News & Recent Developments
GAO Report Finds: Private Fee-for-Service Plans Experiencing High Disenrollment Rates (Updated 12/17/08)
Full Article
The Medicare Retiree Drug Subsidy Faces Increased Scrutiny:
Read more about upcoming CMS audits and the steps you can take to prepare at the link below. (Updated 10/8/08)
Full Article
Third Party Administrator Alliance (TPAA) Makes Part D Advisors a Preferred Partner
"We're committed to giving our members access to the best in the business, and Part D Advisors passed the test. I don't know of anyone else who provides the 'soup to nuts' service they do, and certainly no one who does it as well. I am pleased to have them on the TPAA team." - TPAA President Mark Oelschalger
Read the Full Article at www.TheTPAA.com
Retiree Health Plans: A National Assessment
Retiree health benefits vary greatly across the country. This article provides a state by state evaluation of eligibility requirements, benefits and policies regarding Medicare enrollment. Summaries of state benefits include costs to retirees, employers and the state. For further information please follow the link below. (Updated 9/25/08)
Center for State and Local Government Excellence
CMS Overpayment Updates: Further information regarding what constitutes overpayment status and what action you should take if you have recieved an overpayment notice. (Updated 9/22/08)
CMS Announcement
CMS Reminder: Attention! Appeals of applications in 2008 do not affect your ability to apply for the next plan year. (Updated 8/29/08)
CMS Announcement
CMS Announcement: CMS announces a proposed rule to require health care providers to shift to a new, greatly expanded health care coding system beginning October 2011.
(Updated 8/19/08)
CMS Announcement
Article: Researchers Find First Year of Benefit Resulted in Lower Drug Prices for Enrollees (Updated 8/13/08)
View Article
CMS Announcement: CMS Working on Managed Care, Drug Rules For Private Plan Packages (Updated 8/1/08)
CMS Announcement
CMS Issuing OVERPAYMENT STATUS notices via email: (Updated 7/3/08)
The RDS will be notifying Plan Sponsors of thier overpayment status via email. It is very important that junk mail and spam filters allow emails from: rdspayment@cms.hhs.gov. Losing these emails or having them blocked by an email filter is not an excuse for failing to send a check or money order to the RDS.
Sample Overpayment Email and Overpayment Status Emails
CMS Announcement: (Updated 6/12/08)
New warning notices have been added the the reconciliation checklist. To view the full announcement follow the link below:
Reconciliation Checklist Warning Messages
CMS Announcement: (Updated 6/12/08)
The importance of having an accurate Covered Retiree List has prompted the RDS to allow Reconciliation steps 3 and 4 to be changed to an "Incomplete Status."
Making Changes to a Covered Retiree List
CMS Reminder: (Updated 6/12/08)
Details for the revisions to the rebate reporting policies of the RDS and dates of applicability.
Rebate Reporting Reminder and Modifications to Applicability Dates
CMS Announcement: (Updated 6/4/08)
Contains information on your RDS application and reporting of rebates.
Follow the link for the full text of the announcement.
Reporting Rebates
CMS release (Updated 6/12/08 originally released 5/30/08)
This release contains guidance on the Actuarial Equivalence Standard as well as tips on qualifying covered retirees.
Updated Guidance on RDS Topics
CMS Announcement: (Updated 5/22/08)
This announcement outlines critical information to help RDS Plan Sponsors meet thier Reconciliation deadlines.
CMS Announcement for RDS Plan Sponsors
CMS Announcement: (Updated 5/19/08)
This announcement contains helpful information regarding proposed revisions to RDS regulations. Follow the link below for the full release.
Proposed Revisions to RDS Regulations
RDS NEWS RELEASE (Updated 4/17/08):
2009 COST LIMIT AND THRESHOLD AMMOUNTS
The RDS has announced that all plan years ending in 2009 will use a $295 Threshold and a $6,000 Limit for determining all subsidy payments. Follow the link below to view the entire news release.
2009 Cost Limit and Threshold Announcement
CMS Announces Revisions to RDS Regulations Updated (Updated 6/12/08 originally released 4/17/08)
On April 15, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published revisions to the Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) regulations in the Federal Register. To see the full text of the release follow the link below.
RDS Revises Regulations
New RDS Appeals Functionality Now Available (Updated 4/11/08)
The announcement contains information of requesting an appeal for an RDS application. Follow the link below for the full text of the announcement.
RDS Appeals Funtionality Now Available
NEWS FOR GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYERS:
GASB to Issue Unchanged Earlier Proposed Technical Bulletin on Part D Payment Accounting
On June 1, the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) voted to issue, unchanged, its proposed technical bulletin on the accounting treatment of Medicare Part D payments.
Click below for a copy of the proposed technical bulletin, originally issued in February 2006:
GASB Proposed Technical Bulletin No. 2006-a |