However, this is entirely not true. Again, Medicare Advantage plans do not typically include the flex card benefit. Flex cards are debit cards that are used to buy medical supplies and equipment. Eligibility for the Seniors Flex Cards. Her work has been featured in various print and online publications, including USA Today, The Daily Herald, The Chronicle and more. Always be aware of whats going on around you, and dont let anyone approach you without your permission. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. As a general rule, you should never provide your sensitive personal information online to unknown organizations. This is true even if they did not work during the Open Season. Health care is confusing and its too important to make mistakes on. Lastly, you can look for help through independent organizations. Do not give them your name, address, Medicare number, Social Security number, or other personal information. veterans. What is the Flex Card for Seniors? Each insurer sets its own terms for the spending limit and permitted uses. So heres the deal, every year right around the annual open enrollment period which runs from Oct 15th to Dec 7th, theres always a certain benefit thats heavily advertised by medicare sales agencies. seniors However, this is entirely not true. Educational assistance. Only talk to them if they approach you first. Hi Audrey. Depending on how many times you spend your money, you will have the same limits as on the other cards that youve got. The name flex card harkens to what some of us know as a flexible spending account that reimburses for medical expenses. Therefore, if the Flex card has a $500 allowance and the Medicare plan offers, let's say, $1000 in dental benefits, your total benefit for the year would be $1500. No such program exists and Social Security benefits are limited to certain groups . Not all Medicare Advantage plans offer dental coverage, but many do. Only one agent from our office will contact you. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. jobs If so, you can reach them at 877-823-8276. Learn more about our editorial and advertising policies. Several attendences from government funded agency were sent, but they would take advantage of his situation. While this could be true under rare circumstances, a licensed physician must deem these items medically necessary. Flex Cards are for medical bills that meet certain criteria. By. Fact Checked. Read Article . Assurance IQ, LLC is not affiliated with Assurance Agency, Ltd., nor any government agency. Participating providers send qualifying seniors a Medicare flex card for food. So, how do you avoid these scams? However, to participate in a Medicare Advantage plan, you must be willing to abide by strict networks and higher out-of-pocket costs. What Is A Seniors Flex Card. ebt card Heres a look at what flex cards are (and are not), how they work, how to get one, and how to protect yourself from potential flex card scams. college ShopMyExchange: 5 Super Deals for Veterans. Your email address will not be published. A flex card is not free money. Two types - a medical care or health care FSA and dependent care FSA - are typically offered through an employer. The Flex card for seniors is not something thats offered by Medicare. housing Some Medicare Advantage plans, which are private insurance alternatives to government-run Medicare plans, offer flex cards, but very few Medicare recipients are eligible for the cards let alone cards with $2,880 in free money. Remember, when you enroll in Original Medicare during the General Enrollment Period, you may be responsible for paying late enrollment fees. So, why does the Center for Medicare & MedicaidMedicaid is a public health insurance program that provides health care coverage to low-income families and individuals in the United States. There might be other supplemental benefits included as well in specific Plans such as a benefit for groceries, utilities, and over the counter medications. If a service or benefit is not covered under Medicare Part A or Part B, it cant be covered by a Medigap plan, either. The purpose of the flex card for seniors is to entice them into enrolling in new Medicare Advantage plans during open enrollment season. Over-the-counter benefits - Receive a certain amount of money each . Does Medicare Have a Flex Card for Seniors? Plan for your familys future. Learn more about the Medicare grocery card for seniors: Eligible members get a monthly grocery allowance. state parks As you may know from our previous video on Medicare benefits, Medicare has many parts and is very complicated. Consequently, there are several legitimate insurance companies that provide these advantages. Much of the advertising about Medicare flex cards boasts that recipients can enjoy a starting balance of up to $2,880 in their accounts. How Does an EBT Card Work? Once you sign up for a plan, your provider will send you your flex card along with information about how you can spend the money. For a complete list of available plans please contact 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day/7 days a week or consult www.medicare.gov. Flex cards hold money that can be used like a debit card to pay for certain medical expenses, like doctors visits, prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and other out-of-pocket medical expenses. That includes the Flex Card. Millions of older adults may be missing out on programs to help pay for food, housing, healthcare, and more. Fake phone calls are designed to get your personal information, credit card number, or other financial information in exchange for phony products or unsolicited (and often inaccurate) advice. For example, one plan might offer a flex card with $2,000 pre-loaded on the card at the beginning of each year that is then topped up to $2,000 every year thereafter. Enrollment Assistance. Seniors can only use the Flex Card for Seniors to receive free money or cash back, as the Flex Card is not a cash card. Your remaining balance in your FSA, HSA or other healthcare account is displayed here. . Medigap plans work in lockstep with Original MedicareOriginal Medicare is private fee-for-service health insurance for people on Medicare. . disability Typically linked to a flexible spending account, these cards are a benefit linked to qualifying health plans throughout the nation. Claims of free money are meant to distract from other costs, and are a red flag that providers arent being entirely honest. Why do so many people try to scam seniors? If the Medicare plan offered $1000 of Dental benefits and the Flex card has a $500 allowance then you would have a total benefit of $1500. They are offered by private health insurance companies as an additional benefit to their members. For example, flex card providers may make claims about their cards that are not outright lies, but are misleading. The Flex card is not going to be free but you may need to pay an additional premium to the Medicare advantage plan offered by the company. . This large of a . Im not saying its the government doing this. Companies offer additional benefits to make the policies more attractive to consumers by balancing these high costs. Final Expense Life Insurance Explained: Is It The Right Choice For You? What they dont tell you is that this is basically just a flex card with a new and exciting name. The flex card for seniors offer is typically tied to a Medicare Advantage plan. Most of the time it is a combined benefit . Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement. Avoid captive agents whenever possible. This is her home that her retirement pays for, which is good because the son has . Flex Cards are for use to cover qualifying medical expenses only. financial assistance Another option for dental coverage is to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan with dental benefits. Not everyone in a Medicare Advantage plan will qualify for a flex card. . These optional plans combine Medicare and additional services into healthcare packages tailored specifically for seniors. . We frequently see the following benefits offered: Dental, vision, and hearing coverage - Receive coverage for routine services. The cards are available in limited geographic areas. While flex cards may be offered as part of Medicare Advantage plans, there is no government flex card for seniors. These scammers often claim to be calling from Medicare and will lie and cheat to try to get your older adults current Social Security number-based Medicare number. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Seniors expect to have to provide sensitive personal information, like their name, Social Security Number, Medicare information and even bank information during this process, so its even easier than usual for scammers to get this information. That's a lot less than . We got $125 each for food and $500 for medical. 7 key facts about SNAP benefits for seniors. When her husband was medically discharged from the US Army, their family experienced tremendous financial hardship. (The website) may receive paid compensation for clicks or sales produced from the content found on this webpage.. These benefits arent available in all areas. So, to qualify, you must have a participating policy. healthcare Since the free money associated with these cards is enticing, scammers get many people to fall for their tricks. Thanks EIP! To make sure you don't fall victim to this scam . Supplemental Security Income (SSI) SSI is a federal government program that provides a monthly cash benefit for the elderly (age 65 and over), blind, or disabled of any age who have extremely low income and very few resources. For example, if youre in the market for new glasses, but your Medicare Advantage plan does not provide vision coverage, you may be able to use your flex card to cover some or all of the cost. Ashlee Zareczny is the Compliance Supervisor for MedicareFAQ. Medicare Part B pays 80 percent of most medically necessary healthcare services. However, these advertisements were not very clear on what a flex card actually is. The amount of money you can use will depend on your health care insurance provider and plan. The new Medicare card is free. What is a seniors flex card? Getting a card means signing up for a new insurance plan, which comes with its own set of costs, benefits, and coverage limits. According to Healthcare.gov, a flex card can be used to pay for certain out-of-pocket health care costs. Instead of offering flex cards for seniors, now theyre offering an All-Access Black Card. The average flex card in 2022 is pre-loaded with $500. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has allowed private insurance companies to offer a new benefit-like-debit card (flex card). While various Medicare Advantage providers offer these cards, its also important to remember that Medicare Advantage Plan benefits will vary based on location. coronavirus This is a scam. Medicare is very complicated as it has many parts. In Network and Out of Network choices! Since insurance operates on the risk-reduction model, this information is relevant to help your provider create an accurate insurance quote. Health insurance fraud results in losses of up to $300 billion each year. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi, I'm 61 years old and on Medicaid,can I get a Flex card. This is a marketing tool of the private company and gets you to change your Medicare Advantage plan to another company. Social Security Retirement Benefits, USA Medicare Plan In 2022, the average Flex Card will have a $500 pre-loaded balance. rent If the Medicare plan offered $1000 of Dental benefits and the Flex card has a $500 allowance then you would have a total benefit of $1500. "It was stated it was set up by the government with Medicare for senior citizens . The scam consists of a recorded message advising callers that if they are sixty years of age or older they are eligible for the national senior assistance program. This means that a Medicare Advantage plan might have a flex card benefit in Georgia and North Carolina, but it may not be available in Texas.If youre interested in finding out whether there are plans that offer flex cards in your area, to see if there are any available. Christmas You may also want to contact your primary care doctor and local pharmacist to head off any attempts by scammers to use your information. Are You Confused About Medicare and Having Trouble Choosing the Right Plan. Medicare Flex Cards are debit cards offered by private Medicare Advantage providers and insurance companies. Its not that they condone it, but it takes them a while to crack down on the offending health insurance companies. These are optional plans that bundle various parts of Medicare and other services into health care packages especially designed for seniors. In 2022, this amount is$3,050 per year. Depending on the advertisement, some claimed these cards could be worth $2,880 or more! Pre-loaded health cards offer a way to pay for services upfront but not out of pocket. SilverSneakers Now Offers Apple Fitness+ Benefit, Do Not Sell nor Share My Personal Information. So make sure you know which are. In some instances, this fraud is carried out by individuals who provide misleading or false information to insurance providers as a means to access services at reduced costs or by using someone elses identity. . Even with the flex card benefit, the Medicare Advantage HMO plan still produces higher out-of-pocket costs than the Medicare Supplement Plan G. In fact, a recent study by the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance shows that a higher number of people are enrolling in Medicare Supplement Plan G to help save money on out-of-pocket costs. At best, it will be annoying. You can even add a flex card to your Amazon account for eligible purchases. If you have regular, recurring medical expenses, this quarterly flex card model may work for you, but if your health needs are more variable, upfront funds may be a better choice. Workers who decide to join the union after the Open Season has ended but before their 60-day anniversary of hire are considered new members. The message states, "Sixty years old or older, you now qualify for the new national senior assistance to receive $3,000 in free grocery savings certificates.". It helped me a lot to understand what the Flex card is about. Part B is medical coverage.. Email:info@usamedicareplan.com Dental Insurance Enter your ZIP code to pull plan options available in your area. Start with some basic research by searching for the company or agents name online and seeing what comes up. For health insurance companies to stay profitable, they need to make money on the products and services they sell. The average flex card in 2022 is pre-loaded with $500. Its not just online that you have to be careful, either. The card will be linked to a flexible savings account and will have a spending limit. Next, make sure that you are not following the advice of someone who has ulterior motives. They will explain the important details of the coverage in the plan. This website is owned and operated by Assurance IQ, LLC.