WAHIT is providing this page to assist you in
your understanding of Medicare Part D as it
relates to coverage under WAHIT. Employers and
Plan Administrators should consult with their
employment law or employee benefits counsel on
compliance with Medicare Part D notice
requirements.
Starting January 1, 2006, Medicare began
offering insurance coverage for prescription
drugs through Medicare prescription drug plans
and other health plan options. It has been
determined that prescription drug coverage with
WAHIT is, on average for all plan participants,
expected to pay out as much as the standard
Medicare prescription drug coverage will pay.
Because the coverage under WAHIT is at least
as good as standard Medicare prescription drug
coverage, Medicare-eligible enrollees that have
prescription drug coverage through WAHIT, may
keep this coverage and not pay extra if they
later decide to enroll in Medicare coverage.
CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services) announced reporting requirements for
employers sponsoring healthcare coverage which
includes prescription drug coverage for their
employees. Please reference the chart below for
notifications sent on behalf of WAHIT.
Description
Notice
PBC 2007 Notice
By November 2007 all
creditable coverage notices were mailed to Medicare-eligible
group plan members. Notification also
includes members who would reach age 65 before December 31, 2007.
Employer Notice
By November 2007, BSI sent notification to employer group administrators of creditability
status of WAHIT sponsored prescription drug plans. A copy of
the Premera Blue Cross (PBC 2007 Notice, above) was included
with the Employer Notice.
