Medicare Part D Notices
If your health benefit plan covers any employee, or their covered dependents, who is eligible for Medicare, this applies to you. If you know that your plan does not cover any Medicare eligible individuals (employee or dependent) then you do not need to send this notice.
If your medical plan includes prescription drug coverage, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that all current Medicare eligible individuals, or anyone who may become eligible for Medicare within the next 12 months, receive a notice explaining the availability of Medicare Part D coverage and to advise them if your prescription benefit is “creditable coverage” or “non-creditable coverage”.
This notice must be sent before October 15, 2021. The employer has the ultimate responsibility for sending the notice. The notice is to be sent to all Medicare eligible individuals and that could include dependents who might also qualify for reasons other than age.
Feel free to use the sample letter below, or draft your own, to notify your employees about the status of their pharmacy plan. Medicare eligible individuals should keep the letter for future reference because they will need this to prove creditable prescription coverage and avoid penalties for late enrollment in the Medicare Part D plan once they are no longer covered under your group medical plan.
Employers are also required to go to the following CMS site (if you have not already done this in 2021 and/or within 60 days following each plan anniversary date) to complete the Disclosure form that is required to be provided on an annual basis. The Disclosure to CMS Form can be found here and click on “Disclosure to CMS Form”.
If you have any questions about your obligations related to drug plans or need assistance in determining which plan of yours is “creditable” or “non-creditable”, please contact compliance@brinsonbenefits.com.
Updated 9/20/21
