Creditable coverage

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires the AWC Trust to send out a "Creditable Coverage Letter" annually. The required text is often confusing.

To paraphrase the intent of the letter, it is informing all covered employees, spouses, family members and retirees that their prescription coverage on Trust-sponsored medical plans is as good as or better than Medicare Part D plans.

Because the coverage is as good as or better than Medicare Part D plans, it qualifies as "Creditable Coverage".

This means that if you have deferred enrolling in a Medicare Part D plan, and wish to enroll in Medicare Part D at a later date, you can provide Medicare a copy of your "Creditable Coverage Letter", and you will not have to pay an additional fee for late entry into a Medicare Part D Plan.

Creditable Coverage – Regence/Asuris (pdf)
Creditable Coverage – Regence/Asuris Retiree (pdf)

Creditable Coverage – Group Health (pdf)
Creditable Coverage – Group Health Retiree (pdf)

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website