We’ve enjoyed sharing information with you through our posts and blogs and we hope they have helped you navigate the Medicare Maze.
There are so many acronyms, abbreviations, terms and dates you need to know, it is impossible to keep up with it on your own. Don’t worry,,,, we will continue to explain what these are, what they mean to YOU, and what you need to do, if anything.
Which brings us to the OEP, or Open Enrollment Period, which is from January 1 to March 31 of this year. In laymen’s terms, this is what we call the “disenrollment period”, and it means this is the time you can get out of or change your Medicare Advantage Plan.
First let’s review what the Medicare Advantage Plan is and does: It’s a plan that works just like your Group Health coverage you have had when you were working. Like your group health plan when you were working, a Medicare Advantage Plan has office visit co-pays, it has a max-out-of-pocket limit, and it covers your drugs. But more importantly, it has a NETWORK of doctors and hospitals like your former group health plan. That means when you see Doctor AB and he or she sends you to Doctor CD, you need to make sure Doctor CD takes your insurance.
So why would someone need or want to change their Medicare Advantage plan or get out of their plan? Here are a few examples where this might be applicable:
- You want to drop your Medicare Advantage plan and get a Medicare Supplement and a separate Drug plan.
- You want to drop your Medicare Advantage plan because you have other coverage available like Group Health Coverage, Tri Care or VA.
- You want to change your Medicare Advantage plan to another Medicare Advantage plan.
Now why would you want to change to a different Advantage plan? Maybe you forgot about the December 7 deadline. Maybe you just found out one of your Key doctors is no longer going to take your current Medicare Advantage plan. These are just a few examples.
Now, if you think you want to “disenroll” and aren’t sure if this is the right thing to do, call us! We are here to help! It’s important you feel confident you’ve made the best decision for YOU!
That’s why We put the Care in Medicare.