The Wednesday letter “Cuts taking real toll on retirees” assumes that a relative’s termination from a program paying her Medicare Part B premiums is caused by a budget cut. As one of the lawyers at the Northwest Justice Project who deals with needs-based assistance programs, I am fairly certain the writer’s understanding is not correct. No current budget cuts are affecting eligibility for the Medicare Savings programs that pay Medicare premiums for low-income beneficiaries.
A termination like the one described indicates the person is likely having an individual problem with benefit eligibility or with recertification for the program. Terminations from the program most commonly occur when a periodic eligibility review form is due to the state’s Department of Social and Health Services, and the person doesn’t receive it, doesn’t return it, or it isn’t processed correctly. Contacting DSHS would be required to address such a problem. Some people do lose eligibility for these programs when income or savings increase above allowed levels, unless they otherwise qualify for a Medicaid program (such as the long-term care programs or the Medically Needy “spend down” program). But Social Security “cost-of-living” raises do not start counting as income for purposes of Medicare Savings Program eligibility until April each year, at the same time that the eligibility standards (based on federal poverty levels) also increase. That limits the number of people terminated solely due to their cost-of-living raises.
When seniors or their families don’t know where to turn for a problem like this, they can seek help from Senior Information and Assistance, a program of Senior Service of Snohomish County. In Snohomish County, this free service is available at 425-513-1900 or 1-800-422-2024. A person who has a legal dispute regarding a needs-based benefit issue also can apply for free legal assistance from programs serving low-income people and seniors. A website with information about applying for legal services that also contains many educational materials, including ones about these kinds of medical assistance programs, is: www.washingtonlawhelp.org
Ann Vining
Northwest Justice Project
Everett
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