REMINDER: MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT ENDS DEC. 7TH

The Medicare Open Enrollment Period for 2013 will end this Friday, December 7.  This includes Open Enrollment for Medicare Part D—Medicare’s prescription drug coverage.  If you have Medicare insurance, we urge you to compare plans and make sure that you have the best Medicare health and prescription drug plan for you.  You can stay with your current plan or look for a new plan by comparing coverage options and costs.

Information is available for all 2013 plan options here or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048). This may be the only chance for you to make changes to your health and prescription drug coverage for 2013.  Please click here to visit the Medicare Open Enrollment website today!

There are some changes to Medicare this year, including more coverage of preventive services and more help in the prescription drug coverage gap—the “donut hole.”  The Affordable Care Act eventually closes the donut hole and as a result, the percentage you’ll pay for brand-name and generic drugs will continue to drop.  This year, you’ll pay 47.5% instead of 50% for brand-name drugs and 79% instead of 86% for generic drugs in the coverage gap. 

If you are a Medicare beneficiary who was impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is making accommodations to ensure that all Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in the health and drug plans that are best for them.  Those affected by Hurricane Sandy can enroll in health and prescription drug coverage for 2013 by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.  By calling one of these numbers, beneficiaries can review their plan options, make plan selections, and complete enrollment even after December 7.  Even with this extension, CMS encourages all beneficiaries to make their enrollment choices by December 7, if possible.