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The Medicare Flex Card 

Medicare advertisements are constantly flooding our screens. However, many of these ads can be confusing or misleading. So, we are here to clear the air about one product – the flex card for seniors on Medicare.

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                What is a Medicare Flex Card?

Flex cards are debit cards beneficiaries can use to purchase medical equipment and items. Typically linked to a flexible spending account, these cards are a benefit linked to qualifying health plans throughout the nation.

These cards, issued by private insurance companies, are only available on specific plans. Also, the cards have spending limits that vary by plan and carrier. The flex card benefit is not a common feature of Medicare Advantage plans, but you can find it in a handful of plans nationwide.

How to Use a Flex Card:

Flex Cards are for use to cover qualifying medical expenses only.

These include:   Medical equipment,  Copayments and deductibles,  Prescription and OTC medications,  Dental, vision and hearing care, and Diagnostic devices.  Other medically necessary expenses.

 How Do Seniors Get a Flex Card?

Currently in circulation are advertisements for Medicare-supplied flex cards from various carriers.These ads usually include a multitude of misleading or false claims.

Truthfully, Medicare is not distributing flex cards for seniors. Thus, these cards are not part of the government-run program.

Private Medicare Advantage plans distribute the cards in these ads – not Original Medicare. So, many legitimate insurance companies offer this benefit.

However, they all require beneficiaries to enroll in their network Medicare Advantage plans. Again, Medicare Advantage plans do not typically include the flex card benefit. Although some major carriers offer plans with flex cards, they are not part of most available plans.

 Flex Card for Seniors Advertisement Claims:

The advertisements include claims that lead beneficiaries to believe they can receive a flex card with up to $2,880 from Medicare to spend as they choose. However, this is entirely not true.

 



Flex cards are an additional benefit to Part C Medicare Advantage plans. So, to qualify, you must have a participating plan. 

Not all Medicare Advantage plans participate in this program. In reality, a very small percentage of plans available nationwide offer this benefit.

So, you must live in an area where at least one of these plans is available and sign up with that specific carrier during a qualifying Medicare enrollment period.

Flex cards are not available in every state or with every carrier. It is best to contact your insurer directly to inquire if your plan offers this benefit**. You can also review your plan’s benefits on Medicare.gov.

**Important Note: always be sure to sign up for what you want NOT what the carrier may recommend. As this action may conflict with your primary doctor choice, health care services, and precription drug planning needs.

Medicare Supplement plans do not include flex card benefits. Medigap plans are a direct extension of Original Medicare, available through private insurance companies. Medicare Supplement plans help beneficiaries reduce out-of-pocket spending by covering the holes in Original Medicare.

Are Flex Cards Available with Medicare Supplement Plans?

Flex cards are not a necessary benefit of a Medicare Supplement plan because Medigap beneficiaries typically save on out-of-pocket costs compared to Medicare Advantage plans. 

Often, Medicare Advantage plans have high maximum out-of-pocket costs. Companies offer additional benefits to make the policies more attractive to consumers by balancing these high costs.

On the other hand, even though Medicare Supplement plans have a premium, they allow beneficiaries to save money while receiving the benefits they need to reduce Original Medicare costs.

Flex cards are only available with Medicare Advantage plans. If comparing the costs for the same medical bill through Medicare Supplement Plan G and a typical Medicare Advantage HMO plan, the flex card benefit still produces higher out-of-pocket costs with a Medicare Advantage HMO plan than a Medicare Supplement Plan G.

In fact, a recent study by the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance shows that a higher number of people are enrolling in Medicare Supplement Plan G to help save money on out-of-pocket costs.