MHBP Plan On Demand Webinar
Ready for a new health plan? MHBP has a Plan for you – It’s Certain!
Learn about the retiree focused health plan MHBP offers to all federal and postal employees and retirees! This MHBP Retiree webinar will give an overview of our new plan designed for members who have Medicare Parts A and B as their primary coverage.
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Hi everyone. Thanks for joining. I am excited to share information with you on our new plan designed for MHBP members with Medicare called the Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO with the Extended Service Area for MHBP Standard Option, or MAPD for short. Today, we will talk about enrolling in Medicare, the different parts of Medicare, the new Aetna MAPD plan, available wellness programs, and how to opt in to the new MAPD plan.
When talking about retirement, we obviously have to talk about Medicare. You can enroll in Medicare without a penalty at two different times. The first is during your Initial Election Period or IEP. Your IEP occurs three months before the month of and three months after your 65th birthday. However, if you are still working when you turn 65, you can defer your enrollment in Medicare without any penalty as you will get a special election period or SEP. Your SEP goes into effect when you retire and last for eight months. If you enroll outside of one of those periods, you must enroll during the Medicare general enrollment period, which is between January 1st and March 31st of each year, and you may be subject to late enrollment penalties. You can apply for your Medicare benefits over the phone in person at a local social security office or via their website at www.ssa.gov.
Now, let’s take a look at the four parts of Medicare. Medicare Part A is part of the original Medicare and provides hospital insurance. Part A is free for those who have paid Medicare taxes while working, already received social security benefits, or your spouse has Medicare covered employment. If you don’t qualify to get Part A for free, then you can purchase it for a premium of $471 per month. This coverage is going to help cover the costs of services like inpatient hospital, skilled nursing, home health care, and hospice. Part A can have substantial out-of-pocket costs such as an annual deductible and co-insurance depending on the duration of your care.
Medicare Part B is also part of original Medicare and provides medical insurance. Part B has a standard monthly premium of $148.50 for 2021. However, this amount can be higher depending on your annual income. Part B also has a late enrollment penalty that will increase your monthly premium by 10% for every 12 months you do not enroll after your initial election period. Part B provides coverage for things like doctor’s visits, preventative screenings, ambulance services, DME, and mental health services. Part B does have some out-of-pocket costs for coverage. There is an annual deductible and co-insurance afterwards.
Medicare Part C or Medicare Advantage is an optional part that is available for purchase for a monthly premium from private insurance companies. You must have parts A and B to get a part C plan. These plans are becoming an option now through the FEHB, and we’ll talk about them more in a bit. But they are plans that cover everything original Medicare covers with additional benefits. Medicare Part D is additional coverage for prescription drugs. At this point, all Medicare Advantage or Part C plans offered through FEHB include prescription drug coverage equal to or better than what Medicare Part D would provide.
Most plans offered through FEHB require cost-sharing. Cost-sharing means you might pay deductibles, co-insurance and co-pays when you visit healthcare providers. And we all know this can add up, but with the new Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan for MHBP Standard Option, not only will you keep the zero cost sharing for deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance that you have today, but you will enjoy enhanced benefits like a $900 per year Medicare Part B premium reduction for each eligible member, unlimited chiropractic and physical therapy, occupation therapy, and speech therapy visits, and also wellness programs like SilverSneakers.
Let’s take a quick look at your current plan benefits alongside the enhanced benefits that you will receive by opting into the new Aetna MAPD plan. Not only are you going to receive the $900 premium deduction per eligible person and the enhanced chiropractic and therapy benefits, your out-of-pocket maximum is going to be reduced from $6,000 per person to only $3,500 per person.
In addition to the benefits of Aetna Medicare Advantage for MHBP plan, that you also receive access to programs like Teladoc, a virtual option that provides added for members seeking care. It can be used online, by phone, or through your mobile app. There’s also a hearing aid reimbursement of up to $2,000 every 36 months. Through our Resources for Living, members can find help locating resources needed in daily life with just one phone call. A life consultant can help with things like finding contractors to do work around your house and researching senior housing and adult daycare. The non-emergency transportation program ensures that retirees can make it to and from their doctor or hospital appointments safely without having to rely on family or friends.
Aetna provides up to 24 one-way trips when they’re within 60 miles of the starting point. After a hospital stay, Aetna offers a meal benefit program through our relationship with GA Foods. This program offers up to 14 pre-cooked meals for no additional cost. And finally, SilverSneakers is an overall wellness program that may help members improve their health to live the life they love. The program gives members access to exercise equipment, classes, and social activities at thousands of locations nationwide. SilverSneakers also offers live and on-demand classes which is especially useful now.
So how do you enroll in the Aetna Medicare Advantage for MHBP Standard plan? You have two easy options to opt in. First, you can complete your enrollment online by simply going to aetnaretireehealth.com/mhbp on or after November 22nd, 2021. Or if you prefer, you can call the Aetna Retiree Solutions Service Center at 1-866-241-0262 anytime Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 6 PM. You will be asked to provide your Medicare A and B effective dates and Medicare number.
Remember, you do not have to opt in to Aetna Medicare Advantage plan for MHBP Standard Option. You can keep your traditional Medicare coverage with the MHBP Standard Option, but just keep in mind, you will miss out on the annual $900 Medicare Part B reduction, routine vision coverage and hearing aid reimbursement, unlimited chiropractic and therapy visits, and the SilverSneakers Wellness program.We’ve covered a lot of information here, but it doesn’t end there. We’re available to help you research and review. We’ll answer your questions and help you figure things out. You can visit our website to connect with our team at any time. You can start up an online chat about anything you need to know when shopping for your health plan. For more than a quick chat, you can also schedule a one-on-one appointment with a licensed team member to talk about your healthcare choices. Live webinars are available 24/7. Interactive webinars hosted by the Aetna licensed Federal team are always available on our website at MHBP.com/Retiree. You can sign up and learn about the different health plan options and get answers to your questions.
On-demand resources are always available also. If you’re the type of person who likes to figure things out for yourself, then you’re in luck. You don’t have to talk to anyone to understand your plan options. You can access plenty of features on your own. mhbp.com is where you can go for all of your plan brochures, as well as detailed information, online directories and access to our secure member website. Of course, you can always give us a call at 1-800-410-7778 anytime, day or night.
Aetna Medicare is an HMO, PPO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal. Out-ofnetwork/non-contracted providers are under no obligation to treat Aetna members, except in emergency situations. Please call our customer service number or see your Evidence of Coverage for more information, including the cost-sharing that applies to out-of-network services. The formulary, provider and/ or pharmacy network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. For mail-order, you can get prescription drugs shipped to your home through the network mail-order delivery program. Typically, mail-order drugs arrive within 10-14 days. You can call the number on your ID card if you do not receive your mail-order drugs within this timeframe. Members may have the option to sign-up for automated mail-order delivery. See Evidence of Coverage for a complete description of plan benefits, exclusions, limitations and conditions of coverage. Plan features and availability may vary by service area. Participating physicians, hospitals and other health care providers are independent contractors and are neither agents nor employees of Aetna. The availability of any particular provider cannot be guaranteed, and provider network composition is subject to change.
Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by one or more of the Aetna group of subsidiary companies, including Aetna Life Insurance Company and its affiliates (Aetna). Aetna Providers are independent contractors and are not agents of Aetna. Provider participation may change without notice.
This is a summary of the MHBP Standard Option Plan. Before making a final decision, please read the 2021 official Plan Brochure (RI 71-007). A single annual $42 associate membership fee makes all MHBP plans available to you. All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations and exclusions set forth in the official Plan Brochure. External websites links are provided for your information and convenience only and does not imply or mean that Aetna endorses the content of such linked websites or third party services. Aetna has no control over the content or materials contained therein. Aetna therefore makes no warranties or representations, express or implied, about such linked websites, the third parties they are owned and operated by, and the information and/or the suitability or quality of the products contained on them.
© 2021 Aetna Inc.
MHBP Medical Plans
We offer three Plans to choose from. Find the plan that’s right for you.
Standard Option
Our most comprehensive plan at a surprisingly affordable price, which provides you with low out-of-pocket costs.
Consumer Option
Our Consumer Option is a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA) that gives you traditional coverage and helps you build savings for future medical costs.
Value Plan
Our most affordable plan, that provides you with valuable protection against an unforeseen illness or event.
