Fall Open Enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7 each year. During this time, you can make changes to your health insurance coverage, including adding, dropping, or changing your Medicare coverage. Even if you are happy with your current health...

Regardless of how you receive your Medicare coverage, you should consider: Your access to health care providers you want to see. Your access to preferred pharmacies. Your access to benefits and services you need. The total costs for insurance premiums,...

Ask yourself the following questions before choosing a Part D drug plan: Does the plan cover all the medications I take? Does the plan have restrictions on my drugs (i.e. prior authorization, step therapy, or quantity limits?) Prior authorization means...

Ask yourself the following questions before choosing a Medicare Advantage Plan: How much are the premium, deductible, and coinsurance/copay amounts? What is the annual maximum out-of-pocket cost for the plan? This amount may be high, but can help protect...

Star ratings are quality ratings that provide a measure of a plan’s performance.Medicare scores Medicare Advantage Plans and Part D plans in several categories, including quality of care and customer service. Ratings range from one to five stars, with five...

The Medicare Plan Finder is an online tool that helps you look up and compare plans in your area. To access the Medicare Plan Finder, visit www.medicare.gov. Plan Finder gives you the option to do either a personalized search or basic search. The...

Some Medicare Advantage Plans cover services that are not covered by Original Medicare.Common supplemental benefits include: Dental care. Vision care. Hearing aides. Starting in 2019, Medicare Advantage Plans were granted more flexibility in the...

During Fall Open Enrollment, there is a higher risk than usual for fraudulent activities. Medicare has rules about how plans can and cannot communicate with you during Fall Open Enrollment to market their insurance products. Knowing how to protect yourself...

Medicare supplement insurance policies, commonly called Medigaps, are health insurance policies that offer standardized benefits to work with Original Medicare (not with Medicare Advantage). They are sold by private insurance companies. If you have a...

As a result of federal legislation, individuals who are newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 will not be able to purchase Medigap Plan C or Plan F (including the Plan F high deductible option). This is because after January 1, 2020, this...

The Marketplaces do not affect your Medicare. Medicare Advantage Plans, Part D plans, and Medigap policies are not sold through the Marketplace. If you are eligible for Medicare, you should not use the Marketplace to get health and drug coverage, with two...

You should make any necessary changes to your Medicare coverage by December 7, 2019 inorder for the changes to take effect January 1, 2020. If, in 2020, you need to change your Medicare coverage, you may have the opportunity to make changes, if: You have a...

State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP): Contact your SHIP if you have questions about any notices you receive. SHIP counselors can also help you use the Plan Finder to review your options and pick a plan that meets your needs. Visit...