Beneficiaries should renew their prescription drug coverage and health plan needs for 2009

Medicare beneficiaries have been encouraged to review their presciption coverage and plans. The annual open enrollment period begins on 15 Nov and goes on till 31 Dec. For Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, one change in enrollment can be made by beneficiaries. The can cancel a plan, change a plan or enroll in a new plan. This period between Jan 1 and Mar 31 cannot be used to start or stop drug coverage. Neither can you enroll or disenroll in a Medicare Medical Savings Account Plan.

Meanwhile efforts to fight Medicare waste, fraud and abuse are being sought to be strengthened.  CMS has announced that certain durable medical equipment suppliers will be needed to post a surety bond. Billing privileges of more than 1,100 medical equipment suppliers in Florida and Southern California have been revoked.

Although most of the medical equipment suppliers would like to see Medicare beneficiaries have better health, there are exceptions to the rule. There is a surety bond requirement that is to ensure that the risk due to supply of equipment fraudulently is reduced. If suppliers have faced adverse legal action in the past, then they may have to post a higher amount of surety.

Apart from suspending payment the other measures to fight fraud are – an extensive pre and post payment review of claims, verification of relationship between physicians and certain patients and making sure high risk beneficiaries are receiving the benefits that Medicare is being billed for.