IBM Medicare www.extendhealth.com/ibm Confusion Abounds - Beware What you Hear and Read

I've been looking at some of the chatter about Medicare medigap and Medicare Advantage plans that has been posted other places.  Too often what people write is wrong.  Sadly, the Extend Health agents are also saying things that are wrong.  Double check everything to be sure you are getting an accurate description of Medicare rules and offerings and Extend Health rules.
  

For example, people are saying some doctors won't accept medigap plans.  Doctors don't chose to participate or not participate in medigap plans unless they are are "Medigap Select" plans.  There are only a couple of states that have those kinds of plans and even then "Select" plans are only available in a subset of state counties.  Everywhere else a doctor cannot say they don't accept a medigap as Medicare automatically sends the claim to the medigap for processing.  The doctor can say they don't want to wait for a medigap plan to pay them because the plan may be slow to pay.  The doctor might therefore ask for coinsurance payment up front.  You will then be reimbursed by the medigap for the coinsurance.  If you decide to get a medigap with a deductible you obviously have to pay the doctor coinsurance anyway until you reach the deductible amount for the policy.  Reminder - any coinsurance you pay will be reimbursed by Extend Health if you still have money left in your subsidy (I keep seeing postings where people are really confused about that). People also write about a lifetime cap for medigap reimbursements.  Maybe it applys to Select plans but regular medigaps are required to payout and can only cancel a client if the client stops paying medigap premiums.

  
I have seen people mix up medigaps and Medicare Advantage plans. Someone wrote about the vision and dental coverage provided by a medigap. Again, unless it was a "Select" plan - medigaps never offer vision and dental coverage but Medicare Advantage plans often do.  I have seen people write about how medigaps are age rated so the older you get the more expensive it will be.  IT DEPENDS ON YOUR STATE. I have seen people focus totally on the cost of Original Medicare + medigap+ part D versus a Medicare Advantage plan.  There is so much more to the decision of what insurance to have than the price tag of the plans you choose.  Reminder - if you need an expert doctor (say, for a second opinion) and they don't accept your MA plan (but do accept Medicare) you will have to pay the total cost of the doctor visit out of your pocket if there is no money left in your HRA.  There is no way to factor that into a "cost" analysis.
 

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about Extend Health.  EH stated that you must buy a "medical insurance policy" from them to qualify for your subsidy.  So, what if you just buy one policy from them will you then be able to submit bills for premiums and copays for both you and your spouse?  That would mean you can buy a cheaper medigap for your spouse if EH doesn't offer it. EH has said you must buy a medical or part D plan for your spouse to be able to file bills for your spouse's against your HRA.

The medigap insurance policy that Extend Health offers for medigap F high deductible in my zip code is one of the more expensive offerings in my area and it is also Humana - which is famous for poor customer service (try to call Humana once you have a policy with them - it is easier to reach the Pope). It is the only one they offer for my zip code.  I keep reading that Extend Health will sell you the policy you do want if you ask for it!  So, I know that Empire Blue Cross's price for exactly the same policy is $30/month less --- I am specifically going to ask them if they can sell me that plan!

There are other questions you have to ask your state health insurance assistance agency that are important questions to get answered before you sign up.  The top of the list is whether the state that has rules for issue age rated medigap pricing (also known as entry age rated pricing) require insurance companies to sell you a medigap plan at the issue age you bought IBM's insurance because you had continuous secondary coverage and have a guarantee issue right.  It might dramatically lower your premium price if it applies.  I doubt Extend Health will know and I doubt the insurance company will tell you unless you ask the question.
  
I just looked at the drug plans offered by Extend Health.  First off, there are 25 drug plans available in my zip code in 2014.  I just looked on medicare.gov to see it.  EH offers me 12 plans!!!  It is also difficult to determine if my drugs are covered by those plans when I look at the EH information.  Don't rely on EH information alone to pick a drug insurance plan. 
  
Finally, EH had ONE dental plan and ONE vision plan to offer in my zip code.  The dental plan was "stupid".  I would have to pay about $626 in premiums and deductible to get $1000 in coverage for the year. The vision plan wasn't much better but I only had to pay about $168/year to get nothing.  Maybe there are more plans they will offer if you ask? Make sure you ask your dentist and you eye doctor/eye glass store what plans they take and what they think are the best plans to get before buying a plan from Extend Health.  Reminder - no matter how you buy a dental or vision plan or self insure you can get reimbursed for the premiums, copays and total bills from EH as long as you bought an EH medical or part D plan and still have $$$ left in your HRA.

IBM Medicare www.extendhealth.com/ibm The Value of Keeping Promises

I keep thinking about Rhee's response to my email and how what Human Resources is doing is nothing more than a maneuver to steal from the elderly earned IBM services. I need to rant.

    

There is an implied message in the literature we received that we are lucky to get anyting from IBM.  It had nothing to do with luck. The employment contract we had with IBM was a promise to defer payment of services earned so that we could receive a long term payout over our lifetimes in the form of health benefits.  Somewhere along the way we even started to believe that we are "lucky" to have the benefits.  Never forget - you earned them. We worked hard to earn them and we were given a promise that we would be paid those earnings over our lifetimes. It is simple what is happening. IBM is breaking the promise.

      

Although there was no legal contract there was a social contract between the employee and the company.  It was a moral commitment between both parties.  We provided high quality work and IBM put part of our earned services in a “benefits bank”.  It was a handshake deal and IBM agreed to be morally obligated to fulfill the promise.  The IBM Human Resources community has now decided to break the promise and Ginni is letting them do it.  The board of directors is no less complicit. Shame on all of them. We kept our end of the deal.

         

The value of keeping a promise is measured in moral terms.  The cost of breaking a promise is measured by lost ethics.  IBM worked harder to keep their ethical bank account higher than any other corporation in the global marketplace.  Business conduct was the cornerstone of IBM’s success.  It is what made IBM a superpower in the corporate world.  Whether an eroding of ethics occurs in customer interactions or in human resource support it erodes IBM superpower standing and eventually erodes the very fabric of the organization.    Stealing earned services away from retirees is undeniably a major erosion no matter how much lipstick is applied.  It is likely a symptom of a broader IBM collapse.

         

The most important aspect of this rant is to remind you that we worked for most of our careers during an era of trust and that makes me feel "lucky". 

IBM Medicare www.extendhealth.com/ibm IBM's Answer - Why We are Forced to Buy from Extend Health

I posted an entry earlier this week of a email I sent to Dr. Rhee complaining about being forced to buy a medical policy through Extend Health to get my subsidy.  How could I have not realized that IBM was doing this for my own good because I would not have been able to figure out what insurance to buy all by myself.  How wonderful that IBM still cares about me and that makes it so worthwhile for me to have to pay about $50/month more for my medigap insurance than if I could buy a plan in the open market.  I feel so loved. 

Here is Dr. Rhee's answer:
   

I want to respond to your letter regarding IBM’s announcement that Extend Health will provide you with new health plan options for 2014.

IBM decided to require retirees to enroll through the Medicare Exchange because we consider the benefit advisor important to helping retirees through this transition. For most retirees, a plan is available on the Medicare Exchange that delivers equal or better value than under the current IBM group plan options, at a lower cost. You may have chosen a plan that costs more, or you may be in one of the few areas of the country where plans are more costly. Previously, IBM used a “national” pricing strategy, meaning regardless of where a retiree lived, he or she paid the same amount for their IBM plan option.

Since you are not satisfied with the cost of the plans you've reviewed on the Extend Health website, I encourage you schedule an appointment with an Extend Health benefits advisor at 1-855-359-7380 to explore these options and to ensure there are no other plans or other suggestions that they may have for you that may meet your needs.

Thank you for your past contributions to IBM, and for writing.
 

IBM Medicare www.extendhealth.com/ibm More Information on Doing Plan Research

George posted excellent information in a comment on how to do plan research and how important it is to do that research.  I am reposting it here to make it easier for you to read. 
  
Thank you, George!
      

There is an additional readily available and very easy to review source of factual information accurately and comprehensively summarizing the plan you may be contemplating: the PLAN BROCHURE. Thus, some related thoughts after years of working directly with CMS [Medicare] and insurance companies, and assisting many people.

After selecting (or comparing) Medicare Supplement (Medigap) or Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans on the Extend Health (EH) Web site, as part of the plan information near the bottom of the respective listing(s) you will see a link - “View” - to the insurance company's “PLAN BROCHURE” [in PDF format] - at least I did for plans available in Zip Codes / counties I checked for multiple states. Plan documents (brochures) are also available on most insurance company's Web site – again, at least for the several companies for the states I checked.

After reviewing the somewhat legalistic information on EH, I strongly suggest you review the PLAN BROCHURE as it will present and compare plans usually in an easier to review format with a comparison of like-type plans. While NOT usually the legal plan-coverage document, the brochure may be referenced. For the complete legal plan document, you will need to review a very thick document(s).

For most states / Zip Codes / counties, ONE brochure will summarize coverage for ALL of the choices for a company's specific plan type, for example, all of the company's Medicare Supplement plans from A to N in one brochure, and all Medicare Advantage HMO or PPO plans (and variations) in another brochure, often with specific rate information which you may cross-reference to rates EH states for you.

Remember ALL plan brochures cover a specific geographic area and time period, therefore do NOT refer to an old document or one that is NOT for YOUR state / Zip Code / county.

Once you have reviewed the information available from EH AND the plan information from the insurance company from either EH or the company's Web site, if you have questions, then you will be able to specifically address them by calling the insurance company directly or, in some cases by talking with EH. Either can, and will, help clarify your questions or concerns.  I encourage everyone to get all of your questions answered before proceeding with enrollment. If you are unhappy with the conversation, call again as it is not uncommon for questions to be answered incompletely or even incorrectly, even with EH; and make sure you document the call.

Keep in mind, for a variety of legal reasons, while it may in some limited circumstances enhance a subsequent claim (or complaint), talking with an insurance company (or EH) representative does not make your conversation - questions or answers - a part of, or not a part of, the plan document or coverage thereunder.

Nevertheless, it is imperative that your review all available plan information and follow-up with all available sources, including calling the respective insurance company, CMS, and applicable state insurance agencies, to have all of your questions or concerns answered before proceeding with enrollment; and, that you fully understand the plan, including coverage, payments, and limitations, in which you are enrolling, BEFORE you enroll.

IBM Medicare extendhealth.com/ibm Helping You Choose a Medigap Plan

There is an OUTSTANDING brochure on medicare.gov that describes medigap insurance plans, enrollment rules and variations in pricing. 

    Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare    

         

After reading it I realized how big an impact this change will be for some people.  In some states if you bought a medigap plan when you first turned 65 you would not have to keep paying more for the plan as you age.  The price of the plan would always be whatever the entry price is for "65 year olds".  If you used IBM's insurance, I think you may have lost that right.  Call your state insurance agency (www.shiptalk.org has the phone numbers) to find out --- don't rely on Extend Health to tell you.

I know this is a lot of work but you have to be your own advocate to be sure you are getting the maximum benefit.  READ the medigap brochure on www.medicare.gov - your tax dollars paid for it:

http://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/02110.pdf

IBM Medicare extendheath.com/ibm Plan Verification Process

Someone just asked a great question that prompted me to give this advice.  Before you actually enroll in a plan offered through Extend Health make sure you are getting the coverage you think you are getting. DON'T rely on Extend Health's information. There already has been too much written about how EH agent quality is highly variable.
    
If Extend Health gives you bad advice you can complain to Medicare that you were misled. Extend Health is acting as the insurance agent for the plan and is subject to Medicare law. That's why they  record conversations.  HOWEVER, it is much more effective to file a Medicare complaint if the actual provider gives you bad information. REMINDER - IBM plays no role in this complaint process.  There is no point calling the IBM service center if something goes wrong.
         
If it happens - and you can prove it - you can ask Medicare for a special enrollment period to switch plans.  No matter who you talk to --- TAKE NAMES, DATES and NOTES about the conversation so that you have EVIDENCE of being misled. If you need to file a complaint you just call 1-800-MEDICARE and tell them you want a special enrollment to switch plans because the information you got about the plan was wrong.  They will then take you through the process.  But, that is onerous.  It is much easier just to double check before you enroll.
     
 There are a couple of ways to verify that Extend Health is providing accurate information.

1. Go to www.medicare.gov and look at the plan description for a Medicare Advantage medical plan and/or drug insurance plan you are interested in using.  Do both by using plan finder. When you do, you enter the drugs you take and Medicare will provide information about whether the plan does or doesn't covers your drugs. Take print outs of the plan information.
       
2. No matter what the answers are for step one - CALL THE INSURANCE PLAN.  The plans offered by Extend Health are STANDARD insurance plans offered in the open market.  For example, if you are choosing an AARP United Healthcare Medicare Advantage PPO plan through Extend Health - then that SAME plan will show up on www.medicare.gov in your zip code.  There will be phone numbers associated with the plans. Verify the information by calling the medical plan or the drug plan to confirm you are getting the coverage you think you are getting. There is one exception - for Aetna PPO a special deal was arranged to allow the insurance company to continue to offer the plan for two more years to retirees already enrolled in the plan in 2013.  That plan will not show up in medicare.gov. I believe Aetna is directly mailing plan information to enrollees.

      
The ONLY time you can be sure you are getting exactly what is being described by a plan is if you are buying a medigap supplemental plan for Original Medicare.  By law, those plans must provide the coverage that is associated with the letter of the plan.  Ergo, all N plans are the same, all F plans are the same, all C plans are the same and so on. 

IBM Medicare Extend Health Medigap Offerings Complaint to Dr. Rhee

I just sent an email to Dr. Rhee and copied Ginni.  I doubt it will do much good but thought I at least had to try -----

Dear Dr. Rhee,

I signed on to the Extend Health website this morning to look at the medigap plan choices Extend Health offers in my zip code and I am extremely disappointed by the selection they are offering. It is very limited and the associated prices for the plans are significantly higher than those offered by other insurance companies in the Medicare open marketplace. For many reasons, not the least of which is the ability to go to any specialty clinic in the United States such as the City of Hope or Sloan Kettering, I must stay on Original Medicare.

I specifically looked at the Extend Health medigap F high deductible offering in my zip code and there is only one plan available. It is also the lowest priced medigap plan that Extend Health is offering in my zip code so it is the cheapest medigap plan I am able to buy. It is priced at $115.86/ month and is offered by Humana.

I can get EXACTLY THE SAME insurance policy (as you know by law they must be the same) from THREE other insurance companies who sell medigap insurance in my zip code for as much as HALF that premium price if I were able to buy it in the open market. This is really onerous as you have made it a requirement that I MUST BUY A MEDICAL plan through Extend Health to be able to access my subsidy. I will now be forced to spend substantially more of my subsidy on premiums to get medigap coverage. WHY IS THAT A REQUIREMENT?

I thought you said we would be offered BETTER choices through Extend Health and you were doing this transition to help us contain our insurance costs. Given what I have seen so far what you are saying is not true as Extend Health is restricting our options because of your requirement to use their offerings.

Please reconsider how you have structured this transition and REMOVE the requirement that we MUST purchase a medical plan from Extend Health to be able to use our subsidy money. It is an unnecessary restriction that will cause many retirees to pay MORE to get the EXACT same coverage as can be purchased in the Medicare open market and thereby puts an unnecessary additional burden on retirees already reeling from this dramatic shift to Extend Health.

IBM Medicare www.extendhealth.com/ibm offerings and subsidy information

I just spoke to someone who called Extend Health today.  She was told the subsidy amount SHOULD be available on October 1st.  He said they were loading the files tonight.  Sounds so 1970s to me!  Anyway, you will be able to see your subsidy in your profile. 

That same agent also said all the plans you listed in your zip code on the Extend Health website might not be ALL the plans they can offer.  It makes no sense to me why they would do that - maybe they are only putting the plans online that pay the most commissions?  I am becoming paranoid about how this whole process is designed to befuddle us.  There probably is a legitimate reason.

That confirms to me that you need to KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU ENROLL. In addition to looking at what plans are offered in your zip code on the Extend Health website before your enrollment call you must do additional research.

1. Go to www.medicare.gov  on or after October 15 and find out what insurance companies sell medigap plans in your zip code by going to the top of the home page and clicking on supplementals and other plans. Decide what kind of medigap plan you want. Then call your local state agency (the state SHIP which can be found at www.shiptalk.org ) to find out what the insurance companies charge for those plans. Make a list of the insurance companies that sell the plan you want from cheapest to most expensive.
          
2. Go to www.medicare.gov on or after October 15 and find out what insurance companies sell part D prescription drug plans in your zip code by going to the middle of the home page and clicking on plan finder.  Enter your drugs and pharmacies and you will see a list of plans arranged from least expensive to most expensive. You also should look at the rules for pre-approval of the use of a drug such as what tier it is in (the higher the tier the higher the copay) and whether any of your drugs will require step therapy.  That means try a cheaper drug first. Make a list of the plan names and the insurance companies that offer them you would buy in order from the most preferred plan to least preferred plan.
       
3. If you want a Medicare Advantage plan do not do step 1 & 2 above as you have decided to not use the government insurance pool know as Original Medicare and instead use private insurance.  I believe that the only kind of Medicare Advantage plan Extend Health is going to sell is one that includes prescription drugs.  That is indicated by all their literature and in their briefings. Go to www.medicare.gov on or after October 15 and find out what insurance companies sell Medicare Advantage + drug plans in your zip code by going to the middle of the home page and clicking on plan finder.  Look at the detail descriptions for the plans you like and make a list of the plan names and the insurance companies that offer them you would buy in order from the most preferred plan to the least preferred plan.
       
4. When you call Extend Health for your enrollment TELL THE AGENT what you want generally and specifically!  You and your spouse only have to enroll in a medical plan (medicare advantage or medigap supplemental) OR a part D prescription drug insurance plan to qualify for your HRA subsidy.   

IBM Extend Health Medicare briefings - some of what is said is wrong

As I said in the last post, the briefing presenter made some mistakes during his presentation.  There were also some fact "omissions" that should have been included. 

Medigap rules ----

• When he talked about medigap rules he was not state specific and several times said things that were not correct for NY and CT.  He kept saying that medigap plan premiums are determined based on your age (aka age rated).  He also kept talking about medical underwriting which means the insurance company can raise the rate or exclude coverage for specific illnesses if you have pre-existing conditions. NEITHER applies in NY and CT. Then he said several times that you can enroll in a medigap any time as if it were true in any state. That is ONLY true in NY and CT. And the plan does not take effect until the first day of the next month.
      
•  In NY and CT plans are never priced based on age or medical condition of the person, no one can be denied a policy and anyone can enroll or switch companies whenever they want (called continuous enrollment) - to be effective the next month but you might be subject to a 6 month coverage wait for preexisting conditions. In some states you are only allowed to change medigap plans once a year e.g., in California it's on your birthday, in Wisconsin it is on the anniversary of the date you first purchased a medigap. What that means is the insurance company cannot deny you.  You can try to do it at other times but the insurance company can deny you.  He never directed the audience to be sure to check with their specific state insurance agency to find out those rules so one might think he assumed everyone was from NY or CT but then he was wrong about what he said for those two states! Confused?  Maybe that was the master plan.

Enrollment periods ---

• He did not well explain that Oct 15 - Dec 7 is the Medicare open enrollment when a person can SWITCH the kind of insurance they have.  You can switch to original Medicare, switch Medicare Advantage plans and/or enroll or switch part D insurance plans. He only talked about how it was a time to switch Medicare Advantage plans.  He also NEVER mentioned that from Jan 1 - Feb 14 Medicare has a Medicare Advantage disenrollment period where a person is allowed to drop their Medicare Advantage plan and go to original Medicare. He also did not properly explain that from Dec 7 - Dec 31 you can enroll in Extend Health plans but it is a one time deal because that is a special enrollment period to Medicare. 
         
• You cannot change your mind about your enrollment choices if you try to do it after December 7th. He never said anything about that. The only option you have left if you want to make a change after that is January - Feb 14 which is, as I said, is when you can "drop" a Medicare Advantage plan. But if you do that you better be able to buy a medigap plan as it is the only way to get your HRA money and in some states that might be a BIG problem as you might be denied by the insurance company.
        
•  After Feb 14,  you cannot change your Medicare insurance until the next Medicare open enrollment period (Oct) to be effective January of the following year unless you can prove you were mislead by the insurance company (aka bad marketing aka they lied).  There is one exception - if there is a 5 star rated Medicare Advantage plan or part D in your zip code you are allowed to switch to it any time during the year.  HOWEVER, if you do that for an MA plan you will lose access to your HRA subsidy unless it is a plan offered by EH because IBM requires you to have a medical plan through EH to spend that money. 

Also, he stressed that although EH does get commissions from insurance companies for selling a particular plan -  the agents don't get commissions from "selling" a particular plan.  Wanna bet they get bonuses?  Ah, the value using the right words is amazing.
   
He also talked about how EH agents will be available throughout the year to answer your questions.  But your questions better not be about claims or how to appeal a denial.  EH is clear in the literature that those issues are handled by your insurance plans.  You cannot complain to EH as they are only the insurance agent.  You cannot complain to IBM as they sold us out.

IBM Extend Health Medicare Briefing in Poughkeepsie 9/25/13 More Qs & As

I decided to attend one of the briefings Extend Health is doing for retirees.  It was worth going because I did pick up a little information.  I was also able to see first hand just how difficult this transition will be for many retirees.  People are overwhelmed by it and many will not be capable of really understanding all the ramifications. I could tell by the questions they asked at the end of the session. Shame on IBM for making this so hard. I will try to not be snarky in this post but I don't think I will succeed.

The Extend Health presenter was a little too slick and glib for me.  He made several mistakes along the way but you'd have to be seeped in this stuff to know it - the audience was oblivious.  He also ever so subliminally pushed Medicare Advantage plans. I bet it's because insurance companies pay a higher commission for those plans.  He mentioned several times that Medicare Advantage plans focus on wellness. Fat chance they do. Unless the measure is the rate at which they deny claims for sickness. He talked about being "over insured". That is ridiculous - a person is not like a house or an automobile which has a fixed asset price and can be over insured.  There is no such thing when it comes to health insurance because health catastrophes are totally unpredictable and a person's life has no price tag.  Basically you should buy however much health insurance as you can afford!

Regarding commissions - the presenter confirmed in the meeting that Extend Health receives commissions from insurance companies. It is actually on the last page of the "Getting Started" brochure you received.  He then said the agents were paid a salary so they were unbiased.  That is, once again, ridiculous. It is akin to saying IBM technical support people are not are commissioned so they are not biased to selling IBM products to their clients!  I believe commissions are why we MUST buy a medical insurance plan through EH to get our subsidy.  It was probably a negotiated item in the EH contract with IBM. 

As I said - I did pick up a few tidbits and I realized a couple of things that are important to know if you use original Medicare and medigap insurance.  First, we are losing insurance coverage for preventative medical services such as routine physical exams by a doctor and blood tests.  These procedures are not covered by Medicare but were covered by IBM medical supplement and by Aetna Integration.  Medicare only covers something called "wellness checkups" which is significantly less. Second is that we also had coverage for acupuncture in those plans.  Medicare doesn't cover it.

I created a new question/answer list: 

Extend Health – more questions and some answers

 From EH meeting in Poughkeepsie on September 25, 2013

1.       What type of insurance plans must be purchased from Extend Health to be able to access the HRA subsidy?

Answer:  You must buy a Medical Plan from Extend Health to be able to use the HRA subsidy.  The only plans that qualify are Medicare Advantage, medigap plans and Part D, dental and vision plans are not medical plans.  (updated 10/7/13)

2.       How do you establish a caregiver who can act on your behalf in making Extend Health choices?

Answer:  You can designate a caregiver either in your profile or when you talk to an agent.  The caregiver can then ask questions on your behalf and help you decide what plans to use but you need to be able to listen and answer questions when it comes time to enroll.  If you cannot do it then the caregiver will need a power of attorney on file with EH before your enrollment call.  Also, the insurance plan you choose may ask to see that power of attorney to complete your enrollment. 

3.       Will auto-reimbursement of policy premiums be implemented for policies not purchased from Extend Health?

Answer: No.  Auto-reimbursement is only available for insurance policies purchased through Extend Health.

4.       Will reimbursement from the HRA include medical expenses not covered by Medicare such as an annual physical by a doctor or acupuncture?

Answer:  They didn’t know.  The presenter in the meeting said “no”, then the agent I talked to the next day tried to read me the same list that was in our brochure.  IRS HRA rules do not limit the kind of medical expenses that can be reimbursed from an HRA. And HRA law has nothing to do with Medicare law.  It is IBM that will limit what medical expenses we can subsidize with HRA money.  I don’t know how to get an answer to this question beyond submitting a claim and then fighting with Extend Health and/or IBM if it is denied.

5.       Will reimbursement from the HRA include medical bills from doctors who do not accept Medicare insurance?

Answer:  The same as for answer #4.  They don’t know and I don’t know how we can find out.

6.       Can you make on-line changes to your plan selection after enrolling with an agent or must all changes be processed by an agent?

Answer:  Any changes you make to your plan selection on-line will not be confirmed until you call and speak to an agent.