Savvy Senior - "Getting inside the Donut Hole"

July 4

Savvy Senior: Getting inside the ‘donut hole’
By JIM MILLER



DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: In one of your recent columns ("What Healthcare Reform Means for Seniors") you wrote that seniors with a Medicare prescription drug plan could get a $250 rebate check when they hit the donut hole. I've just hit it! What do I need to do to get my check and how long will I have to wait? -- Need Help



DEAR NEED: One of the key benefits for seniors in the new health care reform law is improved coverage for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Here's what you should know.

This year, seniors who have a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan are automatically eligible to receive a one-time $250 rebate check if they hit the "donut-hole" coverage gap and are not already receiving Medicare "Extra Help." Medicare expects around 4 million Part D beneficiaries will actually hit the donut hole in 2010.

The donut hole begins after you reach $2,830 in total prescription-drug spending and extends until your total drug costs for the year reach $6,440. Within that gap, you generally have to pay the bills out-of-pocket. After that, your Part D plan usually covers 95 percent of your remaining drug costs for the year.

Again, you just need to reach the donut hole to qualify for the rebate. You don't have to spend $250 within the coverage gap first. And you don't need to fill out any forms to get your check. Medicare will automatically send it when you reach the donut hole -- you should receive it within 45 days. To make sure there are no delays, you may want to call your drug plan once you've hit the donut hole, to make sure they've notified Medicare of your eligibility. If you don't get your rebate check, call Medicare at 800-633-4227.

The government also wants to warn seniors about possible con artists who may try to take advantage of the government rebate. If someone calls you claiming to need your personal information, like your Medicare or Social Security number, or bank account so they can process your Medicare rebate check, don't give it to them. It's a scam! Just hang up the phone, and call 1-800-MEDICARE to report it.

You also need to know that starting in 2011, Medicare Part D beneficiaries that hit the donut hole will receive a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs and a seven percent discount on generic prescriptions. After that, beneficiaries will pay a smaller portion of their drug costs in the donut hole each year until 2020, when they have to pay just 25 percent of those costs.

Also starting next year, individuals who earn more than $85,000 (or $170,000 if married filing jointly) will have to pay a high-income surcharge for Part D Premiums, as they do for Part B.

Another change to be aware of is Medicare's expanded prescription drug benefit to low income seniors (this is not part of healthcare reform). Changes in the law have now made it easier for about 1 million more seniors to qualify for "Extra Help" in paying their Medicare drug coverage.

To be eligible, your annual income must be less than $16,245 for an individual and $21,855 for a married couple living together. And your assets such as stocks, bonds and bank accounts must be limited to $12,510 for singles and $25,010 for married couples. The value of your home and automobiles are excluded.

Under the old law, applicants had to include the value of life insurance policies in calculating their assets. They also had to include as part of their income money received on a regular basis from relatives and friends to help pay household expenses. Under the new law, life insurance policies are no longer counted as assets and money received to help pay household expenses is not counted as income. To find out if you qualify call Social Security at 800-772-1213 or see ssa.gov/prescriptionhelp.

IN MEMORIAM - FBYC

PATRICK J. KARN
11/8/1928 – 7/2/2010
Patrick J. Karn passed away on July 2, 1010 at St. Mary’s Hospital. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Peggy C. Karn; his sons, Patrick Jr., Michael, Jamie and Tim; his daughter, Julie Chapman; and his grandchildren, Mackenzie, Moriah, Sam, Kimber, Ian, Noah and Mason Jr.

Pat was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin where he lived until he joined the U.S. Army in 1951. He met Peggy while serving as a Lieutenant and engineer aboard a ship based near Richmond. He moved to Richmond to marry Peggy and this is where they made their home and raised their children. Pat was an entrepreneur, having been co-owner of a filling station in Green Bay and the owner of Richmond Wrecking Co. and the Dublin House Restaurant in Richmond before establishing TMS Millwork Corp. in 1969. He said the “TMS” stood for “too many sons” and they all worked in the business at one time or the other. TMS grew into a large architectural woodworking business that he directed until his retirement in 1997.



Pat and Peggy joined Fishing Bay Yacht Club in the summer of 1975 and were members for 34 years before health concerns brought about their resignation from the club early this year. Two of their children, Michael and Julie, are currently club members. Pat and Peggy eventually acquired a second home in Deltaville where they spent many happy times. Some of his favorite times were while fishing, sailing and cruising with family and friends on the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Pat owned many boats over the years including Whiff-N-Pouff (Columbia T-23), Hustle (Catalina 27), Spirit (Islander 32-3), Little Monster (Kiwi 24), Shearwater (Gulfstar 45), Forty Something (Nautique 43’ powerboat), numerous other powerboats and a trawler. Pat enjoyed the Green Bay Packers as well as restoring sports cars and boats. A number of the powerboats that he owned were purchased for the purpose of restoring them so that he could sell them and then buy another boat in need of restoration. He often used his powerboats to help with regattas and he was the host to the judges for the MORC East Coast and International Regattas in 1989 through 1993. Pat took famed Chesapeake Bay artist, John Barber, out several times for him to capture the Stingray races. Barber later used those race starts and FBYC boats in his art work. Pat also helped David Lee in the search for the boat that is our current Mr. Roberts and then delivered it to FBYC after it was purchased. FBYC was the recipient of the Karn family’s benevolence on many occasions, whether it was simply donating lumber to build a new boat rack or generous contributions for the new clubhouse.

The Karn family will welcome visitors at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 6, at St. Bridget Catholic Church, 6006 Three Chopt Road, Richmond, VA, prior to the 10 a.m. funeral service there. Interment will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Little Sisters of the Poor, 1503 Michaels Road, Richmond, VA 23229.

REQUIESCAT IN PACE

Posted by Mary Spencer on Sunday July 04, @04:30PM

What A Week!

What a week! I could not have been prepared for the trials of this week, even if I had tried. My father had a heart attack and fell and broke his hip on Monday morning. We called the rescue squad and went to St. Mary's hospital. We banded together around mom - me and my 4 brothers. Jamie came from Silver Spring even. It was a stressful, but amazing week for the Karn family.

Dad finally passed away Friday morning July 2, 2010. He was 81 years old. What an awesome man!