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Medicare Prescription Discount Card Information http://www.medicarerights.org/maincontentrx76questions.html
If you are looking for help in decision making about the new Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Card (or other information about Medicare), you may find what you need at the Medicare Rights Center website. The above is a link to the Center's "76 Things You Should Know About the New Medicare Drug Discount Cards"
Pharmaceutical Company Prescription Assistance Programshttp://helpingpatients.org
For information on other medication assistance programs for which you may qualify, try the interactive program at Helping Patients, an organization sponsored by the PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association) and its 48 member companies.
Michigan Medical Records Access Act http://www.michiganlegislature.org/documents/2003-2004/billanalysis/house/pdf/2003-HLA-4706-s.pdf
Effective 4-1-2004, patients and their authorized representatives are guaranteed access to medical records from physical health care providers at a reasonable cost. The above link will direct you to a legislative analysis that explains House Bill 4706 and a related act (4755) outlining sanctions for those who do not comply.
The bill allows a medically indigent patient or his/her representative obtain one free copy of the individual's records. Patients who are not financially eligible for SSI or FIA assistance can obtain the first copy of records without a service fee. An initial fee of $20 can be charged for duplicate requests from patients regardless of their abiity to pay. Record providers can charge up to $1.00 per page for the first 20 pages, fifty cents per page for pages 21-50 and twenty cents for pages 51. Postage or shipping costs are extra. If records are delivered in another form other than paper ( i.e, fax or by secure internet methods) then only actual costs of preparing a duplicate can be charged. If records are older than 7 years and maintained off-site, charges for document retrieval can be passed along to the requesting source. A request for records for a different time period from the same health care provider does not constitute a duplicate request. Records are to be provided within 30 days, or 60 if the records are stored off site. A one time extension of no more than 30 days is allowed if the patient is notified of problems in fulfilling the request. The Act does not apply to insurance companies or other third parties who are not patient representatives.
SSA Extends Exclusion of Retroactive Benefits as an SSI Resource from 6 to 9 months as of 3/2/2004 http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0501130600
In the past, the unspent portion of any retroactive benefit was excluded as a resource in determining SSI eligibility for up to 6 months after the month in which the back payments were received. SSA has extended that period to 9 months. Interest on any savings is not excludable. It is always a good idea to keep the SSA retroactive funds separate from other income to help prove assets are retroactive SSA funds for SSI and FIA eligibility purposes. I do not know yet if FIA has or will also extend exclusion of SSA retroactive funds when considering eligibility for programs such as food stamps and Medicaid from 6 to 9 months.
Michigan "Freedom to Work for Individuals With Disabilities" Law Allows Disabled Workers to Buy Medicaid http://www.ucp.org/ucp_printdoc.cfm/87/8292/8293/8293-10549/4920
As of January 1, 2004, Michiganders aged 16 to 64 receiving SSI or SSDI who return to work can keep or buy Medicaid. The individual is also allowed to have unearned income from interest or rent, for example, if it does not exceed the Federal poverty guideline ($9,310 in 2004). A spouse's income is not considered. Approved savings accounts up to $75,000 and any IRAs or retirement accounts are excluded. The individual must currently be a Medicaid receipient or Medicaid eligible without a spend down and be employed regularly. The monthly premium starts at $50 a month if the person earns more than $23,275 a year in 2004 and rises to $920 a month if the person earns over $75,000 a year. The link above is to a UCP Michigan summary of the law. Individuals interested in the RTW Act should contact their local Family Independence Agency office to apply.
My Opinion:
On Health Care Costs and Earnings of Disabled Workers:
Both SSA and the Michigan FIA ( Family Independence Agency) encourage disabled individuals to return to work through many programs or allow them to apply for benefits if their earnings are limited because of health problems. For example, in the SSA system, a factor determining whether a person is eligible to apply for Title II (SSDI) benefits or can receive continuing benefits after a trial work period is gross earnings per month. Gross earnings can be reduced dollar for dollar by Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs). These are costs for medical treatment such as office visits, prescribed medication, special equipment or transportation that a person must have in order to continue working. The IRWE must be related to the person's disabling combined health problems. For example, a prescription for Prozac may be an IRWE if a person has depression that without treatment, would interfer with employment. But, if the person needs an antibiotic for an infection that may clear up in 2 weeks, the cost of the antibiotic may not be an IRWE.
SSA, though, cannot count the cost of paying for private health insurance or a medigap policy as an IRWE. I have seen several cases in which disabled individuals were deemed ineligible for SSDI benefits because SSA cannot subtract what the individual is paying for their health insurance from the worker's gross wages. Ironically, if the person did not have health insurance, he or she would often have IRWEs that would negate their earnings entirely based on prescription costs alone.
Congress and/or SSA should initiate revision of federal regulations to allow disabled individuals who work to subtract the cost of health care insurance, including Medicaid paid for through programs such as the RTW Act described above, from gross wages in determining T2 benefit eligibility. In the long run, it will save Medicare and Medicaid funds because private insurance other than Medigap policies would pay first when the disability beneficiary returns to work and remove another disincentive for working while disabled.
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