2015 Creditable and Non-creditable Coverage Notices Mailed

NRECA mailed notices to all active employees and active directors who are eligible for Medicare—primarily those age 65 and older—and Medicare-eligible spouses and dependent children who currently have prescription drug coverage through NRECA medical plans.

The notices let eligible individuals know if their current prescription drug coverage will be creditable coverage for 2015. To be creditable prescription drug coverage, the plan must expect to pay at least as much as the standard Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Medicare requires all employer plans to send the notice every year before Medicare Part D open enrollment, which runs October 15 through December 7.

Creditable and non-creditable plans
Medicare-eligible active employees and directors and Medicare-eligible spouses and dependent children who are enrolled in a creditable plan won’t have to enroll in a Medicare Part D plan now, and they won’t have to pay a late enrollment penalty if they enroll in a Medicare Part D plan in the future. If they’re enrolled in a non-creditable plan, they may have to pay a late enrollment penalty if they enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan at a later date. Please note that effective January 2014, all high deductible health plans offered by NRECA were deemed non-creditable plans.

Resources
Affected participants can find more information about their options in “Protect Your Medicare Benefits.” The brochure “Protect Medicare Benefits for Older Workers” also may help you provide guidance to affected participants.

Sample notices online
Samples of the creditable coverage and non-creditable coverage notices are posted on the Employee Benefits website.

If you have any questions, contact the Member Contact Center at 866.673.2299 or contactcenter@nreca.coop.