Arlington County’s Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program
(VICAP) provides free, unbiased, one-on-one insurance counseling to Arlington County Medicare Beneficiaries, their families, friends and caregivers.
Medicare Preventive Services
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 | 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Location: Virtual
Did you know that Preventive Services are FREE and available to help you prevent illness, detect medical conditions, and keep you healthy? Eligibility requirements and guidelines for preventive services apply.
Join the Arlington County VICAP team to learn about:
- Tips to stay healthy, live longer, and delay or prevent diseases
- Medicare’s Preventive Services (e.g., Flu Shots, Cancer Screenings, Diabetes Screenings, etc.)
- Medicare’s Summary Notices and how to read them
Registration required. Meeting details will be sent to participants the Friday afternoon before the presentation.
Register in one of three easy ways:
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April is National Minority Health Month!
National Minority Health Month raises awareness about disparities in health and encourages health equity for racial and ethnic minorities. Arlington County and the VICAP team remain committed to educating and empowering the community about the social determinants of health that impact minorities and older adults in underserved communities.
Social determinants of health can be grouped into five categories:
- Economic Stability 2. Education Access & Quality 3. Health Care Access and Quality 4. Neighborhood and Built Environment and 5. Social and Community Context
One of the largest barriers to positive health is lack of health insurance. Uninsured people often avoid seeking medical attention until their condition becomes critical. This issue is prevalent among undocumented Hispanic, Latino/a, and or Latinx individuals and families as they are less likely to apply for health insurance coverage out of fear of being deported.
As we continue working towards addressing disparities and inequities in health, we encourage you to utilize many of the free and supportive services offered to residents here at Arlington County to help combat social determinants of health. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging to learn what resources are available for you or your loved ones.
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Impact of Expired Premium Tax Credits
for Older Adults
KFF published an issue brief, "How Will the Loss of Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Affect Older Adults?" The brief examines how the sunsetting of these subsidies will have a significant impact on older adults in the U.S. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace’s enhanced premium tax credits expired on December 31, 2025. Within the brief, the authors detail how much premium payments have increased for ACA enrollees ages 50 – 64. It also highlights that "the average ACA enrollee who received a premium tax credit faces a doubling of their premium payments for the same plan."
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Man Sentenced in $172 Million Scheme
Virginia SMP | March 13, 2026
In New Jersey, Aaron Neil Williamsky was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for conspiring to defraud Medicare of $172 million, commit money laundering, and pay kickbacks and bribes. To generate fraudulent orders, Williamsky and his co-conspirators hired marketing companies to make unsolicited calls offering elderly patients free orthotic braces. In exchange for each patient who agreed to accept durable medical equipment (DME), Williamsky paid a kickback to the marketing companies. Read a story from Jersey Shore Online and a Department of Justice press release.
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Dear VICAP Team,
Does Medicare cover medical care outside of the U.S.?
Dear Medicare Beneficiary,
Medicare typically does not cover medical services received outside the United States and its territories. However, Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans are required to provide coverage in a few very limited situations:
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Emergency care in Canada: Medicare may cover emergency services if you are traveling directly, without unreasonable delay, between Alaska and another U.S. state, and the nearest hospital able to treat you is in Canada.
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Care received on a cruise ship: Medicare may pay for medically necessary services provided on a cruise ship when the ship is in U.S. territorial waters. This means the ship is either in a U.S. port or within six hours of arriving at or departing from one.
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Non‑emergency inpatient care in certain foreign hospitals: In rare cases, Medicare may cover inpatient hospital services (and related provider and ambulance services) if the foreign hospital is closer to your home than the nearest U.S. hospital. This can occur for individuals living near the Canadian or Mexican border.
Some Medigap plans also offer coverage for international travel. Plans C through G, as well as plans M and N, cover 80% of the cost of emergency care abroad. Coverage details vary, so it’s important to review your specific policy.
Medicare Advantage Plans may also include emergency coverage outside the U.S. as an additional benefit. Please contact your plan directly for information about its specific rules, coverage, and costs. Click here to learn more.
 Interested in joining our team? Click here to complete an online volunteer application or contact the Arlington County VICAP team by phone or email:
703-228-1725
MedicareHelp@arlingtonva.us
This project was supported, in part by grant number 90SAPG0064, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy
Visit our website to learn more.
Use the QR code or click here.
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