With Medicare’s open enrollment period beginning earlier this year, seniors should be aware of what options they have in choosing their health coverage. The open enrollment period provides seniors with the opportunity to save money, get better coverage or both.
Beginning Oct. 15 and ending Dec. 7, older Americans have the chance to add, drop or change prescriptions drug and healthcare plans for 2012 to find the plan that best fits their needs.
Plus, with the federal healthcare reform law, there are new benefits available to seniors like lower prescription costs, wellness check-ups, and more preventive care services.
There are several online resources available to help Medicare recipients navigate their healthcare options, but many seniors may not be aware or do not take advantage of them.
For example, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has developed the Medicare Star Quality Ratings – an annual system that rates Medicare plans based on more than 50 care quality measures. However, a recent survey by health plan Kaiser Permanente reveals that few Medicare beneficiaries are familiar with the rating system.
Strikingly, the survey showed that only 18 percent of Medicare-eligible seniors said that they are familiar with the government’s rating system. Of those that are familiar with the website, less than one-third have used the system to select their own health plans, and only 2 percent of respondents were aware of their current health plans’ rating.
For consumers to become more comfortable with choosing a health plan and to make sure they get the best quality plan to fit their lifestyle, they can use the following resources:
- Medicare Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan allows seniors to research prescription drug and health plans that will be available in 2012. The easy-to-use website allows individuals to search by their zip code or do a more in-depth personal search. A personalized search may be able to provide consumers with more accurate cost estimates and coverage information.
- Medicare Open Enrollment at http://www.medicare.gov/open-enrollment provides consumers with important dates to help you plan for choosing your health coverage. The website provides guides and articles on helpful information, such as how to review your current health plan and things to think about when comparing health plans.
- The State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP, is a national program that offers one-on-one counseling and assistance to people with Medicare and their families. Seniors and their caregivers can visit http://shiptalk.org to register and find a counselor in their state to help guide them throw the open enrollment process.
- The My Medicines worksheet, developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can help seniors organize and categorize the prescriptions they take. The worksheet, which can be found here, can help Medicare recipients figure out whether their current prescription plan is working for them, or if they should make any changes to it.
- AARP has a host of tools available to seniors, including www.aarp.org/openenrollment, which offers guidance on the choices available to consumers during open enrollment and questions to consider when choosing a Medicare plan. A comprehensive guide to Medicare prescription drug coverage can also be found here. For Spanish speakers, AARP has an open enrollment guide available in Spanish at http://www.aarp.org/espanol/salud/medicare-y-el-seguro.
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