Arlington County’s Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program
(VICAP) provides free, in-depth, one-on-one insurance counseling to Arlington
County Medicare Beneficiaries, their families, friends and caregivers.
ABC's of Medicare
Next date: Tuesday, June 14, 2022 | 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
About the Program: Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug Coverage, and Medigap Policies are choices in the Medicare program. Join Arlington County's Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (VICAP) to learn:
Presentation Topics:
- Medicare Coverage Choices (Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Part D Prescription Drug Coverage, and Medigap Policies)
- What Medicare Does and Does Not Cover
- Programs for People with Limited Income
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Cataract Awareness Month
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 20.5 million (17.2%) Americans Age 40 and older have cataracts in one, or both eyes.
Cataracts are the clouding of the lens of your eye and usually develop slowly over the course of time. The risk factors for eye diseases like cataracts include race/ethnicity, age, sex, and certain chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The U.S Census writes that Black and Hispanics continue to be over-represented in the population in poverty, meaning that they are likely to face a higher risk of eye disease due to social factors like income, education, access to care, and neighborhood safety.
It is important for individuals at higher risk of eye disease to recognize the signs and symptoms of cataracts and for Medicare beneficiaries to review their benefits in relation to eye care. While Medicare does not generally cover vision care, Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) will cover medically necessary services such as cataract surgery if you have Original Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans must cover the same services as Original Medicare, but may have different costs or conditions. Click here to learn more about Medicare and Vision coverage.
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How to Identify a Fake Website
Virginiasmp | April 15, 2022
Scammers are always creating new and improved lookalike websites to trick you out of your personal information and money. These websites may have a very similar URL or look nearly identical to the real website you are searching for, which means they can be hard to identify. Recent examples of this kind of scam include fake streaming service activation prompts, DMV impostors and fake postal service websites. Even BBB.org has been impostored, when scammers have tried to look like BBB to collect information fraudulently. Protect yourself with the following tips to help you spot fake websites set up by scammers. (Read More)
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Dear VICAP Team,
My fixed income has made it challenging to keep up with financial burdens. I've heard about the Medicare Savings Program and wonder what I should know about it and how it can help me, if I am eligible.
Dear Medicare Beneficiary,
Medicare Savings Programs, also known as MSP's, Medicare Buy-In Programs, or Medicare Premium Payment Programs, can help you pay for your Medicare costs if you have limited income and savings. There are four Medicare Savings Programs, each with different benefits and eligibility requirements:
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Qualifying Individual (QI) Program: This program helps pay for Medicare Part B premiums and reimburses premiums you paid up to three months before your MSP's effective date, and within the same year of your MSP's effective date. For example, if you submitted an MSP application at the end of 2022 and are approved for February 2023, you can only receive premium reimbursement for January 2023 because you cannot be reimbursed for premiums paid in the previous year. If your QI effective date is April 2023, you would receive premium reimbursements for January, February, and March.
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Specified Low-income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB): This program pays for your Medicare Part B premium and also reimburses premiums you paid up to three months before your MSP's effective date. In addition, you may be reimbursed for any premiums paid from the previous calendar year. For example, if you submitted an MSP application at the end of 2022 and are approved for February 2023, you may be reimbursed for premiums paid in November and December of 2022 as well as January 2023.
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Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB): Unlike QI and SLMB, QMB does not offer retroactive premium reimbursement. Instead, federal law prohibits Medicare providers from billing you if you are enrolled in QMB. This means Medicare providers should not bill you for any Medicare-covered services you receive. Additionally, if you have to pay Part A premiums because you do not have 10 years of documented work history in the United States, QMB will pay the Part A premium for you.
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Qualified Disabled Working Individual (QDWI): Lastly, the QDWI program helps pay for Part A premiums only and is available to adults under age 65 and disabled but who recently returned to work and are no longer eligible for premium-free Part A.
Some additional benefits to enrolling in a Medicare Savings Program (MSP) include:
- Part B enrollment outside of regular enrollment periods
- Elimination of your Part B late enrollment penalty if you have one
- Automatic enrollment in Extra Help- a federal program that helps pay for Medicare Part D prescription drug costs.
To qualify for a Medicare Savings Program, you must meet the income and asset guidelines for each program and you must also have Medicare Part A.
 Contact the Arlington County VICAP team by phone or email:
703-228-1725
MedicareHelp@arlingtonva.us
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