Hinge Health is for anyone living with joint and muscle pain, like a throbbing back, aching knees, or a weak ankle. The personalized program combines gentle exercises to target and relieve pain with 1-on-1 support from a dedicated physical therapist and health coach.
Whether your goal is to hike more, work in the garden, or take the stairs (or all three), you can get on the road to pain relief with exercises that can be done anytime, anywhere, in as little as 10 minutes. The digital clinic for joint and muscle pain gets people moving and keeps them moving to reduce unnecessary surgeries and opioid use.
Hinge Health offers personalized care plans, clinical care teams, and ongoing customization that meets members’ needs.
Hinge Health also offers a monthly webinar series. Find registration information and online seminars on topics like:
The Eye Guys are traveling to locations listed below. Don’t miss out on scheduling your comprehensive eye exam using your VSP benefits (for members in the Standard DVA Plan). Call The Eye Guys to schedule an appointment at 907.376.3917.
Through a WellVision Exam®, The Eye Guys will get a better view of your eyes and overall health. They’ll look for eye health problems, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic eye disease. They’ll also look for signs of health conditions, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Plus, you can discuss day-to-day concerns like allergies or digital eye strain.
UPCOMING 2025 EVENTS
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Seward – Harbor 360 Hotel - Orca Room
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April 2nd - 4th
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Tok – Old Tok Bldg (Mile 123 Cut Off)
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April 9th - 11th
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Delta Junction - Diamond Willow Inn
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April 12th - 13th
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Glennallen – Crossroads Medical Center
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April 14th - 16th
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Valdez - Valdez Civic Center
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April 17th - 20th
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Starting in plan year 2025, AlaskaCare began offering two vision plans with different coverage provisions, the Standard Plan (VSP) and the Legacy Plan (Aetna), which are available through the bundled Dental-Vision-Audio (DVA) Standard and Legacy Plans, respectively. (Previously, there was only one vision plan, with Aetna.) You can choose either of these vision benefits during the DVA open enrollment period, which happens each year in November, prior to the next benefit year.
The Standard DVA Plan has been updated to include the Vision Service Plan (VSP) provider network, which includes benefit enhancements for certain services, while the vision benefits under the Legacy DVA Plan remain the same as previously offered. The retiree 2025 Benefit Comparison may help you compare the plans and decide which is a better fit for you and your family.
What are some of the differences between the Standard Plan benefits and the Legacy Plan benefits?
NEW VISION BENEFIT: Standard DVA Plan: The vision benefits under the Standard DVA Plan have been updated to implement the Vision Service Plan (VSP) provider network. The VSP network provides enhanced vision benefits with reduced copays for comprehensive eye exams, lenses, and frames. Members would only be responsible for copayments and charges for options that exceed the plan benefit.
Custom and premium progressive lens enhancements are covered, and discounts are available for photochromic, tints, and other lens enhancements received from a VSP network provider.
Network providers would determine the member cost share, file a claim with VSP, and only bill the member for their appropriate portion. (See DVA benefit comparison linked above.)
Please note: Members who obtain vision care from an out-of-network provider will be responsible for an increased share of the costs under the Standard DVA plan than they would under the Legacy DVA plan.
Legacy DVA Plan: The vision benefits under the Legacy DVA plan are unchanged. The primary difference is that there is no vision provider network under the Legacy DVA plan. As such, there are no network discounts, and members typically pay out-of-pocket for vision services at the time they are received and submit manual claims for reimbursement. There is also a fixed cost arrangement under the Legacy DVA Plan’s vision benefit, and no reduced coinsurance for certain services. For a more complete comparison of benefits, see the DVA benefit comparison tables linked above.
The Alaska Medicare Information Office is a resource to help you navigate through Medicare. They offer a number of seminars online with a variety of topics. Their Anchorage staff and statewide network of counselors also offer:
- one-on-one counseling to Medicare beneficiaries and their families
- tips on how to spot and report Medicare errors, waste and fraud
- classes on Medicare
Medicare Monday Seminars: On the second Monday of each month at noon, meet with the Alaska Medicare Information Office for a quick presentation of the Medicare Minute, which focuses on a specific Medicare topic. After the monthly topic is presented, Medicare Information Office staff will invite attendees to ask questions.
This event is online through Zoom. You will receive an email with details about how to join the event once you register. Here are the upcoming dates and topics that will be discussed during the Medicare Monday seminars:
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April 14 - Premium-related Appeals and Troubleshooting
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May 12 - Lowering Your Part D Costs
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June 9 - Part B vs. Part D Drugs
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July 14 - Medicare and Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
Zoom Event: Need Help Through the Medicare Maze? April 23 - 5:30-7:00 pm
Interested in the basics about Medicare? Come to the Medicare 101 online event. The Medicare Information Office will go over the basics of Medicare A, B, C, D, Medigap (Medicare Supplements), and how to protect yourself from Medicare fraud and abuse. The presentation is approximately one hour followed by a 30-minute question and answer session.
Have questions or need help registering? Contact the Medicare Information Office at (907) 269-3680 or hss.medicare@alaska.gov. You can also visit their website and calendar for more information.
Resources for a Potential Mount Spurr Eruption
Due to the increased seismic activity and advisory for a possible eruption of Mount Spurr, a volcano located in the Aleutian Arc of Alaska, we have gathered these resources on volcanic preparedness and disaster relief.
What is an IRMAA? Certain high-income retirees are required to pay an extra premium surcharge, known as an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, or IRMAA. This is similar to the surcharge for high-income enrollees in the Medicare Part B plan. If you are an individual or a married couple earning more than the threshold, you will be required to pay an extra surcharge for being enrolled in the AlaskaCare Employer Group Waiver Program (EGWP) prescription drug plan because it is a group Medicare Part D plan. Retirees whose household income is below this threshold will not be subject to the IRMAA premium surcharge.
If you are subject to the Medicare Part D IRMAA surcharge, you will be reimbursed.
If you are charged a Medicare Part D IRMAA for your prescription drug coverage, the Division of Retirement and Benefits will reimburse you for the full cost of the Medicare Part D premium surcharge each month, through a tax-advantaged Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) account.
What do you need to know?
If you are not assessed a Part D IRMAA surcharge, this does not apply to you.
- You need to set up your HRA account every year, since IRMAA surcharges are based on your annual income and your income may change from year to year.
- To receive the reimbursement, you should submit your claim and letter as soon as possible, but no later than 12 months after the last day of the current year. For example: The deadline for submitting your 2024 IRMAA for reimbursement is December 31, 2025.
How do I know if I have to pay a Part D IRMAA surcharge in 2025?
Each year, if you are Medicare-eligible, you will be notified by the Social Security Administration about your plan. This includes if you are required to pay an IRMAA and at what amount. The Social Security Administration uses your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) to determine if the IRMAA applies to you and, if so, how much you will have to pay. MAGI is the sum of:
- Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), which can be found on your IRS 1040 tax form (line 11 on form 1040), plus
- Any tax-exempt interest income (line 2a on form 1040).
The Social Security Administration requests income information from the IRS for the tax year that is two years prior to the surcharge year. IRMAA is automatically re-determined each year as long as you file an income tax return.
How to Set Up Your IRMAA Reimbursement with Optum Rx:
Once you have your letter from Social Security or a Medicare bill that shows your 2024 Part D IRMAA surcharge, you can submit your reimbursement request by following the instructions below. You may submit your documents early to Optum Rx if you have them available, but claims received prior to January will not be processed until the start of the new year.
Follow these steps to establish your 2025 IRMAA HRA account online:
- Register and/or log in to your Optum Rx.com account either online or through the mobile app.
- Navigate to the AlaskaCare IRMAA Reimbursement Form by taking the following steps:
- On the top of the main page, click the "Information Center" tab.
- Click "Programs and Forms".
- Click on the "AlaskaCare IRMAA Reimbursement" section. There you will find the digital enrollment form as well as the paper version.
- To submit your reimbursement request digitally (the faster method), click and submit the IRMAA HRA Digital Enrollment Form.
- Upload as an attachment, a copy or image of your letter from Social Security or a Medicare Bill that shows what your Part D IRMAA surcharge is.
- Optum Rx will confirm your eligibility and set up your Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) with Optum Bank within 5 to 7 business days of receipt.
- Once your HRA has been set up with Optum Bank, they will send you a Welcome Packet within 5 to 7 business days, which will include information on signing up for Direct Deposit.
- If you currently have Direct Deposit set up with Optum Bank, that information does not need to be submitted again.
- Once you receive your Welcome Packet, log in to OptumBank.com to view your HRA account status/balance or to sign up for Direct Deposit.
If you have any questions on how to submit your documents online or if you do not have internet access and would like to submit paper documentation, please contact Optum Rx at (855) 409-6999.
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