10/28/2010
Regence Rx creditable coverage determinations for 2011
Federal regulations state that plan sponsors (employer groups) who provide prescription medication coverage to Medicare-eligible individuals must tell those individuals whether their prescription drug coverage is "creditable" under Medicare Part D's prescription drug coverage rules. The annual notification must be provided by Nov. 15 of each year.
Employers must notify CMS of the creditable coverage status of their prescription plan annually. Employers must do so 30 days following the effective date of the change (Jan. 1, 2011).
Beginning, Oct. 29, a mailing will be sent to producers with clients impacted by a change and to all employers with non-creditable Rx coverage. There are less than 25 impacted groups. Copies of the letter to employers will be sent to the producer of record for each group.
Background on changes for this year
The standard Medicare Part D benefits are richer in 2011 than in 2010 because there is some generic coverage in the coverage gap (donut hole). Because of the change in the Standard Part D benefits, some of the Regence BlueShield plans that were creditable in 2010 are not creditable in 2011. The Rx Creditable Coverage Grid has been updated for 2011.
Read our FAQ and visit the CMS website to learn more about the disclosure requirements.
If you have questions, please call Individual and Medicare Sales Producer Support at 1 (800) 557-0555 or talk to your Regence Sales contact.
Note: To print a PDF document, you need Adobe® Reader®. Download it now for free.
« Back to Communications
|
