Medicare Mid-year supplemental benefit notifications

[BtW751689]

Has anyone received this notice from their health care provider?  I read about it on AARP that it was supposed to happen in 2024 then it said 2025.  Now it might be 2026.  Does anyone know when we are supposed to get this?  As I understand it, it would be sent out to all members on a Medicare Advantage plan that usually have perks or benefits not normal in original medicare.  Like if you have a gym membership or OTC benefits and maybe you are not using it because you are not aware of it.    This is not the same as a notice you might get from your provider in the fall so you can compare plans for possible switching the next year.  This is a personalized letter that is supposed to enlighten you about benefits you may not be aware of.  It is supposed to mailed out between June 30-July 31.

[GailL1]

Was supposed to be out by the end of July - maybe they are on their way.

CMS.gov 04/04 /2024- Mid-Year Enrollee Notification of Available Supplemental Benefits 

I have not seen anything about them being delayed.

from the link ~

An increasing share of Medicare dollars is going toward Medicare Advantage plan rebates, roughly $337 billion over the last 10 years, and the 2023 Trustees Report estimated $67 billion in 2024 alone. Medicare Advantage plans can use these rebate dollars to advertise a wide array of supplemental benefits, including special supplemental benefits for chronically ill enrollees. In 2022, over 99% of Medicare Advantage plans offered at least one supplemental benefit. The median was 23 supplemental benefits, and the most frequently offered benefits were vision, hearing, fitness, and dental. Some of these benefits address unmet social determinants of health needs, such as food insecurity or inadequate access to transportation. However, at the same time, some plans have indicated that enrollee utilization of many supplemental benefits is low. To ensure the large federal investment of taxpayer dollars in supplemental benefits is actually making its way to enrollees and is not primarily used to market benefits that individuals rarely use, the final rule requires Medicare Advantage plans to engage in outreach efforts so that enrollees are aware of the supplemental benefits available to them. CMS is requiring Medicare Advantage plans to issue a “Mid-Year Enrollee Notification of Unused Supplemental Benefits” annually, between June 30 and July 31 of the plan year, that is personalized to each enrollee, and that includes a list of any supplemental benefits not accessed by the individual during the first six months of the year. In addition, the notification will include the scope of the benefit, cost-sharing, instructions on how to access the benefit, any network application information for each available benefit, and a customer service number to call if additional help is needed