50 The Queens Courier • business • december 4, 2014 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com business “We are very excited to announce that AgeWell New York has been approved to participate in Medicare Advantage,” says Tara Buonocore-Rut, executive director of AgeWell New York. “We are now starting enrollment into our Medicare Advantage lines of business, which offer options for people just with Medicare, and options for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.” Buonocore-Rut notes that those individuals with both Medicare and Medicaid don’t fall within the set enrollment period that ends on December 7. Rather, these members can enroll at any time, and their coverage will be active at the beginning of the following month. Through December 7, members may transfer from, or switch to a new Medicare Advantage plan, which is a type of Medicare health plan offered by a private company that contracts with Medicare to provide you with all your Part A and Part B benefits. Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital stays care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care, and some home health care. Medicare Part B covers certain doctors’ services, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services. There are a few things you should consider when choosing or changing your coverage according to Medicare.gov. Coverage: How well does the plan cover the services you need? Your other coverage: If you have other types of health prescription drug coverage, make sure you understand how that coverage works with Medicare. Costs: How much are your premiums, deductibles, and other costs? How much do you pay for services like hospital stays or doctor visits? Do your doctors accept the coverage? Do you have to choose your hospital and health care providers from a network? Do you need to get referrals? Prescription drugs: Do you need to join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan? Do you already have creditable prescription drug coverage? What will your prescription drugs cost under each plan? AgeWell New York, an HMO plan with a Medicare contract and a New York State Medicaid contract, strives to satisfy a wide variety of individual needs. AgeWell New York offers benefits designed to help members maintain their physical independence while receiving top-of-the-line health coverage that gives them access to the best-quality doctors in the area where they live. AgeWell New York, which has a reputation as one of the metropolitan area’s most reliable plans, offers services in Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, as well as Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties. With an array of options in both its Managed Long Term Care Plan (MLTCP) and the updated 2015 Medicare Advantage plans, AgeWell New York aims to serve its members with options that suit a variety of lifestyles and budgets. “Whenever someone comes to our door, we want to have a health plan that’s right for them,” explains Buonocore-Rut. “Our focus for 2015 is to be able to provide access to a wide range of plans, and to really extend our care management model as far as possible.” Buonocore-Rut notes that she, as well as the entire AgeWell New York team, takes great pride in the fact that care management is at the core of everything they do. “Members matter to us,” she says. “They aren’t just ID numbers that we see on paperwork. They are people who live in our community, and we want to do everything we can to build a relationship with them.” This attitude is central to the overall member-focused approach that AgeWell New York takes in every plan option, member interaction, and expansion of its services. The Managed Long Term Care Plan helps those who are critically ill and New Yorkers with disabilities to receive the long-term services that they need in order to stay in the comfort of their homes for as long as possible. AgeWell New York makes the arrangements for and covers the cost of these long-term services. AgeWell also arranges for each long-term care member to have a personal care manager, who consults with their team of healthcare professionals to develop a comprehensive plan of care, which could include home health care, rehabilitation therapy, personal care, medical equipment and supplies, dental care, personal nutrition services, private nursing, and more. “Many of our lines of business have a large care management focus at the core,” explains Buonocore- Rut. “We firmly believe that this is key for helping people age in place and maintain wellness while living in their own community. Buonocore-Rut also acknowledges that there may be instances where a member’s condition demands more attention, and he or she can no longer remain in the home. In these cases, an AgeWell Care Manager will work with the member and the member’s family to secure a permanent placement in a nursing home that is within the network. The new Medicare Advantage plans assist those with Medicare and those with both Medicare and Medicaid. The LiveWell Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan is an HMO offered by AgeWell New York with a Medicare contract, which provides beneficiaries with Part A and Part B benefits. The CareWell Institutional Special Needs Plan is specifically designed for those reside in a nursing home. The FeelWell Dual Special Needs Plan is an option for Medicare beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicare and assistance through the New York State Medicaid program. According to Buonocore-Rut, many of AgeWell New York’s plans offer supplemental benefits to (continued from page 49) (continued on page 52)
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