Thursday, 20 May 2004 This information supplements handouts. 1. Welcome and Introductions Barbara Luksch, project director for Hawaii Covering Kids, opened the meeting at 10:30 AM and welcomed the 24 attendees. 2. Med-QUEST’s New Renewal Processes: Jeffrey Young Med-QUEST’s goal is to retain all eligible people in its programs. Effective 1 June 2004, renewal forms are computer-generated with prepopulated information. Adult-only cases must return the gray form with corrected information, signature, and copies of income, assets, and private health insurance. There is a passive renewal process for cases with children as follows: a. If there are changes, the family must write their new information on the lilac form, sign it, and send it back to Med-QUEST. b. If there are no changes, no action is necessary and the case will automatically be renewed for one year. c. To assure compliance with federal quality control measures, Med-QUEST will reference available databases to check the accuracy of reported information on the original application and renewal forms. These include Benefit, Employment, and Support Services Division (financial assistance and Food Stamp Program), Social Security Administration (SSA and SSI benefits), Beneficiary Earnings Exchange Record (self-employment and assorted earnings reported to the IRS and unearned income reports), and State Wage Information and Collection Agency (employer and wages paid to Department of Labor). Med-QUEST will also conduct random sample telephone interviews with customers to review case details. d. If mail is returned, Med-QUEST tries to locate the customer via telephone or email. The new renewal processes were field-tested through Oahu Ongoing Unit III the past two months. Customers who completed an optional survey praised the new passive renewal form because it is friendly, easy to understand, and simple to complete. Furthermore, general inquiries to Med-QUEST have decreased so staff has more time to better serve their customers. Updates on the renewal processes are posted at http://coveringkids.com/news/Section_191.asp. 3. DHS Outreach and Assistance Project: Kathy Suzuki-Kitagawa * There are six new outreach workers at community health centers and eventually there will be thirty. * Outreach workers are currently trained to help eligible people enroll in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), public housing, food stamps, QUEST and Medicaid, Hawai‘i Immigrant Health Initiative, Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) and Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and child care. * They work nontraditional hours in locations convenient to their customers. 4. Medicare Drug Program: Pamela Cunningham * Sage PLUS is located at the Executive Office on Aging and funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). They have been in Hawai‘i for twelve years and have about fifty volunteers statewide that do presentations, counsel Medicare beneficiaries, and conduct outreach activities. * The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 gives Medicare beneficiaries more choices as well as prescription drug coverage for those without this benefit. * Medicare beneficiaries can use drug discount cards with annual fees of $0-$35 at participating pharmacies to save between 5%-35% of retail costs. * Beneficiaries who are state, federal, or county retirees or have outpatient prescription drug coverage through Medicaid are not eligible or may not benefit from the Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card. * Hawaii has over thirty cards available which has been challenging for beneficiaries. To find out which card is the best for them, beneficiaries must make a list of their current prescription drugs and frequency of use. Next they should call 1-800-Medicare or Sage PLUS for assistance in choosing a card. * Medicare beneficiaries can have a Hawaii Rx Plus card and Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card, but they cannot have two Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards. * In 2005, CMS will include preventive services such as initial physical examinations. * In 2006, Medicare beneficiaries will have a prescription drug benefit. The beneficiary will pay approximately $35/month with a $250 deductible for prescription drug coverage. From $251-$2,250, the beneficiary will pay 25% and Medicare will pay 75%. If the beneficiary pays $251-$2,250 for prescriptions, then she/he will pay 100% of the cost out-of-pocket for $2,251-$5,100. If prescription out-of-pocket costs are more than $5,100, the beneficiary pays 5% of the cost and Medicare pays 95%. * More information is available at www.medicare.gov. 5. Med-QUEST Updates: Kookie Moon-Ng a. Hawaii Rx Plus Program * This state-funded program begins 1 July 2004 and has two eligibility requirements: the participant must be a Hawaii resident and under 350% of the federal poverty level (FPL). * It will offer discounted drug prices to people without prescription drug coverage or those who exceed their prescription drug benefits and earn too much money to qualify for QUEST or Medicaid. * Information and an application are available at http://www.hawaiirxplus.com/. b. QUEST for Pregnant Immigrants * Med-QUEST currently pays for emergencies, labor, and birth. * Effective 1 July 2004, a pregnant legal immigrant who has been in the United State less than five years is eligible for free public health insurance. It will cover prenatal care and other medical expenses. The woman must be a Hawai‘i resident with a household income less than 185% FPL. 6. Announcements: Barbara Luksch * Hawaii Covering Kids and Med-QUEST are sponsoring free community training workshops for those who help people complete QUEST and Medicaid applications. Please contact Barbara at coverkids@aol.com for more details. * Verizon and Sprint PCS are the only cellular telephone companies not implementing 211. If you are one of their customers, please send a letter to request this service. Contact Havinne Anderson, Aloha United Way 211 program director, for more the details at havinne@auw.org or 543-2261.