Your weekly source for Health Center policy updates March 11, 2015 House and Senate Health Center Dear Colleague Letters Up and Running The House letter went live last week with Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Gene Green (D-TX) stepping up to lead the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Health Center letter. In the Senate, the letter is once again being led by Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). As in the past, the letter expresses general support for Health Center Program funding in FY2016, but this year the letter also specifically emphasizes the need for swift action to address the Health Center Funding Cliff. Click here to see copies of the letters and current signers, and here to take action and ask your Members of Congress to sign on. Start Planning NOW: Fix the Cliff Advocacy Call-In Day, Thursday, March 19 Thousands of Health Center Advocates will be storming Capitol Hill on March 19 to deliver the Health Center message to Congress during the NACHC Policy & Issues Forum. If you���re not coming to Washington for Hill Day, YOU have an advocacy job to do back home! Start planning for the Call-In Day (3/19) NOW to help amplify the Health Center message that Advocates will be delivering on Capitol Hill - we need thousands of Advocates back home to make calls to urge Congress to ACT to fix the Cliff. YOU can help make their message even stronger that day by planning now to call your Congressional offices and raising your voice for your Health Center. Click here for a brief sample script, video and all of the information you need to help you get prepared to call Congress. If you have questions, email us at grassroots@nachc.com. Deadline for Annual 340B Recertification is TODAY ��� Make Sure Your Health Center Has Recertified Have you completed your annual 340B Drug Discount Program recertification yet? The annual 340B recertification process for 340B grantees began January 28, 2015 and ends today Wednesday, March 11, 2015. The Health Center���s authorizing official should have received detailed information and instructions on how to complete the process. It is critical that every Health Center participating in the 340B Drug Discount Program complete the recertification today in order to ensure continued participation in the Program. Should you have any questions, you can view the Office of Pharmacy Affairs User Guide and contact HRSA���s recertification inbox at 340b.recertification@hrsa.gov. Do Your Part ��� Get Started Today on Access is the Answer Phase Three Phase Three of the Access is the Answer campaign to fix the Health Center Funding Cliff is in full swing, and we need your help to deliver the Health Center message to Congress! All Health Center Advocates were called upon to ramp up efforts to engage various major Health Center constituencies: Health Center Boards, staff & patients, and state-based elected officials and community partners to step up for Health Centers. Click here for more information (including how to access templates and talking points) and to learn what you and your Health Center can do to help move Congress to ACT to fix the cliff! NACHC Submits Comments on Veterans Choice Program Last week NACHC submitted comments on the Veterans Administration���s Interim Final Rule on the establishment of the Veteran���s Choice Program. This program was established in the Veteran���s Choice Act, passed last summer, and gives veterans an opportunity to seek care in non-VA facilities, including FQHCs. NACHC commented on many aspects of the program, including many issues we have heard from FQHCs regarding the implementation of the program thus far. For more information on the Veterans Choice Program, please see the NACHC fact sheet here. Children���s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Funding Push on Capitol Hill With CHIP funding slated to expire in September (at the same time as the Primary Care Cliff), Advocates are gearing up on Capitol Hill to pass a funding extension ASAP. Given that a number of state legislatures will have finished their legislative sessions for the year well before September rolls in, there is increasing pressure that Capitol Hill act sometime this month to extend the program. Accordingly, three sets of legislators have proposed legislation to extend the program���s funding���albeit each bill is different and neither advocacy groups nor legislators have coalesced around any one particular option. NACHC staff are working closely with legislators and other advocacy groups in DC to ensure that whatever bill ultimately passes on dovetails with Health Center priorities. Read more on the three bills here. New Issue Brief Looks at Medical-Legal Partnerships in Health Centers The National Center for Medical Legal Partnership recently released an issue brief examining the benefits and potential resources for Health Centers engaging in the medical-legal partnership approach to health. Click here to download the issue brief. Media Spotlight Check out this video from Florida Community Health Centers, Inc. Dr. Lewis shares why Community Health Centers are important to her. Via Modern Healthcare: Federal primary-care program for underserved areas is at risk despite successes. Read the article here. Check out this article out of Wausau, WI ��� ���Local clinics face federal funding cliff, reduced services��� Tweet of the Week Aunt Marthas @AuntMarthas: There are over 9,000 #FQHC sites - help your local Health Center & support #AccessIsTheAnswer. http://www.saveourchcs.org www.NACHC.org www.SaveOurCHCs.org Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to receive the weekly NACHC Washington Update enewsletter National Association of Community Health Centers 7501 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 1100W, Bethesda, MD 20814 Dear colleague, If you are actively working and either you or your spouse/partner will become eligible for Medicare in 2018, Medicare has a booklet called Medicare & You that will explain what you need to know about the federal Medicare program. The information below will help you understand the impact on you and your next steps as a Dartmouth College employee. Please note: the words with blue font in this document are links to more information on that topic. ____________________________________________________________________________________ I plan to continue working past age 65: ��� Dartmouth employees and their eligible dependents can continue to be covered on the active Dartmouth health plan until the primary subscriber (the Dartmouth employee) retires. ��� You do not need to enroll in Medicare Part B (out-patient medical insurance) or Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage) at this time if you continue working. Medicare allows you to delay your enrollment as long as you have Creditable Coverage through your employer or the employer of your spouse/partner. Note: COBRA coverage is not considered Creditable Coverage by Medicare. ��� IMPORTANT: Enrollment in Medicare Part A at this time is optional. However, you cannot contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA) if you are enrolled in any part of Medicare or Social Security. To avoid a penalty, you should stop contributing to your HSA at least 6 months before you enroll in any part of Medicare or Social Security. Please see the Medicare & You booklet for additional details. ____________________________________________________________________________________ I plan to retire soon, but I am not eligible for Dartmouth retiree health coverage. ��� Contact Social Security 3 months before your last day of work to enroll in Medicare Part B (and Part A if you have not already done so) for you and any Medicare-eligible members of your household currently covered on your Dartmouth health plan. ��� You can find additional information about Medicare on the Medicare website. ��� Visit the Leaving Dartmouth webpage for information about how your benefits will be affected when you retire. ____________________________________________________________________________________ If you plan to retire soon and are eligible for Dartmouth retiree health coverage, the next pages include important information to help you plan your next steps. Dartmouth College Retiree Health Coverage Eligibility Requirements: To be eligible for Dartmouth College retiree health coverage in retirement you must be at least age 55 and have at least ten consecutive years of service in a benefits-eligible position immediately before retiring. 7 Lebanon St., suite 203 Hanover, NH 03755 603-646-3411 human.resources@dartmouth.edu Office of Human Resources Dartmouth Retiree Checklist When What Who Additional Comments 1-2 Years before Set up an appointment to review your retirement savings. Fidelity or TIAA or your Financial Planner 6 months before If you are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA), stop your HSA contributions 6 months before enrolling in any part of Medicare (or Social Security/Rail Road Benefits) to avoid a tax penalty. Dartmouth's FlexOnline benefits enrollment system. Changing your current contribution amount to the amount you have contributed to date will stop future HSA contributions. Premium-free Medicare Part A coverage begins 6 months back from the date you apply for Medicare (or Social Security/Rail Road Benefits), but no earlier than the first month you were eligible for Medicare. 3 months before Enroll in Medicare Part B (and Part A if you have not already done so). Social Security (800) 772-1213 3 months before If you are eligible for Dartmouth���s retiree benefits, schedule an appointment to meet with a Benefits representative to learn about your retiree health coverage, get your temporary retiree ID card, and to complete the necessary form(s) to enroll or waive coverage. The Dartmouth College HR/Benefits Office (603) 646-3744 If you do not want Dartmouth retiree health coverage in retirement, you must still complete an election form to waive coverage. 45 days before If you want to enroll in the Dartmouth College Medicare Supplement (DCMS) plan, you must provide a copy of your new Medicare ID card, showing coverage in Medicare Part A and Part B at least 45 days before you retire. The Dartmouth College HR/Benefits Office (603) 646-3744 1 Pay Period before Provide written notice of your retirement at least 1 month before your last day of work if you are a monthly paid employee, or at least 2 weeks before your last day of work if you are a biweekly paid employee. To your Supervisor or Department Head /Dean Within your last week Get your new retiree ID picture taken to receive your new ID card. The Dartmouth Card Office McNutt Hall, 1st Floor Before your last day of work If you are not signed up for electronic payroll services and you want your final paycheck or paystub to be mailed directly to your home after you retire, change your Payroll mailing address Dartmouth Payroll (603) 646-2697 Before your last day of work or any time after you retire Notify Dartmouth of any changes to your mailing or residence address for any future mailings from Benefits or your retiree health providers Dartmouth Payroll (603) 646-2697 or Dartmouth Benefits (603) 646-3744 After you have retired When you receive medical services show your new Medicare & Cigna ID card(s) to make sure your claims are processed correctly. When you purchase prescription drugs show your SilverScript ID card. To your medical provider or pharmacy After you have retired You will have an opportunity to enroll in COBRA Dental and continued MetLife life insurance. Crosby/WageWorks (800) 642-2235 MetLife (800) 638- 6420 Both of these companies will contact you once they have received notification of your retirement date. Important re-employment information: ��� Once you retire, you may work full- or part-time in a temporary position for Dartmouth College for less than 9 consecutive months. ��� If you work 9 consecutive months or longer, and your average hours worked equal 18.75 hours per week or more, the temporary position would need to be reviewed for reclassification as a regular, benefits-eligible position, and you would have access once again to the active employee benefits. ��� Breaks in benefits-eligible service of one year or less will not cause you to lose retiree health eligibility. ��� In the event you are re-employed in a benefits-eligible position after a break in service of more than one year, you would be considered a ���new employee��� and would forfeit your retiree health eligibility. Employees hired on or after July 1, 2009, or who are re-employed after more than a one-year break in eligible service, will have access to the Dartmouth retiree health plans in retirement, upon satisfying the minimum age and years of service requirement, but will not receive a subsidy from Dartmouth College. Sincerely, Colleen Andrasko Retiree Benefits Administrator colleen.e.andrasko@dartmouth.edu Additional helpful links: ��� Dartmouth Retiree Benefits: dartgo.org/retirees ��� Medicare website: http://www.medicare.gov ��� ���Medicare & You��� handbook: https://www.medicare.gov/pubs/pdf/10050-Medicare-and-You.pdf ��� NH Medicare Help: http://www.nh.gov/servicelink/ ��� VT Medicare Help: http://www.cvcoa.org/health-insurance-counseling.html FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs): How much termination notice do I need to give to my department, and what happens to my unused vacation time when I retire? A regular, hourly employee who resigns with at least two weeks written notice or a regular, salaried employee who resigns with at least one month���s written notice is eligible to receive pay for any unused vacation and the vacation credit earned toward the next fiscal year. When will my active employee benefits end? All benefits will end on the last day of the month in which your benefits-eligible position ends. For example, if your last date of employment is July 10, your active employee benefits will end July 31. When does my retiree health coverage begin? Coverage in the Dartmouth College Medicare Supplement (DCMS) Plan will begin the first of the month following the date of your retirement, to coincide with your Medicare Part B start date. For example, if you retire on May 15 your active employee benefits will expire on May 31 and your DCMS plan and Medicare Part B would begin on June 1. Late submission of the required documents will result in a delay in your Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. How do I enroll in Medicare? Contact Social Security (800-772-1213) three months before your retirement date to set up your Medicare coverage. If you are drawing a monthly Social Security benefit, Social Security will automatically enroll you in Medicare Part A and Part B. Will I still have Cigna as my medical insurance? Your Cigna plan is your primary medical insurance while you are an active employee, but Cigna will pay second, after Medicare, once you retire and enroll in the DCMS plan. How does the Dartmouth College Medicare Supplement (DCMS) Plan work? In order to be enrolled in the DCMS plan the member must set up Medicare Part A and Part B through Social Security to pay as the primary health insurance in retirement. The DCMS plan will act as a secondary plan to help pay for covered services that Medicare doesn���t completely cover. The member then pays the balance, subject to the DCMS annual out-of-pocket maximum. If I have a break in service will it affect my retiree health eligibility? If an employee has one or more breaks in benefits-eligible service and each break is one year or less, the break(s) will not prevent eligibility for retiree benefits. The break(s) will be ignored when determining ���consecutive��� years of service, but the length of each break will not be counted as service. A break in benefits-eligible service lasting more than one year will interrupt an employee���s years of consecutive service and will impact eligibility. Which insurance pays first, Medicare or my Dartmouth plan? Medicare will pay your claims first, and then what is not covered will go to Cigna to pay second. You will pay the balance, according to your plan out of pocket maximum. What is a 457(b) plan, and do I have one? The 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan is an unfunded deferred compensation plan for highly compensated employees. Strict regulations apply. If you have a 457(b) plan through Dartmouth, you must make an election within 90 days after your retirement date. Contact your 457(b) carrier before your retirement date for additional instructions. For more details, you can download the 2018 Program Description. How do I pay Dartmouth if I owe a premium for my retiree health coverage? If you enroll in a Dartmouth retiree health plan you will receive a monthly invoice from Dartmouth College for any unsubsidized portion of your household retiree health plan costs. The invoice will provide a remittance address, to which you can mail a check or money order. If you have a 100% subsidy and do not owe a premium for your coverage, you will not receive an invoice. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Benefits Office at (603) 646-3588.

posted by Isaac Hobart at 4:46 PM

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