Employers who sponsor a group health plan with prescription drug benefits are required to notify their Medicare-eligible participants as to whether the drug coverage provided under the plan is ‘creditable’ or non-creditable’. Virtually all plans that BMC clients have with the major carriers (Keystone, Aetna, Cigna, UHC, HighMark, UPMC) are ‘creditable’ – meaning that they meet or exceed the requirements of Medicare Part D RX coverage. Notification to Medicare-eligible plan participants is required prior to October 15th of each year.
In order to assist employers in their compliance
obligations, CMS has issued participant disclosure model
notices for both creditable and non-creditable coverage,
which can be found at:
http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prescription-Drug-
Coverage/CreditableCoverage/Model-Notice-Letters.html
(notices last updated by CMS for use on or after April 1,
2011).
This model notice will serve as a proper notice for purposes of fulfilling this requirement.
You can also provide the notice, if you choose, by incorporating the notice in your open enrollment materials. Let BMC know if you wish to include that.
Let us know if you have any questions.