2023 AHIP Exam Study Guide Graded A+

Document Content and Description Below

Mr. Davis is 52 years old and has recently been diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and will soon begin dialysis. He is wondering if he can obtain coverage under Medicare. What should you te... ll him? - ANSWER He may sign-up for Medicare at any time however coverage usually begins on the fourth month after dialysis treatments start. Juan Perez, who is turning age 65 next month, intends to work for several more years at Smallcap, Incorporated. Smallcap has a workforce of15 employees and offers employer-sponsored healthcare coverage. Juan is a naturalized citizen and has contributed to the Medicare system for over 20 years. Juan asks you if he will be entitled to Medicare and if he enrolls how that will impact his employer-sponsored healthcare coverage. How would you respond? - ANSWER Juan is likely to be eligible for Medicare once he turns age 65 and if he enrolls Medicare would become the primary payor of his healthcare claims and Smallcap does not have to continue to offer him coverage comparable to those under age 65 under its employer-sponsored group health plan. Mr. Moy's wife has a Medicare Advantage plan, but he wants to understand what coverage Medicare Supplemental Insurance provides since his health care needs are different from his wife's needs. What could you tell Mr. Moy? - ANSWER Medicare Supplemental Insurance would help cover his Part A and Part B deductibles or coinsurance in Original Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare as well as possibly some services that Medicare does not cover. Mrs. Peňa is 66 years old, has coverage under an employer plan, and will retire next year. She heard she must enroll in Part B at the beginning of the year to ensure no gap in coverage. What can you tell her? - ANSWER She may enroll at any time while she is covered under her employer plan, but she will have a special eight-month enrollment period after the last month on her employer plan that differs from the standard general enrollment period, during which she may enroll in Medicare Part B. Mrs. Chen will be 65 soon, has been a citizen for twelve years, has been employed full time, and paid taxes during that entire period. She is concerned that she will not qualify for coverage under part A because she was not born in the United States. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Most individuals who are citizens and age 65 or over are covered under Part A by virtue of having paid Medicare taxes while working, though some may be covered as a result of paying monthly premiums. Mrs. Gonzalez is enrolled in Original Medicare and has a Medigap policy as well, but it provides no drug coverage. She would like to keep the coverage she has but replace her existing Medigap plan with one that provides drug coverage. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Mrs. Gonzalez cannot purchase a Medigap plan that covers drugs, but she could keep her Medigap policy and enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan. Mrs. West wears glasses and dentures and has enjoyed considerable pain relief from arthritis through massage therapy. She is concerned about whether or not Medicare will cover these items and services. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Medicare does not cover massage therapy, or, in general, glasses or dentures. Mr. Patel is in good health and is preparing a budget in anticipation of his retirement when he turns 66. He wants to understand the health care costs he might be exposed to under Medicare if he were to require hospitalization as a result of an illness. In general terms, what could you tell him about his costs for inpatient hospital services under Original Medicare? - ANSWER Under Original Medicare, there is a single deductible amount due for the first 60 days of any inpatient hospital stay, after which it converts into a per-day coinsurance amount through day 90. After day 90, he would pay a daily amount up to 60 days over his lifetime, after which he would be responsible for all costs. Ms. Henderson believes that she will qualify for Medicare Coverage when she turns 65, without paying any premiums, because she has been working for 40 years and paying Medicare taxes. What should you tell her? - ANSWER To obtain Part B coverage, she must pay a standard monthly premium, though it is higher for individuals with higher incomes. Mr. Alonso receives some help paying for his two generic prescription drugs from his employer's retiree coverage, but he wants to compare it to a Part D prescription drug plan. He asks you what costs he would generally expect to encounter when enrolling into a standard MedicarePart D prescription drug plan. What should you tell him? - ANSWER He generally would pay a monthly premium, annual deductible, and per-prescription cost-sharing. Ms. Moore plans to retire when she turns 65 in a few months. She is in excellent health and will have considerable income when she retires. She is concerned that her income will make it impossible for her to qualify for Medicare. What could you tell her to address her concern? - ANSWER Medicare is a program for people age 65 or older and those under age 65 with certain disabilities, end-stage renal disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease so she will be eligible for Medicare. Mr. Xi will soon turn age 65 and has come to you for advice as to what services are provided under Original Medicare. What should you tell Mr. Xi that best describes the health coverage provided to Medicare beneficiaries? - ANSWER Beneficiaries under Original Medicare have no cost-sharing for most preventive services which include immunizations such as annual flu shots. Mrs. Duarte is enrolled in Original Medicare Parts A and B. She has recently reviewed her Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) and disagrees with a determination that partially denied one of her claims for services. What advice would you give her? - ANSWER Mrs. Duarte should file an appeal of this initial determination within 120 days of the date she received the MSN in the mail. Mr. Capadona would like to purchase a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan and a Medigap plan to pick up costs not covered by that plan. What should you tell him? - ANSWER It is illegal for you to sell Mr. Capadona a Medigap plan if he is enrolled in an MA plan, and besides, Medigap only works with Original Medicare. Mrs. Park is an elderly retiree. Mrs. Park has a low fixed income. What could you tell Mrs. Park that might be of assistance? - ANSWER She should contact her state Medicaid agency to see if she qualifies for one of several programs that can help with Medicare costs for which she is responsible. Mr. Rainey is experiencing paranoid delusions and his physician feels that he should be hospitalized. What should you tell Mr. Rainey (or his representative) about the length of an inpatient psychiatric hospital stay that Medicare will cover? - ANSWER Medicare will cover a total of 190 days of inpatient psychiatric care during Mr. Rainey's entire lifetime. Mr. Schmidt would like to plan for retirement and has asked you what is covered under Original Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare? What could you tell him? - ANSWER Part A, which covers hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice, and home health services and Part B, which covers professional services such as those provided by a doctor are covered under Original Medicare. Agent John Miller is meeting with Jerry Smith, a new prospect. Jerry is currently enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. Jerry has also purchased a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan which he has had for several years. However, the plan does not provide drug benefits. How would you advise Agent John Miller to proceed? - ANSWER Tell prospect Jerry Smith that he should consider adding a standalone Part D prescription drug coverage policy to his present coverage. Mr. Bauer is 49 years old, but eighteen months ago he was declared disabled by the Social Security Administration and has been receiving disability payments. He is wondering whether he can obtain coverage under Medicare. What should you tell him? - ANSWER After receiving such disability payments for 24 months, he will be automatically enrolled in Medicare, regardless of age. Mr. Buck has several family members who died from different cancers. He wants to know if Medicare covers cancer screening. What should you tell him? - ANSWER Medicare covers the periodic performance of a range of screening tests that are meant to provide early detection of disease. Mr. Buck will need to check specific tests before obtaining them to see if they will be covered. Which of the following statement is/are correct about a Medicare Savings Account (MSA) Plans? I. MSAs may have either a partial network, full network, or no network of providers. II. MSA plans cover Part A and Part B benefits but not Part D prescription drug benefits. III. An individual who is enrolled in an MSA plan is responsible for a minimal deductible of $500 indexed for inflation. IV. Non-network providers must accept the same amount that Original Medicare would pay them as payment in full. - ANSWER I, II, and IV only Mr. Lombardi is interested in a Medicare Advantage (MA) PPO plan that you represent. It is one of three plans operated by the same organization in Mr. Lombardi's area. The MA PPO plan does not include drug coverage, but the other two plans do. Mr. Lombardi likes the PPO plan that does not include drug coverage and intends to obtain his drug coverage through a stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan. What should you tell him about this situation? - ANSWER He could enroll either in one of the MA plans that include prescription drug coverage or Original Medicare with a Medigap plan and standalone Part D prescription drug coverage, but he cannot enroll in the MA-only PPO plan and a stand-alone prescription drug plan. Mrs. Ramos is considering a Medicare Advantage PPO and has questions about which providers she can go to for her health care. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Mrs. Ramos can obtain care from any provider who participates in Original Medicare, but generally will have a higher cost-sharing amount if she sees a provider who/that is not a part of the PPO network. Mr. Romero is 64, retiring soon, and considering enrollment in his employer-sponsored retiree group health plan that includes drug coverage with nominal copays. He heard about a neighbor's MA-PD plan that you represent and because he takes numerous prescription drugs, he is considering signing up for it. What should you tell him? - ANSWER He should compare the benefits in his employer-sponsored retiree group health plan with the benefits in his neighbor's MA-PD plan to determine which one will provide sufficient coverage for his prescription needs. Dr. Elizabeth Brennan does not contract with the ABC PFFS plan but accepts the plan's terms and conditions for payment. Mary Rodgers sees Dr. Brennan for treatment. How much may Dr. Brennan charge? - ANSWER Dr. Brennan can charge Mary Rogers no more than the cost sharing specified in the PFFS plan's terms and condition of payment which may include balance billing up to 15% of the Medicare rate. Mr. Gomez notes that a Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan available in his area has an attractive premium. He wants to know if he must use doctors in a network as his current HMO plan requires him to do. What should you tell him? - ANSWER He may receive health care services from any doctor allowed to bill Medicare, as long as he shows the doctor the plan's identification card and the doctor agrees to accept the PFFS plan's payment terms and conditions, which could include balance billing. Mr. Wells is trying to understand the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. What would be the correct description? - ANSWER Medicare Advantage is a way of covering all the Original Medicare benefits through private health insurance companies. Mrs. Chi is age 75 and enjoys a comfortable but not extremely high-income level. She wishes to enroll in a MA MSA plan that she heard about from her neighbor. She also wants to have prescription drug coverage since her doctor recently prescribed several expensive medications. Currently, she is enrolled in Original Medicare and a standalone Part D plan. How would you advise Mrs. Chi? - ANSWER Mrs. Chi may enroll in a MA MSA plan and remain in her current standalone Part D prescription drug plan. Daniel is a middle-income Medicare beneficiary. He has chronic bronchitis, putting him at severe risk for pneumonia. Otherwise, he has no problems functioning. Which type of SNP is likely to be most appropriate for him? - ANSWER . C-SNP Mrs. Burton is a retiree with substantial income. She is enrolled in an MA-PD plan and was disappointed with the service she received from her primary care physician because she was told she would have to wait five weeks to get an appointment when she was feeling ill. She called you to ask what she could do so she would not have to put up with such poor access to care. What could you tell her? - ANSWER She could file a grievance with her plan to complain about the lack of timeliness in getting an appointment. Mr. Greco is in excellent health, lives in his own home, and has a sizeable income from his investments. He has a friend enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan (SNP). His friend has mentioned that the SNP charges very low cost-sharing amounts and Mr. Greco would like to join that plan. What should you tell him? - ANSWER SNPs limit enrollment to certain subpopulations of beneficiaries. Given his current situation, he is unlikely to qualify and would not be able to enroll in the SNP. Mrs. Radford asks whether there are any special eligibility requirements for Medicare Advantage. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Mrs. Radford must be entitled to Part A and enrolled in Part B to enroll in Medicare Advantage. Mrs. Andrews asked how a Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan might affect her access to services since she receives some assistance for her health care costs from the State. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Medicaid may provide additional benefits, but Medicaid will coordinate benefits only with Medicaid participating providers. Mr. Castillo, a naturalized citizen, previously enrolled in Medicare Part B but has recently stopped paying his Part B premium. Mr. Castillo is still covered by Part A. He would like to enroll in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan and is still covered by Part A. What should you tell him? - ANSWER He is not eligible to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan until he re-enrolls in Medicare Part B. Mrs. Davenport enrolled in the ABC Medicare Advantage (MA) plan several years ago. In mid-February of 2021, her doctor confirms a diagnosis of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). What options will Mrs. Davenport have regarding her MA plan during the next open enrollment season? - ANSWER She may remain in her ABC MA plan, enroll in another MA plan in her service area, or enroll in a Special Needs Plan (SNP) for individuals suffering from ESRD if one is available in her area. Mr. Kumar is considering a Medicare Advantage HMO and has questions about his ability to access providers. What should you tell him? - ANSWER In most Medicare Advantage HMOs, Mr. Kumar must generally obtain his services only from providers within the plan's network (except in an emergency or where care is unavailable within the network).ur clients, Lauren Nichols, has heard about a Medica Mr. Barker enjoys a comfortable retirement income. He recently had surgery and expected that he would have certain services and items covered by the plan with minimal out-of-pocket costs because his MA-PD coverage has been very good. However, when he received the bill, he was surprised to see large charges in excess of his maximum out-of-pocket limit that included some services and items he thought would be fully covered. He called you to ask what he could do? What could you tell him? - ANSWER You can offer to review the plans appeal process to help him ask the plan to review the coverage decision. Mr. Sinclair has diabetes and heart trouble and is generally satisfied with the care he has received under Original Medicare, but he would like to know more about Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs). What could you tell him? - ANSWER SNPs have special programs for enrollees with chronic conditions, like Mr. Sinclair, and they provide prescription drug coverage that could be very helpful as well. Mr. Lopez has heard that he can sign up for a product called "Medicare Advantage" but is not sure about what type of plan designs are available through this program. What should you tell him about the types of health plans that are available through the Medicare Advantage program? - ANSWER They are Medicare health plans such as HMOs, PPOs, PFFS, and MSAs. Mr. Sanchez has just turned 65 and is entitled to Part A but has not enrolled in Part B because he has coverage through an employer plan. If he wants to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, what will he have to do? - ANSWER He will have to enroll in Part B. Mr. Zachow has a condition for which three drugs are available. He has tried two but had an allergic reaction to them. Only the third drug works for him and it is not on his Part D plan's formulary. What could you tell him to do? - ANSWER Mr. Zachow has a right to request a formulary exception to obtain coverage for his Part D drug. He or his physician could obtain the standardized request form on the plan's website, fill it out, and submit it to his plan. Mr. Bickford did not quite qualify for the extra help low-income subsidy under the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug program and he is wondering if there is any other option he has for obtaining help with his considerable drug costs. What should you tell him? - ANSWER He could check with the manufacturers of his medications to see if they offer an assistance program to help people with limited means to obtain the medications they need. Alternatively, he could check to see whether his state has a pharmacy assistance program to help him with his expenses. Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn both take a specialized multivitamin prescription each day. Mr. Vaughn takes a prescription for helping to regrow his hair. They are anxious to have their Medicare prescription drug plan cover these drug needs. What should you tell them? - ANSWER Medicare prescription drug plans are not permitted to cover the prescription medications the Vaughns are interested in under Part D coverage, however, plans may cover them as supplemental benefits and the Vaughn's could look into that possibility. Mr. Wingate is a newly enrolled Medicare Part D beneficiary and one of your clients. In addition to drugs on his plan's formulary he takes several other medications. These include a prescription drug not on his plan's formulary, over-the-counter medications for colds and allergies, vitamins, and drugs from an Internet-based Canadian pharmacy to promote hair growth and reduce joint swelling. His neighbor recently told him about a concept called TrOOP and he asks you if any of his other medications could count toward TrOOP should he ever reach the Part D catastrophic limit. What should you say? - ANSWER None of the costs of Mr. Wingate's other medications would currently count toward TrOOP but he may wish to ask his plan for an exception to cover the prescription not on its formulary. Ms. Edwards is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug plan (PDP) coverage. She is traveling and wishes to fill two of the prescriptions that she has lost. How would you advise her? - ANSWER She may fill prescriptions for covered drugs at non-network pharmacies, but likely at a higher cost than paid at an in-network pharmacy. Mrs. Lopez is enrolled in a cost plan for her Medicare benefits. She has recently lost creditable coverage previously available through her husband's employer. She is interested in enrolling in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP). What should you tell her? - ANSWER If a Part D benefit is offered through her plan she may choose to enroll in that plan or a standalone PDP. Mrs. Allen has a rare condition for which two different brand name drugs are the only available treatment. She is concerned that since no generic prescription drug is available and these drugs are very high cost, she will not be able to find a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan that covers either one of them. What should you tell her? - ANSWER Medicare prescription drug plans are required to cover drugs in each therapeutic category. She should be able to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan that covers the medications she needs. Mrs. Quinn has just turned 65, is in excellent health and has a relatively high income. She uses no medications and sees no reason to spend money on a Medicare prescription drug plan if she does not need the coverage. She currently does not have creditable coverage. What could you tell her about the implications of such a decision? - ANSWER If she does not sign up for a Medicare prescription drug plan as soon as she is eligible to do so, and if she does sign up at a later date, her premium will be permanently increased by 1% of the national average premium for every month that she was not covered. Mr. Shultz was still working when he first qualified for Medicare. At that time, he had employer group coverage that was creditable. During his initial Part D eligibility period, he decided not to enroll because he was satisfied with his drug coverage. It is now a year later and Mr. Shultz has lost his employer group coverage within the last two weeks. How would you advise him? - ANSWER Mr. Schultz should enroll in a Part D plan before he has a 63-day break in coverage in order to avoid a premium penalty. Mrs. Mulcahy, age 65, is concerned that she may not qualify for enrollment in a Medicare prescription drug plan because, although she is entitled to Part A, she is not enrolled under Medicare Part B. What should you tell her? - ANSWER An individual who is entitled to Part A or enrolled under Part B is eligible to enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan. As long as Mrs. Mulcahy is entitled to Part A, she does not need to enroll under Part B before enrolling in a prescription drug plan. What types of tools can Medicare Part D prescription drug plans use that affect the way their enrollees can access medications? - ANSWER Part D plans do not have to cover all medications. As a result, their formularies, or lists of covered drugs, will vary from plan to plan. In addition, they can use cost containment techniques such as tiered co-payments and prior authorization. All plans must cover at least the standard Part D coverage or its actuarial equivalent. Which of the following statements best describes some of the costs a beneficiary would incur for prescription drugs under the standard coverage? - ANSWER Standard Part D coverage would require payment of an annual deductible, and once past the catastrophic coverage threshold, the beneficiary pays whichever is greater of either the co-pays for generic and brand name drugs or coinsurance of 5%. Mr. Jacob understands that there is a standard Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, but when he looks at information on various plans available in his area, he sees a wide range in what they charge for deductibles, premiums, and cost sharing. How can you explain this to him? - ANSWER Medicare Part D drug plans may have different benefit structures, but on average, they must all be at least as good as the standard model established by the government. Mr. Carlini has heard that Medicare prescription drug plans are only offered through private companies under a program known as Medicare Advantage (MA), not by the [Show More]

Last updated: 1 year ago

Preview 1 out of 33 pages