Neighbors and Friends,
The busy holiday season is upon us and this is certainly an active time for everyone. The start of the legislative session is still nearly three months away, but most legislators’ schedules are filled with meetings and other events in and near our districts.
I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope you spend the long holiday weekend relaxing with your friends and family and getting a respite from your hectic schedules!
Here is an update from the Capitol:
Hmong American New Year
The Hmong American New Year events have begun and the rich culture of our neighbors is a joy to celebrate. Last weekend, I attended a program featuring a parade, dance competition and other entertainment. This Saturday I have been invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome the event’s participants for the weekend festivities. The celebration began four decades ago and the announcement describes the “rich tradition that has woven into the fabrics of Minnesota’s history and culture, drawing in crowds of thousands from across the country and abroad.” All events are at the Saint Paul Rivercentre this Saturday and Sunday and the public is invited.
League of Women Voters discussion of fair housing for all
Last week, I participated in a League of Women Voters panel discussion about the current fair housing situation in the region. I was joined by Executive Director of the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, Cathy ten Broeke and Director of Ramsey County Veterans Services, Maria Wetherall, who also chairs Heading Home Ramsey, a community-wide partnership seeking to end homelessness for Ramsey County veterans. It was an interesting discussion with community members and others about this important issue.
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Homelessness is a statewide problem
We know that homelessness isn’t just a metro/suburban problem, it is a statewide issue. This recent Mankato Free Press article examines the issue in the south central community.
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This important information arrived by email and I wanted to give a heads up if this applies to you:
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Inaccuracies in Medicare Plan
Finder make it difficult for
beneficiaries to select plans
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Medicare beneficiaries are making important choices about their health care coverage based on incorrect information displayed by the Medicare Plan Finder tool on the Medicare.gov website.
Although our Senior LinkAge Line staff is working with the state staff to encourage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to fix the tool and they have made some progress, it continues to produce flawed results.
Beneficiaries may find:
- Inaccuracies in premiums, for example, a plan might show a 0.00 premium when it actually charges a premium.
- Inaccuracies regarding prescriptions drug costs under Medicare Advantage and standalone prescription drug plans.
- Inaccuracies in costs under the Extra Help subsidy (LIS).
There may also be errors in the drug formularies and the listed “preferred pharmacies.”
Our Senior LinkAge Line specialists have many years of experience assisting people in choosing Medicare plans and, as a result, have been quite successful in identifying errors and helping people find accurate information.
For beneficiaries who have already enrolled in a plan, we encourage them to contact the plan and verify pricing and other details. The Minnesota Board on Aging's Health Care Choices for Minnesotans on Medicare is a good source of information, though it does not include drug plan information.
We also encourage Medicare beneficiaries to reach out to their federal elected officials to ask CMS to immediately remedy this situation and to extend the open enrollment period for at least three months once the Plan Finder tool is fixed
For assistance, call the Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433.
The Senior LinkAge Line is a service of the MN Board on Aging and the regional Area Agencies on Aging.
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The Minnesota House has implemented a new email system, and like all new things, some “bugs” have been discovered. Several of you have been getting ‘undeliverable” responses and I appreciate your patience as our IT team works to resolve the problem.
During the legislative interim, you can contact me at rep.alice.hausman@house.mn.
Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the legislature.
Sincerely,
Alice