Sep 6, 2022
What is the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)?
There are a lot of Government subsidized programs that have been put in place to be lifelines to those who need them. Here we’re going to talk about two that are vital. Medicare and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
Let’s start first with Medicare
You’ve probably heard of Medicare, and if you’ve gone online and looked into it, it may have struck you as overwhelming, with so many choices to make and not a real, clear understanding of what those choices mean. Here we’re going to make Medicare information easier and clearer to understand.
In a nutshell, Medicare is health insurance. Specifically federal health insurance for:
- Those who are 65 or older
- Certain younger people who have disabilities
- Those who have End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD)
There are 3 parts of Medicare and each covers a different service
Medicare Part A
Medicare Part A is hospital insurance. It covers inpatient hospital stays, stays in a skilled nursing facility, hospice, and some in-home health care.
For more about what Part A covers, visit: What Part A covers | Medicare
Medicare Part B
Medicare Part B is medical insurance. It covers visits to your doctor, lab work, surgeries, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services.
For more information on what Part B covers, visit: What Part B covers | Medicare
Medicare Part D
Medicare Part D is for prescription drugs. It helps to cover the costs of prescription drugs and many recommended shots and vaccinations.
For more information on what Part D covers, visit: Drug coverage (Part D) | Medicare
When are you eligible for Medicaid?
You are eligible for all three parts of Medicare on the first day of the month in which you turn 65. You can also be eligible earlier if you’ve qualified for Medicare because of a disability.
Medicare offers coverage options
Medicare offers options as to how you get your coverage. Once you enroll, you’ll need to decide between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
About Original Medicare
Original Medicare consists of Medicare Part A and Part B. These are provided to you by the federal government, and for these two parts you will enroll through your local Social Security office. If you receive mail from Social Security or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hold onto it.
For more information on Original Medicare, visit: Your Medicare coverage choices | Medicare
About Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage is a health and drug coverage plan from a private company that Medicare has approved. It’s simply an alternative to Original Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans include Medicare Part A, Part B, and usually Part D. Some offer additional benefits including hearing, vision and dental coverage.
For more information on Medicare Advantage, visit: How do Medicare Advantage Plans work? | Medicare
What does Medicare cost?
With Medicare Part A, there’s typically no cost as long as you or your spouse worked for at least 10 years in the United States and paid Medicare taxes.
With Medicare Part B, what you pay depends upon your income. This year, 2022, the Part B base cost is $170.10 a month. If you are in a high tax bracket, you can expect to pay more per month.
With Medicare Part D, there are many different plans to choose from. At present, the average cost for Part is $33 a month. As with Part B, if you’re in a high tax bracket, you can expect to pay more per month.
For more information on Medicare Part A, B, and D costs, visit: What does Medicare cost? | Medicare
Programs that can lower your Medicare costs
There are programs available that can help lower your Medicare costs. Some are offered through State Medicaid Offices (you can find yours here). Others are separate resources that include:
Supplemental Security Income – This Social Security program is there to help those with lower incomes.
Insure Kids Now – This program offers health insurance for children under age 19.
Medicaid – For those with limited income and resources, this state and federal program can help.
Moving On
At the beginning of this post we said we’d be talking about two Government subsidized programs that have been put in place to be lifelines for those who need them. Now that we’ve covered Medicaid, let’s move on to another powerful lifeline – the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
About the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a government benefit program operated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that provides discounts on monthly broadband Internet access service. ACP benefits may be obtained from any participating provider of your choice including Life Wireless. Only one member of a household can participate in the program and the service cannot be transferred to another family member or individual.
Because many families struggle to afford cell phones and Internet access, both of which are vital to staying connected with their children’s schools, doctors, and employers, among others. That’s why the Federal Government also offers Lifeline.
About Lifeline
Lifeline is a federal program created to help qualified households pay for connectivity services such as wireless and internet plans. As with the Affordable Connectivity Program, only one member of a household can participate in the program and the service cannot be transferred to another family member or individual.
Examples of one household:
- A married couple that lives together
- A parent/guardian and child who live together
- An adult who lives with friends or family who financially support him/her
Each of these are one household and must share one benefit.
Examples of more than one household:
- Four roommates who live together but do not share money are four households. They can have one benefit each, for a total of four benefits.
- 30 seniors who live in an assisted-living home are 30 households. They can have one benefit each, for a total of 30 total benefits.
Each state has different eligibility requirements such as receiving government assistance or having a household income that is at or below the federal poverty level for the state in which you reside.
In general though, you are qualified to receive Lifeline if you participate in any of the programs listed here:
- Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Medicaid (not Medicare)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Section 8 Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Veteran's Pension or Survivor's Pension Benefit
Additionally, if you are a resident of a Federally-recognized Tribal land, you may qualify under the following programs:
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Tribally Administered TANF
- Head Start (if you meet the income-qualifying standards)
Even if you’re paying just $20 a month for cell service, wouldn’t it be great to have that $240 to spend on groceries? If you apply for Lifeline and are approved, you’ll receive:
- FREE Unlimited Talk & Text
- FREE 15GB Data (+ more data for California residents)
- FREE Smartphone (or bring your own)
How pairing Lifeline with the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) doubles your connectivity
If you’re approved for Lifeline and you sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), you get two sources of free talk, text, and unlimited data that you can split between two phones. That means free cell service for you and free cell service for someone you love. If your child has been asking for a cell phone, this is a terrific opportunity to provide him or her with talk, text, unlimited data and the ability to stay in touch with you!
Of course you don’t have to split the service between two phones, you can keep it all on one. But it’s a wonderful option if your spouse, child or relative needs a phone – and who doesn’t? – but has been unable to get one due to the expense.
Whichever option you choose – to keep the data on one phone or split it between two – Life Wireless will make sure you receive the free talk, text, and unlimited data to help you stay connected.
Option 1: Combine Your Data
Activate Lifeline and ACP on the same device and receive unlimited talk, text, and data, plus 5GB of mobile hotspot.
Option 2: Split Your Data
Split your data between two phones or supported devices and you’ll have one device with ACP’s free talk, text, and 6GB of data and a second device with Lifeline’s talk, text, and 4.5GB of data (6GB of data in California).
Important things to note:
Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) are separate programs. Lifeline benefits may be combined with ACP benefits and applied to the same service plan. You may also apply Lifeline and ACP benefits to different service plans. You don’t need to enroll in Lifeline in order to enroll in ACP and you do not need to enroll in ACP to enroll in Lifeline. You may choose to get Lifeline and ACP services from different service providers, and you may transfer your Lifeline and ACP services to another provider subject to certain regulatory restrictions.
About Life Wireless
Life Wireless service is a prepaid service offered to those eligible for ACP discount benefits and those eligible for Lifeline benefits. To maintain your service and benefits, you need to activate your service by calling someone, initiating data usage (by going on Facebook, for example), or by responding to instructions from Life Wireless to activate the service.
To keep your account active, you must use the service at least once during any 30-day period by calling someone, answering a call from someone other than Life Wireless, sending a text message, using cellular data (again, by going on Facebook or Amazon, for example), purchasing additional service from Life Wireless, or by responding to a direct contact from Life Wireless confirming that you want to continue receiving service from Life Wireless.
Should your service goes unused for 30 days, you will no longer be eligible for Lifeline benefits and your service may be suspended (allowing only 911 calls and calls to the Life Wireless's customer care center) subject to a 15-day cure period during which you must use the service (as described above) in order to fully re-activate your service, keep your telephone number and remain enrolled in the ACP.
For questions about Life Wireless, visit our Contact Us page here.
Like Medicare, Lifeline is your lifeline to maintaining a healthy life.
Stay connected for FREE to family, friends, employers, your children, your whole world with Lifeline. Enroll now by using the Life Wireless Online Enrollment form.
What our customers are saying:
"Life Wireless has been great. I have used it so many times for appointments and finding the proper care providers for my needs as well as for my family's needs. Thank you so much Life Wireless!"
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Posted 1 year ago