What is a flex card?

What is the truth about the flex card for seniors?

In the past year, prices for everyday needs have gone up, leaving everyone feeling the pinch. If you’re someone who wants to stretch your money further, you’re not alone.

Many Medicare Advantage plans offer extra benefits, credits, and flex cards with this in mind. A flex card works like a prepaid debit card. Funds may be preloaded or earned, depending on what the health plan offers.

Flex card facts

Here are some general things to know about flex cards, regardless of which Medicare Advantage plan offers them.

• The money loaded on them isn’t counted as taxable income.
• Flex cards cannot be used to buy tobacco, alcohol, or other typically prohibited items.
• Most Medicare Advantage plans do not allow you to get cash back.
• Original Medicare does not offer flex cards. Only Medicare Advantage plans are authorized to offer them.
• Flex cards cannot be purchased. If an individual contacts you unsolicited to sell you a flex card, it’s a scam.

Flex card differences

Flex cards can work differently, depending on the Medicare Advantage plan, so you’ll want to research each one carefully. Remember, licensed brokers can help you in your research at no cost to you. [eventually link “licensed brokers” to broker blog article when posted].

• Medicare Advantage plans aren’t required to offer flex cards to all members. They can set qualifications and limitations.
• Depending on the health plan, certain allowances may be loaded on the flex card at certain times of the year, like quarterly or monthly, or funds may be added after earning them for completing certain healthy activities, like going to your annual well visit.

• While flex cards generally function as a pre-paid, debit-type card, they still may only be used to pay for certain things determined by the health plan.
• Some Medicare Advantage plans only offer flex cards to members with certain chronic conditions or members who also have Medicaid.
• Some flex cards operate like a flexible spending account. For example, if your Medicare Advantage plan doesn't cover dentures, you might be able to use your flex card benefits to pay for them, but you’ll likely have to call and have this pre-authorized.

Pay attention to Medicare flex card guidelines

 It is important to know the Medicare Advantage plan’s flex card guidelines. These are things to ask about when considering which health plan fits your needs.

• Some Medicare Advantage health plans may require you to register to receive your flex card instead of automatically sending you one when you become a member.
• If you are eligible to earn rewards on a flex card, make sure you know how long it will take before the funds will be loaded to your flex card. It’s common for funds to be loaded after the claim is processed.
• Know when funds expire. Unused amounts may not carry over.
• If the flex card isn’t a debit-type card with a Mastercard, Visa, or Discover logo, your utility or phone company may not be able to accept it as a payment type.
• Some Medicare Advantage plans require you to go to a separate flex benefits card login portal and select your utility or phone provider from a list of vendors. Your utility company may not be listed.
• Some flex card benefits come with a processing fee.
• You can’t always be sure your payment is going to be received by your utility or phone company on time when you pay through a benefits portal, and you may incur late charges because of this.

What are the flex card benefits for Sentara Medicare

Sentara Medicare offers a prepaid flex card through NationsBenefits. The Healthy Rewards program and grocery allowance^*are offered as two different programs with funds loaded on the same card. Eligible items can be paid for with the funds.

A Licensed Plan Advisor can help you learn about the prepaid flex card with Sentara Medicare plans. To learn about the quarterly over-the-counter allowance, qualifying chronic conditions for the monthly grocery allowance, and the types of healthy activities that can earn Healthy Rewards, give us a call.

1-877-550-3285 (TTY: 711)

October 1–March 31 | 7 days a week | 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

April 1–September 30 | Monday–Friday | 8 a.m.–8 p.m.