Benefits Breakdown: What is the $300 Medicare Benefit for Groceries and the Medicare Over the Counter Benefit?

The Medicare grocery benefit can come in very handy for American families with seniors living on a fixed income. To learn whether or not you may qualify for the $300 Medicare benefit, call (800) 950-0608 today to speak with one of our licensed insurance agents.

Eating Healthy On a Budget Isn’t Always Easy

As inflation continues to grip the nation and the federal government continues to struggle to resolve the issue, the costs of everyday necessities continue to rise. Numerous grocery store items in particular have jumped in price considerably over the last three years. For seniors living on fixed incomes, this can make choosing paying for groceries, getting meal delivery, or covering utilities next to impossible. 

With a qualifying Medicare plan, getting healthy, nourishing foods from the grocery store becomes a little easier. It’s true! Believe it or not, there are certain Medicare plans out there that offer a grocery benefit to help you pick up the foods that you need to stay healthy. Some of those same plans can help you pay for Over-the-Counter (OTC) medicines and supplies with a Medicare Over the Counter benefit.

So, how can you take advantage of the $300 Medicare benefit as a Medicare beneficiary? Today’s Benefits Breakdown will help you answer that very question. The Benefits Breakdown series is our ongoing series designed to provide you with details on Medicare Advantage plan benefits that you may be missing out on. Today, we’re going to talk about the $300 Medicare grocery benefit.

What is the Medicare Grocery Benefit and the Medicare Healthy Food Card?

In many ways, Medicare plans attempt to make the path to overall wellness easier to find for Medicare beneficiaries living on fixed incomes. This goes further than providing coverage for health and medical services and treatments, such as those provided by the federal government under Original Medicare. Sometimes, Medicare plans provide benefits that can help seniors with things like groceries and over-the-counter remedies.

Medicare plans in some states offer a healthy food card that can help you get up to $900 in assistance (without a copay!) for healthy groceries. Medicare plans in select states can also provide up to $3,300 in assistance for healthy foods (again, no copay). In other cases, you may be eligible for a $300 grocery benefit in states where this benefit is offered.

If you’ve heard of this benefit before, you’ve likely heard it referred to in other ways. The grocery benefit provided with select Medicare Part C plans is also often called:

• The Medicare healthy foods card
• The Medicare flex card

Certain providers offer their own versions of this benefit, such as the UnitedHealthcare Healthy Food benefit, offer their own version of the Medicare benefit. The UnitedHealthCare version, also known as the UnitedHealthcare healthy food benefit, provides the same type of assistance as other grocery benefits. The UnitedHealthcare healthy food benefit is available only to UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan beneficiaries in select states.

What is the Medicare Over-the-Counter Benefit and the Medicare Flex Card?

Much like how the grocery benefit can help low-income seniors and seniors with a health condition purchase groceries, there are certain Medicare contract plans that provide what is known as an Over the Counter benefit to help with OTC supplies and medications. Over-the-Counter medications and supplies can be costly for Medicare beneficiaries on fixed incomes. The Medicare Over-the-Counter benefit can help mitigate the cost of OTC medicines and supplies.

The Medicare Over-the-Counter benefit comes, as with the grocery benefit, in the form of a Medicare flex card. The OTC items benefit flex card is loaded with a prepaid amount designated to help seniors purchase much-needed non-prescription medications and supplies. With some plans, the grocery benefit and the Over the Counter benefit may be loaded on the same Medicare flex card.

Who Qualifies for these Medicare Benefits?

The Medicare grocery and Over the Counter benefits are not available in every state. If these benefits are offered through insurance companies in your area, you may even need to meet certain qualifications before you can enroll in a plan with these benefits. For instance, some Medicare plans only offer the Medicare grocery and Over the Counter benefits to Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in HMO Special Needs Plans (SNPs).

Want to find out if these benefits are available in your area, or if you qualify to receive them? Our licensed insurance agents can help you find out. Just give them a quick call at (800) 950-0608 to find and discuss available Medicare plans with desired benefits in your area.

The $300 Medicare Benefit Can Be Beneficial to All Involved

If you’re in an area that offers the $300 Medicare grocery benefit, or a Medicare Over-the-Counter benefit, it’s a win-win for all involved. This helpful benefit can provide you with assistance in covering costs of food, medications, and supplies. It also helps health insurance agencies offering Medicare plans with these benefits retain happy customers. In fact, some plans may even offer meal delivery!

Remember, Medicare plans offering the benefits you’ve read about today are not widely available in all service areas. If they are available in your service area, it’s important to know whether or not you meet the criteria to receive these benefits. If you want to find out whether Medicare plans offering the grocery or OTC benefits are available near you, or if you qualify to receive these benefits, call us today at (800) 950-0608. Our licensed agents are happy to answer any questions you may have!