Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: Who to Call, How to Connect and Where to Find Answers
Health insurance can seem complicated. Our patients want answers when they’re shopping plans, getting care, making payments and using their benefits. We should know where to point them.
Many of our patients have, or are considering, coverage through the Simplete® Medicare Advantage plans we offer through Health Alliance™. For these individuals, here’s a quick run-down of who they should contact for what.
Prospective plan members should call (877) 642-4753 (TTY 711) or visit simplete.org/medicare to:
- Ask questions about what plan’s right for them.
- Ask questions about how to enroll.
- Enroll.
Prospective members can sign up here to attend a webinar to learn more about the plans.
Current plan members should call Members Services at (877) 933-8481 (TTY 711) to:
- Get answers to questions about their plan, including topics like eligibility, premiums, authorizations and more.
- Find a Primary Care Provider or see if their doctor is in-network. They can also do so virtually at simplete.org/Find-Care.
- Find an in-network pharmacy. Also easy to do virtually at simplete.org/Find-Care.
- Learn what drugs are covered by their plan.
- Get assistance with claims and billing.
- Request plan information in a different format, including large print.
- Connect with free language interpreter services available for non-English speakers.
- Discover information about benefits, perks and extras.
For general information, our patients can visit this page about Medicare and this link about our Simplete Riverside plans.
Please remind our patients to review their Medicare coverage by December 7.
Article provided by Health Alliance.
Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: Helping Patients Avoid Sickness and Complications
As our patients continue to shop and enroll in Medicare plans, they’re searching for options that’ll not only cover care when they’re sick, but help them avoid illness in the first place.
The Simplete® Medicare Advantage plans we offer through Health Alliance™ include many preventive services at no additional cost:
• Annual wellness visits that review a patient’s medical and family histories; check blood pressure, height and weight; assess cognitive functioning; discover risk factors and treatment options; and more.
• Routine cancer screenings (including mammograms and colonoscopies).
• Cardiovascular disease risk-reduction visits.
• Flu, hepatitis B and pneumococcal shots.
• Bone mass measurements.
• Depression, diabetes and HIV screenings.
• Medical nutrition therapy.
• Obesity screening and therapy.
• Screening and counseling for alcohol misuse.
• Screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and counseling to prevent STIs.
• Counseling to stop smoking or tobacco use.
The plans also offer care coordination, a cost-free program that connects members with a team of providers, like nurse practitioners, social workers, dietitians, pharmacists and more, who work with their doctor to ensure they have the resources they need to stay healthy or work through medical issues.
Additionally, cost-free disease management programs help members with asthma, diabetes or high blood pressure stay on track.
Our patients can learn more about our plans by calling (877) 642-4753 (TTY 711), attending a webinar or visiting the links below. They have until December 7 to review their Medicare coverage.
• Learn more about Medicare.
• Learn more about our Simplete Riverside plans.
• View plans, enroll and more.
Article provided by Health Alliance.
Medicare Enrollment Period: Helping Our Patients Stay Fit
As our patients shop and enroll in Medicare plans this fall, many are looking for options that help them take a proactive approach to staying healthy.
As you know, Riverside Healthcare partners with Health Alliance™ to offer Simplete® Medicare Advantage plans that include extra perks, like fitness benefits and wellness programs. These are designed with our community in mind.
Our plans include a free membership to the Riverside Fitness Center. The facility features state-of-the-art equipment, a lap and therapy pool, racquetball and basketball courts, an indoor track and more. Group exercise classes for members include a variety of options, like chair yoga and aquatic fitness.
For those who want to exercise elsewhere, the Be Fit program provides a reimbursement of up to $360 per year at the gym of their choice. It covers membership and standard fitness class fees, but it can’t be used for services like personal trainers or personal equipment that require additional fees. Find more information here.
These are just two of the extras included in our Simplete plans. Learn more about other perks, programs and extras here. Let’s help our patients find proactive ways to take care of their health and well-being.
Please remind our patients to review their Medicare coverage by December 7. They can learn more by:
• Calling (877) 642-4753 (TTY 711).
• Attending a webinar to learn about our Simplete Riverside plans.
• Visiting this page about Medicare and this link about our Simplete Riverside plans.
• Visiting simplete.org/medicare to view plans, enroll and more.
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Article provided by Health Alliance.
Open Enrollment 2021 Deadline Nov. 23
Employee Benefit Open Enrollment begins November 3rd and will close at 6pm on November 23rd.
It is important to note that this is an “active” Enrollment, which means you must enroll or your coverage will end.
Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to review, enroll in or make changes to your benefits, as well as add or drop coverage for eligible dependents (changes effective 1/1/2021).
Review the Open Enrollment Presentation and Benefit Guide on InforESS under the Benefit Information section for important information regarding deductible, network, pharmacy and plan design changes for the new year.
REACH Employee Wellness:
- You will save $780 on health insurance premiums by completing Level 1
- Save another $520 on your spouse’s premiums if they participate as well
- Earn up to $520 in Wellness Credit by completing all levels of REACH.
*If you or your spouse did not complete Level 1, you will see additional premiums ($30 for employee / $20 for spouse) each pay period.
How to Enroll
The Infor Employee Self Service Portal is the tool available to employees to enroll in benefits.
To access these tools from home on www.riversidemc.net, click on “More” then under “For Employees” choose “Employee Self Service”, and sign in using your secure log on.
From work click on the Infor ESS (employee self service) icon on your desktop.
Once on the Employee Self Service Home Page, hover over the “Benefit Information” icon and choose… –Benefit Information 2021 for plan details –Open Enrollment to select your 2021 benefits –Current Benefits to view your current enrollment
You can begin and come back to the enrollment platform as needed during open enrollment but you must submit your elections by 6pm, Nov. 23rd.
Spend your 2020 Flex Spending Account (FSA) funds before March 15, 2021
- You have until March 15, 2021 to incur eligible expenses for the 2020 year. You have until March 30, 2021 to submit those claims otherwise any remaining 2020 FSA account balance will be forfeited.
- Use your Optum Bank FSA Debit card to spend those remaining amounts.
Click the button below to view benefit information and a Benefit Meeting Schedule. Also included is information about the Virtual Benefit Fair.
Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: Medicare and Veterans Affairs Benefits
Did you know that even if our patients receive Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare benefits, the VA still encourages them to sign up for Medicare? There are many reasons why veterans should consider having both VA and Medicare coverage once they turn 65:
- To use VA benefits, veterans must get care at a VA facility or have the VA preauthorize their care elsewhere. When veterans also have Medicare, they can get care at non-VA facilities and have Medicare cover it.
- Veterans might have a copayment when using VA benefits for care unrelated to their military service.
- If the VA only preauthorizes some services or a certain number of days at a non-VA facility, Medicare might pay for other services or days needed.
- With Medicare Part D, veterans can get medications from local pharmacies and non-VA doctors and mail-order services, instead of using the VA mail-order service.
- With Medicare Advantage plans, veterans can combine their healthcare coverage with dental and vision services, wellness programs and more.
- The Simplete® Medicare Advantage plans we offer through Health Alliance™ provide a network of local doctors and access to health coaches, care coordinators and more.
Veterans can learn more by viewing this flier.
Please remind our patients to review their Medicare coverage by December 7. They can learn more by:
- Calling (877) 642-4753 (TTY 711).
- Attending a webinar to learn about our Simplete Riverside plans.
- Visiting this page about Medicare and this link about our Simplete plans.
- Visiting simplete.org/medicare to view plans, enroll and more.
Article provided by Health Alliance.
