LeadingAge Seeks to Eliminate Negative Impacts of MA Flex Cards on Beneficiaries

(Sept. 10, 2024) As enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans increases steadily (now at 54 percent of Medicare beneficiaries), many older adults are selecting MA or Special Needs Plans (SNPs) offering special supplemental benefits (SSBs) in the form of flexible benefit cards (“flex cards”). The flex cards provide a monthly or annual allowance for beneficiaries to use on a select list of items or services, including over-the-counter medications, groceries, and, in some cases, assistance with utilities or rent.

Some older adults are unknowingly jeopardizing their eligibility for various government assistance programs – such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and federal rental assistance – because there is widespread confusion on whether flex card benefits should be included in income and asset calculations. Similarly, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) participants are giving up access to this integrated service program and, in the process, losing their coordinated services and supports – often finding they are unable to access or utilize the promised flex card benefits.

LeadingAge is seeking policy solutions to clarify and resolve these surprise penalties. To learn more about this issue and LeadingAge’s position, check out its issue brief and additional examples of how older adults are impacted here.

Contact: Annalyse Komoroske Denio, akomoroskedenio@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866