This year Feb. 15 fell on a Wednesday. Allowing for processing time and a long Presidents Day weekend, the IRS said it’s possible that some taxpayers won’t get their refunds until the week of Feb. 27.

As always, AARP offers IRS-certified volunteers, both online and in locations throughout the country, who provide free tax help. For information, check here.

More on Taxes

• Tax-Friendly States
• Avoid a Nasty Tax Surprise
• 10 Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Refund

Join AARP Today — Receive access to information, benefits and discounts

Apply for Social Security

1. WORK & JOBS

Social Security

How to Apply for Social Security

Here's how to make sure you're maximizing your benefits

by AARP, October 2016|Comments: 4

If you know what to expect, applying for Social Security can be a smooth experience. — Istock

Applying for Social Security benefits is a big step, but it can be a smooth one if you know what to expect and have the right information at your fingertips.

Depending on the benefit you want, you may have the option of applying in person, by phone or online.

• Applying in person. This can be easy but it might take time. Tip: Call 800-772-1213 to make an appointment at the Social Security Administration (SSA) office nearest you (and call when phone lines are least busy — typically later in the day, later in the week and later in the month). You can find the nearest office by going online to ssa.gov. Click on Search, type in "find an office," and when the office locator pops up, enter your zip code.

---

Subscribe to the AARP Money Newsletter for more on work, retirement and finances

---

• Applying by phone. You can call the SSA toll-free at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET. If you call outside those hours, you can still get some information about benefits, eligibility and online services.
• Applying online. You can apply online for some, but not all, Social Security benefits. In some cases, you may begin your application process online but will complete it in person or over the phone. Go to ssa.gov/applyonline to get started. The online application system is available Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. ET to 1 a.m. ET; Saturday, 5 a.m ET. to 11 p.m. ET; and Sunday, 8 a.m. ET to 11:30 p.m ET. On federal holidays, the system is available on the usual hours for that day of the week.

See also: How to Start the Social Security Benefits Flowing

Here are some basic guidelines on applying for widely sought benefits.

• Retirement benefits. You'll need to gather information about your recent earnings, marital history, military background, whether you qualify for a federal pension, and possible eligibility of any family members for Social Security benefits based on your own work record.

Required materials include your Social Security number; birth certificate (original or certified copy) or a religious record of your birth, such as a baptismal certificate before you were age 5; Form W-2 earnings statements from each of your employers or your tax return from the prior year if self-employed; military discharge papers; and proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status.

Where to file. File in person, by phone or online.

• Survivor benefits. Get hold of the Social Security number of the deceased, your own Social Security number and those of any dependent children, your birth certificate or acceptable religious record, Form W-2 earnings statement or tax return if self-employed, death certificate of the deceased, and your marriage certificate or divorce papers.

Where to file. File in person or by phone (as early as the month the covered worker or retiree dies).

• Disability benefits. You may file for disability benefits as soon as you become disabled (and be aware that it can take a while to make your case). Dependent family members may file for auxiliary benefits based on the record of a disabled worker.You generally will need the following information and documents: your Social Security number and the Social Security numbers of your spouse and minor children, birth certificate or an acceptable religious record, contact information for your medical providers, dates of your health care appointments related to your condition, your prescription information, medical records related to this condition, a summary of your work history, your most recent Form W-2 earnings statements or tax return if self-employed, military discharge papers, and information on other disability claims filed with insurance or workers' compensation.

Where to file. File in person, by phone or online.

• Supplemental Security Income. File for these benefits as soon as you need them. Requirements may vary depending on the specific SSI benefit. You may be asked for your Social Security number, your birth certificate or religious record of your birth or other proof of age, documentation on where you live (such as a lease or utility bill with your name on it), financial records including payroll slips and bank statements, details of assets you own (such as property and vehicles), and proof of citizenship or legal residency, possibly including documents from the Department of Homeland Security.
Where to file. File in person or by phone.
For more details on applying for Social Security benefits, go to ssa.gov/forms/apply-for-benefits.html.