Posts tagged 'medicare enrollment'
Enrolling in Medicare is a very important part of retirement that you must take care of as soon as possible when retirement looms. You don’t want to take any chances with a lapse in coverage that could cost you lots of money from your wallet. So you need to enroll in Medicare right away and the best way to do that is when you become eligible.
Federal employees don’t really have any other stipulations than that of the general public when it comes to enrolling in Medicare. You should still call the Social Security Administration when nearing Medicare enrollment and ask for any information you need. No special perks or benefits are available for you to ask about, just ask about enrolling in your coverage.
If you visit the website for the Office of Personnel Management you can get some great tips on how federal employees should enroll. The same benefits that are available to everyone else are available to you. It is recommended that you study up on the benefits of the different parts of Medicare to be prepared for enrollment.
Enrollment in Medicare is a very important time for anyone as this is about being able to stay healthy and cared for. There are very specific rules for enrollment and when you are actually allowed to enroll, but there are always contingencies. One different situation that may arise is when you are allowed to enroll at an earlier date, or retroactive enrollment.
If you are allowed to enroll at an earlier date than your scheduled Medicare enrollment you will receive a letter from the Social Security Administration (SSA). This letter will give directly the date you became eligible and you may even receive a check. This check will be for your disability benefits and if you receive one you should contact the Social Security Administration ASAP.
This may cause a bit of a problem when you go to receive services as you will not have your benefits card yet. Don’t let this become a bigger problem than it really is, all you have to do is give your healthcare provider your information and let them submit it to Medicare. You will receive information from Medicare later on about this invoice.
Medicare enrollment is important for the same reasons as any other enrollment in health, auto or homeowners insurance, without enrolling you have nothing. There are two different kinds of Medicare enrollment that are important for different reasons and it is very important that you know the difference. Listed below are the two types of Medicare enrollment with description of each:
Initial Medicare Enrollment is the period that you have to enroll in Medicare Part B when you initially become eligible to do so. You have from three months before you turn 65 for a period of seven months to enroll in Medicare Part B or risk the consequences. If you do not enroll in Medicare Part B at this time you will have to pay a higher premium of 10% of the premium for every 12 month period you go without enrolling.
The General Medicare Enrollment period is from January 1st until March 31st every year and this presents your opportunity to enroll in your plan for the next year. This is very similar to what employees around the world due every year during open enrollment with their employers. Medicare General Enrollment is very important to the people who enroll as it is their opportunity to make good choices.
Medicare enrollment can be confusing. In fact, most people who are eligible to enroll in Medicare find it more confusing than they bargained for.
Part of the problem is that there are a lot of parts to Medicare and each one covers something a little different. An individual that wants to purchase Medicare needs to compare all the parts and determine what fits your needs.
Another part of the problem is that there are a lot of stories about what covers you, how to get coverage, how much it can cost, and a lot more. This is all confusing, if not overwhelming.
If you are a senior or another individual in a situation where you are trying to apply for Medicare or researching to purchase Medicare within the next year or so, there is an important place that you can go to find the correct information that you need.If you go to medicare.gov or cms.gov there are eligibility tools online. These tools take you through the entire application process as well as explaining each part of Medicare. This allows you to be able to determine which parts you need for the coverage for you. It also shows you a grid that will compare some things side by side to determine what is covered by each part and how much it costs.
In addition, there is information regarding Medicare Advantage, which combines a number of the parts of Medicare into one policy. The Medicare Advantage policy can be great for some people but unnecessary or too expensive for others.
Quite often, depending upon your health and upon your needs, getting basic Medicare and some of it’s parts is enough for you. On the other hand, some individuals will do better to purchase a Medicare Advantage policy. These policies are designed by the government and their parts are the same no matter what company you buy them from, however, it is important to compare prices with all companies in your area, since private insurance companies sell the plans and can charge whatever they want, so your premium might be very reasonable when it comes to one company but could be double or triple through another insurance company.
Between now and the end of 2009 it is open enrollment time. This is the time to really do your research and make your choices as soon as possible, so that you can lock in the best prices and the right coverage for you for the next year.
So, go online to the websites above and get started making sense of Medicare and finding the coverage that is right for you.
The Medicare Part D open enrollment period is the final six weeks of each calendar year. This means the time you can start to choose a new Medicare prescription drug plan is on November 15th and the period will run through December 31st. Any changes you make during this time will go into affect on January 10th of the New Year.
Medicare recommends that you make changes to your plan as soon as possible during the Part D open enrollment cycle to prevent any confusion when the new plans take affect in January. You certainly do not want the pharmacy to have the wrong information when you need a prescription filled in January. Basically, the sooner you get your changes submitted, the less likelihood there will be that confusion will take place.
When it is time to choose a prescription drug plan, you will need to consider a number of factors to find the best Medicare Part D Plan to meet your needs.
The best way to begin your search is to go to the Medicare website (medicare.gov) and click on the "Compare Medicare Prescription Drug Plans" link which is under the "Search Tools" headline or choose the "Compare Drug Plans" link in the "Health and Drug Plans" box at the top of the page (see the graphic below for more details).
After you click the link, you will be taken to a page that will allow you to either view your current plan (if applicable) or "Find and Compare Plans". For this tutorial, we will click the "Find and Compare Plans" button.
The next page will allow you to to a "Personalized Plan Search" or a "General Plan Search". Medicare recommends the personal plan search. This option requires you provide information from your Medicare card and have your current plan information (if applicable). This option will help find the best fit for your needs in your local area.
The general search option allows you to input your zip code, your age, health status and other general information about your insurance needs and it will help you find the right plan. This option does not require you to enter any personal information or your Medicare card data.
Once you submit your answers, a confirmation page will be returned showing you the answers you provided and it will give you some options based on your answers. After you have read over the page, you will click the "Continue" button in the lower right hand corner of the page.
The next page will give you two options. The first is to enter your prescription information. You will simply add all of your prescription drugs to the listing or pull the data from your current Medicare account. Providing your current prescriptions will help the system provide more accurate pricing and choices.
The second option on this page lets you go on to the plan choice page.
After you click to continue with either option, you will get a detailed listing back of the number of plan choices available to you, the average cost per plan, the ratings of each plan from other recipients and the individual plans listed in lowest price order. You can also choose to rearrange the results by average rating, annual deductible and other headers.
At this point, you can carefully review all of your Medicare Part D Plans to choose from. As stated earlier, for the best comparison you should enter your prescription drug information. You may not find a plan that covers all your prescriptions, but try to find one that covers the most expensive prescriptions. You may also want to see if they cover generic versions of any of the drugs you are on (if applicable).
You will also want to enter the information for the pharmacy that you prefer to work with.
The Medicare open enrollment cycle for existing beneficiaries occurs annually during the last six weeks of the year (November 15th through December 31st). The changes made during this time period will go into effect January 10th of the New Year.
During this time period, Medicare beneficiaries have the choice to go with traditional Medicare only, a Medicare supplement insurance plan or to sign up for a Medicare prescription drug plan.
After the beneficiary has made a decision, he or she has until March 31st to switch plans. If not change his made before this date, the plan will remain intact until the following year's open enrollment season.
Users have the ability to keep their existing Medicare Advantage plans by doing nothing. To make changes, users can enroll at Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
What should you do before making a decision?
First off, be sure to review your current health and prescription drug plans. The costs for plans will change annually so you need to know your current benefits and pricing. You can then compare your existing Medicare plan with other ones to see if you can find a better choice. If you want to keep the existing plan, you do not have to do anything. It will rollover at the end of the open enrollment period.
If you decide to make a change to your health insurance plans, it is best to do it as soon as possible. This will help you avoid any confusion at your local pharmacy when the new plans go into effect in January.
When you have chosen the new plan (if you do), you should join with one of the following methods:
Sign Up with a Paper Medicare Application: The company that is handing your plan will have an application. You can fill it out and send it back by mail, fax or possibly email.
Visit the Plan Website: Find the website for the plan you have chosen and complete an online application.
Go to the Medicare Website: There are many drug plans available on the official Medicare website. There is a chance though that the plan you have chosen will not be available here so you may have to use another application choice.
You Can Call the Company Directly: If you have the phone number for the Medicare drug plan company you can normally call and enroll by phone.
Call Medicare: As a final resort, you can call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE and enroll by phone. This is by far the most difficult and time-consuming option and should be kept as a last resort.
What Information is needed to join a Medicare Drug Plan?
If you are ready to join, you will need the following items to complete your enrollment:
- Your personal information (full name, address, date of birth, etc.)
- The information on your Medicare Card
- The premium payment option
- Any other insurance information.
- Your social security number (optional)
- Your Email address (optional)
- A Name and Phone Number for an Emergency Contact
- The contact information for the nursing home or assisted living facility you reside in (if applicable)
Once you have completed the Medicare open enrollment application process, you will receive a packet of information from the company you have enrolled with. The materials they send will include a membership card, a handbook, a list of covered prescription drugs, a directory of approved pharmacies, the appeal or complaint procedure instructions and other related details of the plan.
In closing, it is important to devote some time each fall to finding the best Medicare health insurance plan for you and your significant other. No matter your ultimate choice, it is important that you compare all your options before making a final decision.
Medicare is a health insurance program provided by the United States government. The Medicare Program covers citizens who are 65 years old or older, or those meeting other specific criteria.
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