Second Creditable and Non-creditable Coverage Notices Being Mailed
Brochures for participants and co-ops also provide more guidance on this issue.
Second creditable and non-creditable coverage notices are being mailed 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 them know if their current prescription drug coverage is creditable coverage for 2014. To be creditable prescription drug coverage, the plan must expect to pay at least as much as the standard Medicare prescription drug plan.
The first notice was sent to affected participants last October before Medicare Part D open enrollment began. This second notice includes participants who have become eligible for Medicare since the time of the first mailing. The creditable or non-creditable classification of some participants’ prescription drug coverage also may have changed because of co-op plan changes or individual elections made during annual renewal and enrollment.
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 pay a late enrollment penalty if they enroll in a Medicare Part D plan in the future. If they are enrolled in a non-creditable plan, they may have to pay a late enrollment penalty if they enroll in a Medicare Part D plan at a later date.
FAQ and brochures provide more information
A FAQ document is available online to help answer questions about these notices. You can find it on the Employee Benefits website in Document Library > Documents for Co-ops > Medicare Part D > Creditable Non-creditable Coverage FAQ.
More information about the options available to participants appears in the brochure “Protect Your Medicare Benefits.”
The brochure “Protect Medicare Benefits for Older Workers” also may help you provide guidance to affected participants.
Sample notices also online
Samples of the creditable coverage and non-creditable coverage notices also are posted online.
If you have any questions, contact the Member Contact Center at 1.866.673.2299 or contactcenter@nreca.coop.