Open Enrollment for
Medicare Advantage, or Prescription Drug Plans
There are changes
Robert Fassbach,
editor,
www.seniorark.com
In 2011, for the year
2012, open season for enrolling in Medicare Advantage,
or Part D prescription plans is October 15 through
December 7, 2011.
Medicare Advantage open enrollment
allows people on Medicare to make a single plan election
into or out of a Medicare Advantage Plan. Beneficiaries
should carefully evaluate their plan options, not be
pressured into making a quick decision and be on the
look out for misleading sales pitches and promises that
seem too good to be true.
For a more detailed explanation of
the process of deciding, read:
Why You Must Review Your Medicare Advantage or Your Part
D, Plan Today
Medicare
Advantage Plans are health plan options that are
part of the Medicare
program. If you join one of these plans, you generally
get all your Medicare-covered health care through that
plan. This coverage can include prescription drug
coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans include:
- Medicare Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs)
- Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans
- Medicare Special Needs Plans
Some Medicare Advantage Plans include
a prescription drug benefit.
When you join a Medicare Advantage
Plan, you use the health insurance card that you get
from the plan for your health care. In most of these
plans, generally there are extra benefits and lower
co-payments than in the Original Medicare Plan. However,
you may have to see doctors that belong to the plan or
go to certain hospitals to get services.
To join a Medicare Advantage Plan,
you must have Medicare Part A and Part B. You will have
to pay your monthly Medicare Part B premium to Medicare.
In addition, you might have to pay a monthly premium to
your Medicare Advantage Plan for the extra benefits that
they offer. The government pays the lion's share of
the cost of any Medicare Advantage program, something
around $800 to $1,000 per month for every Senior enrollee.
But one must make a choice of any plan very
carefully. You may need to seek out the assistance of a
state representative to help you sift through the maze.
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