By David Sayen
Gazette Contributor
Medicare’s annual open enrollment period has begun, and I want to encourage everyone with Medicare to review their current
health and prescription drug coverage.
Open enrollment runs through Dec. 7, 2013. If you want to change your Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D (prescription
drug) plan, this is the time of year to do it. Any new coverage you select will kick in on Jan. 1, 2014.
If
you have Original Medicare and you’re satisfied with it, you don’t need
to do anything during open enrollment. Also, Medicare’s
open enrollment has nothing to do with the Affordable Care Act’s new
Health Insurance Marketplace. If you have Medicare, you don’t need to
worry about Marketplace plans.
My
agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS,
announced recently that the average Medicare Advantage premium
for 2014 is projected to be $32.60. CMS estimated that the average
basic Part D drug premium in 2014 would be $31 per month, holding steady
for four years in a row.
Since the Affordable Care Act was passed, average Medicare Advantage premiums are down by 9.8 percent. The deductible for
standard Part D drug plans in 2014 will be $310, a $15 decline.
Meanwhile,
the quality of Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans continues to
improve, with more than one-third of Medicare
Advantage plans receiving four or more stars (out of a possible five
stars) in 2014 -- a 28 percent increase over last year. Medicare
Advantage and Part D drug plans with five stars are allowed to enroll
beneficiaries at any time during the year.
Medicare
plans’ coverage options and costs can change each year, and Medicare
beneficiaries should evaluate their current
coverage and choices and select the plan that best meets their
needs. If you think your current coverage will meet your needs for 2014,
you don’t need to change anything.
For more information on Medicare open enrollment and to compare benefits and prices of 2014 Medicare Advantage and Part D
drug plans, please visit:
www.cms.gov/Center/Special-
A variety of resources are available to help people with Medicare, their families, and caregivers compare current coverage
with new plan offerings for 2014. You can:
·
Visit
www.medicare.gov
to see plan coverage and costs available in your area, and enroll in a
new plan if you decide to make a change. Open enrollment information is
available in Spanish.
·
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for around-the-clock assistance to find out more about your coverage options. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
Counseling is available in a wide variety of languages.
·
Review the 2014
Medicare & You handbook. This handbook has been mailed to the homes of people with Medicare and it’s also online at:
www.medicare.gov/pubs/pdf/
·
Get
one-on-one counseling assistance from your local State Health Insurance
Assistance Program (SHIP). Local SHIP contact information can be found:
o
On the back of the 2014
Medicare & You handbook or;
o
By calling Medicare (contact information above).
People
with Medicare who have limited income and resources may qualify for
Extra Help paying for their Part D drug plans. There’s
no cost or obligation to apply for Extra Help, also called the
low-income subsidy. Medicare beneficiaries, family members, or
caregivers can apply online at
www.socialsecurity.gov/
Please
watch out for scammers during Medicare open enrollment season. Don’t
give personal information to anyone who shows
up at your home uninvited or makes an unsolicited phone call to sell
you Medicare-related products or services. If you believe you’re a
victim of fraud or identity theft, please contact 1-800-MEDICARE. More
information is available at
www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
No comments:
Post a Comment