Medicare coverage can be a confusing and intimidating subject for patients
approaching Medicare eligibility. It?s important that patients are
well-informed and take the right steps to get the Medicare coverage they need.
When you and your patients discuss Medicare, please keep in mind that a patient
who inquires about IBC coverage can be provided with information and resources
related to IBC?s Medicare coverage options.
Medicare information for your patients
IBC?s Medicare website,
www.ibxmedicare.com, is available to help
patients understand Medicare and guide them through the process of enrolling in
IBC?s Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and prescription drug plans. The
website features plan details, prescription drug information, enrollment forms,
and a helpful New to Medicare? section that includes easy-to-understand
instructional videos and general Medicare information. Patients can also call
1-877-393-6733 (for the hearing-impaired:
1-877-219-5457) for information.
IBC plans
IBC has provided Medicare coverage since its inceptionin 1965. Between our
Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and prescription drug plans, we
providehealth care coverage for more than 160,000 Medicare members. We take
pride in being a local plan that ourmembers know and trust.
Medicare Advantage plans. Currently, we offer two Medicare Advantage plan
options: Keystone 65 HMO (consisting of both our Select and Preferred plans)
and Personal Choice 65
SM PPO.* With each plan, patients can choose
between options that offer coverage for medical expenses only or coverage for
both medical and Part D prescription drug coverage. These plans cover all of
the benefits of Original Medicare, plus more.
Medicare Supplement plans. Medicare Supplement (or Medigap) plans provide
coverage for out-of-pocket expenses or "gaps" in Original Medicare, helping to
lower out-of-pocket costs. With a Medicare Supplement plan, patients can go to
any hospital and see any doctor. Medicare Supplement plans do not include
prescription drug coverage, but add-on prescription drug plans are available.
The Medicare Supplement plan offered by IBC is called MedigapSecurity. With
MedigapSecurity, there are five standardized plans to choose from: plan A, B,
C, F, or N.
Note: There are different eligibility requirements and enrollment periods for
Medicare and MediGap that vary with each individual?s circumstance. To
determine when they are eligible to enroll, patients can call Medicare at
1-800-MEDICARE (for the hearing-impaired:
1-877-486-2048) or visit www.medicare.gov.
As per Medicare rules, patients are allowed to be enrolled in only one Medicare
Advantage or Medicare prescription drug plan. Enrollment in a new plan will
cause disenrollment from any other existing Medicare plan.
Medicare information for providers
To help you easily locate and disseminate IBC information related to our
Medicare coverage, we recently added several resources for providers within the
Administrative Tools & Resources section of NaviNet
® Plan
Central to assist your Medicare-eligible patients. These resources include:
Keystone 65 HMO enrollment form;
Personal Choice 65 PPO enrollment form;
a link to ibxmedicare.com;
a link to the updated Medicare Advantage Drug Formulary.
If you are not yet NaviNet-enabled at your office location, register by going
to
NaviNet and selecting
Sign up from the top right. Providers without access to NaviNet can obtain
paper copies of the Medicare enrollment forms by calling Customer Service at
1-800-ASK-BLUE.
NaviNet® is a registered trademark of
NaviNet, Inc., an independent company.