Are You Covered? Don’t Miss Medicare Open Enrollment.
Medicare Lead
Attention all Medicare beneficiaries:
Each year Medicare has an Open Enrollment period, a window of time in which you can change your coverage. For 2017, that window is upon us—October 15 to December 7. That means any changes you choose to make will go into effect January 1, 2018.
If you’re satisfied with your current Medicare plan, you don’t need to do anything; your plan will renew automatically for 2018. However, plan details can change annually. So to confirm your health care and prescription drug needs will continue to be covered, you should compare your current plan with any new plans coming out for 2018.
Please note that if you miss the Open Enrollment period, you may have to wait until the following year to change plans, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
What You Can Do During Open Enrollment
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan or vice versa
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage Plan to another
- Enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan
- Switch from one Medicare Part D prescription drug plan to another
- Drop your Medicare Part D prescription drug plan completely
What You Can’t Do During Open Enrollment
- You can’t use the open enrollment period to enroll in Part A and/or Part B for the first time
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What can you do to find out more about your Medicare plan or get help comparing plans?
- Call 1-800-MEDICARE or go to medicare.gov
- Sign up direct for the drug plan through the carrier
- Work with an agent or broker
- Contact your state SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program)
If you’d like further help navigating through the different parts of Medicare, you can contact Virginia Van Haren.
