By Shelly Grimaldi, Harbage Consulting and CalDuals CCI Outreach
July 2015 | 2015 Summer Newsletter
If you are a Medi-Medi patient–someone with both Medicare and Medi-Cal–you have new health care choices as part of the Coordinated Care Initiative (CCI). No matter what choice you make, your IHSS services will stay the same as they are today.
This new option is called Cal MediConnect, and these Cal MediConnect plans provide Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits, including Part D prescription drug coverage. These plans also provide you added benefits such as transportation, vision care, and a care coordinator who can help explain and access your benefits. Enrolling into a Cal-MediConnect plan does not change your IHSS eligibility and you can still hire, fire, and manage your caregivers.
Enrolling into a Cal MediConnect plan is voluntary, so you can choose to join or to opt out and receive your Medicare services as you do today. If you are eligible for Cal MediConnect and you don’t make an active decision to join or not join, you will be automatically enrolled into Cal MediConnect on the first day of your birth month in 2015. You can choose to disenroll from Cal MediConnect in any month.
If you are Medi-Medi, or if you care for someone who is, you can get help with questions about Cal MediConnect by contacting the following agencies:
- Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) is available to help you understand these changes and new options. HICAP provides workshops on Medicare issues, including Cal MediConnect, and also provides counseling to assist in understanding options. To talk with someone at your local HICAP, you can call Sourcewise at (408) 350-3200, option 2.
- Health Care Options staff can also help you to understand these new options and Medi-Cal changes, and to enroll in the managed care or Medi-Cal program of your choice. They can be reached by calling 1 (844) 580-7272.
- Cal MediConnect Ombudsman Program helps beneficiaries voice complaints and solve problems with Cal MediConnect. If you need help with your services or your plan, you can reach Ombudsman services Mon – Fri, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. by calling 1 (855) 501-3077 (TTY 1 (855) 874-7914).
For more information on Cal MediConnect, please visit calduals.org or email info@calduals.org with any questions.