#Middlebury #SeniorNewsLine #MedicareOpenEnrollment
By Matilda Charles
Medicare has open enrollment every year between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7. It’s the only time you can make changes to your existing plans. Making decisions about Medicare can be tough because once you make any changes, you have to live with them for a year. Here are a few things to know:
- When you sign up during open enrollment, coverage will start Jan. 1, 2018.
- If you’ve already had Medicare, you’ll receive a Medicare & You booklet in the mail. Spend the time between now and December reviewing it and deciding if you need to make any changes.
- By now you should have received notices in the mail as well, either a Notice of Change or Evidence of Coverage, and maybe both. These will tell you whether there are changes to your existing plan and whether the costs are changing.
- If you go with an Advantage plan, you’ll also likely need a Part D drug plan to go along with it. If you have an Advantage plan and don’t like it, now is the time to make a change.
- Many people who like their current plan do nothing and are automatically re-enrolled, but beware: There might be changes in the plan’s cost and coverage that you won’t know about unless you read the notices. To review other possible plans, go online to www.medicare.gov and look for the plan-finder tool.
Best bet: If this is your first time signing up, or if you know you need to make changes to your plan but need help, get advice. There’s too much at stake to just pick a plan you haven’t studied. On the Medicare website, look for contacts and select your state, then look for State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Or call Medicare directly at 1-800-MEDICARE.
(c) 2017 King Features Synd. Inc.
