Broker Newsletter - March 2025

Publish Date

Your March Update

We want to make it easier for you to provide CarePartners of Connecticut as a solution to your clients. To help support your hard work, here is what we thought you should know this month:
 

Reminder: Update to Medicare’s Disaster SEP

Medicare is making a change to the Medicare Disaster Special Enrollment Period (SEP) which provides an SEP for individuals affected by a variety of emergencies, including weather-related emergencies or major disasters. This SEP allows beneficiaries who missed other enrollment periods to enroll in, disenroll from, or switch Medicare health or prescription drug plans.

  • Beginning April 1, 2025, individuals wishing to use the Disaster/Emergency SEP must call 1-800-MEDICARE to make an election.
  • Medicare Advantage Organizations and Part D sponsors will no longer accept elections directly from beneficiaries using the Disaster/Emergency SEP.
  • This change is in response to concerns that have been raised by plans about the misuse of the Disaster/Emergency SEP to enroll beneficiaries who were not affected by a declared disaster/emergency.

For details on disasters and other declarations, visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

For details on all SEPs, visit Medicare.gov

 

Deadline for HMO members to get up to $325 back

Our Wellness Allowance and Weight Management benefit pays members back for participating in a qualifying program. But the deadline for 2024 reimbursement is fast approaching.

If a CarePartners of Connecticut Preferred HMO member enrolled in a fitness class, paid fees towards a gym membership, joined a qualifying weight management program, or participated in another qualifying program in 2024, they can be reimbursed by filling out and submitting these reimbursement forms:

  • HMO members can get up to $175 back with their 2024 Wellness Allowance benefit by submitting the Wellness Allowance Reimbursement Form
  • HMO members can get up to $150 back with their 2024 Weight Management benefit by submitting the Weight Management Reimbursement Form

Reimbursement forms for 2024 need to be received by CarePartners of Connecticut by March 31, 2025 – so encourage members to mail them as soon as possible!

Wellness Allowance reimbursement form
Weight Management reimbursement form

 

Spend OTC allowance before March 31
With CarePartners of Connecticut’s over-the-counter (OTC) benefit, CareAdvantage Preferred HMO members get $140 and Access PPO members get $102 each calendar quarter to shop for Medicare-approved health care supplies. But the balance doesn’t carry over. Encourage your clients to use the full amount before March 31.
See OTC benefit details

 

Get great tips for staying healthy in our Wellness Guide
The 2025 Wellness Guide is mailing to members in March. The Wellness Guide provides members with tips for using their plan to stay healthy, details on great benefits and discounts, and much more. Get a sneak peek today!
Get the Wellness guide