March 21

Plaintiffs Go Back to Court to Enforce Settlement Ending Medicare’s Improvement Standard

The plaintiffs in Jimmo v. Sebelius, the landmark settlement that was supposed to end Medicare’s “improvement standard,” are back in court to try to force the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to fulfill its obligation under the settlement.

Under the settlement agreement in Jimmo v. Sebelius, the federal government agreed to end Medicare’s longstanding practice of requiring that beneficiaries with chronic conditions and disabilities show a likelihood of improvement in order to receive coverage of skilled care and therapy services.  Medicare is required to cover skilled care as long as the beneficiary needs it, even if the care would simply maintain the beneficiary’s current condition or slow further deterioration. 

Medicare conducted an educational campaign and updated its benefit policy manual, but three years after the settlement, the Center for Medicare Advocacy is still getting reports that many Medicare providers continue to deny coverage to individuals who are not improving. In response, the Center for Medicare Advocacy and Vermont Legal Aid, co-counsels for the original plaintiffs in the Jimmo case, have filed a motion for resolution of non-compliance with the settlement order in district court in Vermont.

“We are returning to the court to ask for relief that CMS has refused to provide,” said Gill Deford, Director of Litigation for the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “For over two years, we have tried repeatedly to get Medicare to take additional steps to make sure that providers and contractors knew that the days of using an Improvement Standard test have ended but the agency would not do anything. We’ve provided overwhelming evidence that providers and contractors were not educated about the Settlement Agreement and that Medicare beneficiaries were still having their coverage terminated.”

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February 18

Medicare Now Covers Conversations About End-of-Life Care

Medicare beneficiaries may now discuss options for care at the end of life with their health care providers. 

Beneficiaries of course were already free to talk about advance care planning with their doctors or other qualified health professionals, but the practitioners could be reimbursed for such discussions only during a patient’s “Welcome to Medicare” visit, a time when the topic may not seem very relevant. As of January 1, 2016, Medicare will pay physicians for speaking at any time with Medicare beneficiaries and their families about different options for care and treatment at the end of life. 

These purely voluntary conversations will help enable patients to end their lives on their own terms. Patients are often unable to express themselves when a crisis is at hand and a decision needs to be made about how much or little care they want when facing a terminal illness. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, one-quarter of Medicare’s budget is spent on patients in their last year of life.  For many patients, life-prolonging medical procedurs are unwanted and unwelcome.  A 2011 study found that when medical personnel know what kind of care a patient wants at the end of life, Medicare can be spared significant sums and the patient is more likely to die at home rather than in a hospital in some areas.

Now that discussions about advance care planning are a regular Medicare benefit, seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries will be able to learn about health care options that are available for end-of-life care, such as advance directives, palliative care and hospice care.  They can then determine which types of care they would like to have, and share their wishes with their practititioners and family.  After sufficient conversations with their doctors and other health professionals, the beneficiaries may be ready to execute legal documents, such as advance directives or “POLST” forms, and name a health care proxy to ensure that their wishes will be carried out. Studies have found that 40 percent of people over age 65 have not written down their wishes for end-of-life treatment. 

An early version of the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) would have allowed Medicare to pay for these patient discussions, but former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and other opponents of health reform characterized them as government “death panels,” and the provision never made it into the final health care legislation. The Obama administration tried again in 2011, enacting a Medicare regulation that would have reimbursed doctors for discussing end-of-life planning with patients during their annual checkups, but quickly reversed course and withdrew the regulation, apparently fearing that it would revive the specter of  “death panels” at a time when the health reform law was under fierce attack from Republicans. 

Under the new regulations, the advance care planning discussions can take place during the annual wellness visit or at a separate appointment.  They are a reimbursable benefit under Medicare Part B and there will be a copayment if the conversation is not part of the annual wellness visit.

Talk to your elder law attorney about drawing up the documents to help ensure you receive the end-of-life medical treatment you want — no more and no less.

 

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December 7

Medicare Announces Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles for 2016

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has announced the Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurances for 2016. As expected, for the third year in a row the standard Medicare Part B premium that most recipients pay will hold steady at $104.90 a month.  However, about 30 percent of beneficiaries will see their Part B premium rise to $121.80 a month.  Meanwhile, the Part B deductible will increase for all beneficiaries from the current $147 to $166 in 2016.

The Part B rise was supposed to be much steeper for the 30 percent of beneficiaries who are not “held harmless” from any increase in premiums when Social Security benefits remain stagnant, as will be the case for 2016.  But the premium rise was blunted by the Bipartisan Budget Act signed into law by President Obama November 2.  Medicare beneficiaries who are unprotected from a premium increase include those enrolled in Medicare but who are not yet receiving Social Security, new Medicare beneficiaries, seniors earning more than $85,000 a year, and “dual eligibles” who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

For beneficiaries receiving skilled care in a nursing home, Medicare’s coinsurance for days 21-100 will go up from $157.50 to $161.  Medicare coverage ends after day 100.  (For more on Medicare’s nursing home coverage, click here.)

Here are all the new Medicare figures:

  • Basic Part B premium: $104.90/month (unchanged)
  • Part B premium for those not “held harmless”: $121.80
  • Part B deductible: $166 (was $147)
  • Part A deductible: $1,288 (was $1,260)
  • Co-payment for hospital stay days 61-90: $322/day (was $315)
  • Co-payment for hospital stay days 91 and beyond: $644/day (was $630)
  • Skilled nursing facility co-payment, days 21-100: $161/day (was $157.50)

Higher-income beneficiaries will pay higher Part B premiums:

  • Individuals with annual incomes between $85,000 and $107,000 and married couples with annual incomes between $170,000 and $214,000 will pay a monthly premium of $170.50 (was $146.90).
  • Individuals with annual incomes between $107,000 and $160,000 and married couples with annual incomes between $214,000 and $320,000 will pay a monthly premium of $243.60 (was $209.80).
  • Individuals with annual incomes between $160,000 and $214,000 and married couples with annual incomes between $320,000 and $428,000 will pay a monthly premium of $316.70 (was $272.70).
  • Individuals with annual incomes of $214,000 or more and married couples with annual incomes of $428,000 or more will pay a monthly premium of $389.80 (was $335.70).

Rates differ for beneficiaries who are married but file a separate tax return from their spouse:

  • Those with incomes between $85,000 and $129,000 will pay a monthly premium of $316.70 (was $272.70).
  • Those with incomes greater than $129,000 will pay a monthly premium of $389.80 (was $335.70).

The Social Security Administration uses the income reported two years ago to determine a Part B beneficiary’s premiums. So the income reported on a beneficiary’s 2014 tax return is used to determine whether the beneficiary must pay a higher monthly Part B premium in 2016. Income is calculated by taking a beneficiary’s adjusted gross income and adding back in some normally excluded income, such as tax-exempt interest, U.S. savings bond interest used to pay tuition, and certain income from foreign sources. This is called modified adjusted gross income (MAGI). If a beneficiary’s MAGI decreased significantly in the past two years, she may request that information from more recent years be used to calculate the premium.

Those who enroll in Medicare Advantage plans may have different cost-sharing arrangements.  The average Medicare Advantage premium is expected to decrease slightly, from $32.91 on average in 2015 to $32.60 in 2016. 

For Medicare’s press release announcing the new  figures, click here. 

For Medicare’s “Medicare costs at a glance,” click here.

For more about Medicare, click here.

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November 12

Medicare Open Enrollment Means It’s Time to Shop Around

Are you happy with your Medicare coverage? Could you get a better plan for less money? It is time to review whether your plan or plans are working for you. Medicare’s open enrollment period, in which you can enroll in or switch plans, runs from October 15 to December 7.  A careful analysis could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on next year’s coverage.

During this period you may enroll in a Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan or, if you currently have a plan, you may change plans. In addition, during the seven-week period you can return to traditional Medicare (Parts A and B) from a Medicare Advantage (Part C, managed care) plan, enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, or change Advantage plans. Beneficiaries can go to www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to make changes in their Medicare prescription drug and health plan coverage.

Even beneficiaries who were satisfied with their plans in 2015 need to review their options for 2016. Prescription drug plans can change their premiums, deductibles, the list of drugs they cover, and their plan rules for covered drugs, exceptions and appeals. Medicare Advantage plans can change their benefit packages and as well as their provider networks. 

While the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says that the average premium for a basic Medicare Part D prescription drug plan in 2016 will remain stable, at an estimated $32.50 per month, Avalere Health, a consulting and research firm, reports that premiums for the 10 most popular drug plans will rise an average of 8 percent next year, and five of these plans will see double-digit hikes. According to CMS, the average Medicare Advantage premium is expected to decrease from $32.91 on average in 2015 to $32.60 in 2016.

Remember that fraud perpetrators will inevitably use the Open Enrollment Period to try to gain access to individuals’ personal financial information.  Medicare beneficiaries should never give their personal information out to anyone making unsolicited phone calls selling Medicare-related products or services or showing up on their doorstep uninvited.  If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud or identity theft, contact Medicare. 

Here are more resources for navigating the Open Enrollment Period:

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August 31

Congress Overwhelmingly Approves Bill Bolstering Medicare Patients’ Hospital Rights

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved legislation Monday night requiring hospitals across the nation to tell Medicare patients when they receive observation care, but have not been admitted to the hospital. It’s a distinction that’s easy to miss until patients are hit with big medical bills after a short stay. The vote follows overwhelming approval in the U. S. House of Representatives in March. The legislation is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama, said its House sponsor, Texas Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett. It’s called the NOTICE Act, short for “Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility.” The law would require hospitals to provide written notification to patients 24 hours after receiving observation care, explaining that they have not been admitted to the hospital, the reasons why, and the potential financial implications. Meanwhile, the number of claims hospitals submitted for observation care continues to skyrocket. According to the most recently available data from CMS, total claims increased 91 percent since 2006, to 1.9 million in 2013. Long observation stays, lasting 48 hours or more, rose by 450 percent to 170,219 during the same period, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis. In 2013, Medicare officials attempted to control the use of observation care by issuing the so-called “two-midnight rule,” which would require hospitals to admit patients who doctors expect to stay at least two midnights. But Congress delayed its enforcement after hospitals said the rule was confusing and arbitrary.

For the article from Kaiser Health News, click here.

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