IBM Medicare Via Benefits part D alert for 2022

 If you got a letter from your 2021 part D (aka Rx) insurance plan about your plan being consolidated into another plan OR your part D plan is being terminated you must pay attention to that letter for two reasons.

First, if your part D plan is being terminated, you MUST buy a new part D plan before the end of FEBRUARY 2022.  If you wait until January to buy that new plan, you will not have part D insurance during January. Your coverage will begin February 1, 2022.  If you wait until February to buy the new plan, you will not have part D insurance until March 1, 2022.  As important to consider, if you get your HRA benefit based on having bought the part D from Via Benefits (and bought your medigap another way), you will lose access to your HRA funding until you buy the new part D plan, which must be purchased through Via Benefits.

A more subtle problem with part D plans is plan consolidation.  Again, you should have received a letter from your 2021 plan about this if it affects your plan.  Again, this problem only applies to people who did not buy their medigaps from Via Benefit. If your part D plan is being folded into, aka consolidated into another plan, you still have to "buy" that plan through Via Benefit even though the move to the new plan is automatic.  Also, if the plan you are automatically being moved to is not in Via Benefit's inventory, then you must change to a part D plan Via sells. 

You HAVE to read the ANOC notice you receive every year from your part D and Medicare Advantage plans to make sure the change the insurance company makes does not affect your access to your HRA. Reminder, Via Benefits is an insurance broker.  If you don't buy at least one medical plan through them, you will lose access to your HRA for the year.  That's a costly mistake.

IBM Medicare Via Benefits website for 2022 plan changes experience

Last week I think I changed to a new part D plan for 2022. I write "I think" because the Via Benefits website is the least intuitive website I have ever used. 

The sign on to Via makes me feel like I am trying to hack into Fort Knox. But I did manage to sign on. Then I clicked the "shop" icon and bumbled through the menus to get to part D plans and select the plan I wanted to buy.  One would think once one selects a plan and puts it into the cart then it would be easy to "check out".  Fat chance.

I fumbled and bumbled around until I landed back on the Via main page and, as a guess, clicked on the link to go to the description of my policies. Maybe there are instructions somewhere on the site to do that.  It sure wasn't obvious to me.  It is in that menu the  user "purchase process" is completed.  

I sort of  completed the "buying" process and provided an electronic signature.  It's "sort of" because the last time I looked on the site,  the part D policy I want for 2022, it is "pending approval".  What they have to approve is beyond my comprehension.  Medicare, on the www.medicare.gov website, allows me to change my part D policy during Medicare Open Enrollment by just clicking an enroll button.  In fact, I can change it as many times as I want between Oct 15 and Dec 7th. 

I already buy a medigap from Via Benefits which fills the requirement of buying one policy from them,  so I really don't need to jump through the hoops of the Via Benefits website or call them to spend 30 minutes on the phone to make this plan change.  One would therefore think they would make it as easy as possible because they get commission for the sale if I buy it through them.  

What I also realized, is that I don't even need to ask for reimbursement of the part D premiums for the new plan.  I typically use up my HRA account money by about September of the year. The premium for the new plan is about $7/mo or $84/year. Not exactly a barn burner in terms of chewing through the HRA funds.  Bottom line, if Via doesn't "approve" the plan change by mid November, I will cancel the purchase and enroll through Medicare.

10/26/21 Update:

The new plan was "approved" by Via Benefits.  When I get the enrollment materials from the new plan, that will be when I trust the process!