Medicare 101 Webinar – Refresher: 

If you are approaching age 65, or retiring after you’ve turned 65, you will need to make decisions regarding Medicare. Or maybe you’ve already made your decisions and just want a refresher on how it all works before the Annual Election Period in the Fall?  To help you get the information you need to make the best decision for you or your loved ones, DDI provides free Medicare 101 educational webinars each month (view a recent recording HERE). 

Watch a recording of DDI’s latest overview of the basics of Medicare HERE

DDI offers FREE ongoing Medicare 101 webinars each month. Click HERE to register for future webinars, or call 503-206-4080 / email medicare@ddibenefits.com

Feel free to forward this information to your friends and family needing help with Medicare.  DDI Medicare advisors provide personalized assistance and help with enrollment in a plan that best fits your needs, as well as ongoing support as your needs change. Our services are available at no cost to our clients.

Why did Part B premiums increase so much in 2022?

In November 2021, CMS (Center for Medicare Services) announced the monthly Medicare Part B premium would rise from $148.50 in 2021 to $170.10 in 2022, a 14.5% ($21.60) increase. This is the largest increase in dollar terms since the start of the program, even though premiums have risen faster in percentage terms on three other occasions in the last 20 years – 2016 (16.1%), 2010 (14.6%), and 2005 (17.4%).

CMS explained that the increase for 2022 was due in part to the potential costs associated with the new Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm (aducanumab), manufactured by Biogen, which had an initial annual price tag of $56,000. The increase in the Part B premium was to allow for a “high-cost scenario” of Aduhelm coverage based on assumptions about utilization months before the scheduled announcement of a National Coverage Determination (NCD).

Remember, even when you privatize your Part A and B benefits with a Medicare Advantage plan or if you add a Medicare Supplement, you still have to continue to pay your Part B premiums to the government. Part B premiums are based on your modified adjusted gross income as reported on your IRS tax return from 2 yeas ago. If your income is above a certain amount, you will pay an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). Click HERE to view the sliding scale for 2022.

Contact your DDI Medicare Team at medicare@ddibenefits.com / 503-206-5654. We are here to help you navigate your Medicare options and benefits.

Its Summertime! Will my Medicare plan cover out-of-state care?           

It you are thinking of traveling outside the area this summer, here are couple things to keep in mind:

• With Medicare Advantage plans, you’ll have emergency and urgent care coverage when traveling outside of your network, within the United States. That means you don’t have to worry about coverage if you get a sudden illness or break a bone while traveling.
• If you need non-emergency or non-urgent care while traveling, it may not be covered or you may have to pay more out of pocket. So, plan accordingly, if you know you’ll be out of the area, you may want to schedule any non-urgent health care prior to traveling.
• If you have Original Medicare with or without a Supplement Plan you have coverage anywhere in the US and its territories from doctors and hospitals that take Original Medicare