Question: What and when is the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)?

Answer: Every year, from October 15 through December 7, people who are on Medicare start to get phone calls, letters, flyers and every other commercial is someone telling you to check your Medicare benefits. Per the CMS Guide to Understanding Medicare Advantage & Medicare Drug Plan enrollment, you can make changes to your Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare Drug Plan for the following year during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) from October 15th through December 7th annually.

Question: What Specific Changes Can I Make as a Medicare Recipient During this Time?

Question: What should I do during AEP if I am a Medicare recipient to ensure I get the most of this Annual Enrollment Period?

Answers:

• During AEP, it is imperative to review your current prescriptions and ensure you are on the best plan for your needs for the upcoming year (lowest premium and rx copay combined).
• It is important to know that there are resources available in every county to help answer your AEP questions. You can call Medicare directly, call the insurance companies directly, use your local area of aging office, or use an independent Medicare agent to assist you.
• You want to make sure that you take a comprehensive look at your Medicare health and drug coverage over the last year. Has anything changed for you over the last year? Have your medications changed? Have you had a location change, did your primary care doctor change health systems, or did your pharmacy close? Are you interested in learning about a plan that you heard about on TV or that someone you know has?
• This is the time of year that you want to ask these questions to a resource you trust. This way you can fully compare your options between Original Medicare + Medicare Supplement + Stand Alone Part D plan VS a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan.
• Any change you make during the Annual Enrollment Period takes effect on January 1st of the following year.
• Check out this CMS Guide “Things to Think About When You Compare Medicare Drug Coverage”

If you have any questions, please contact me at tara@rittenhousesquareinsurance.com or my cell phone 814-380-1072.

I am here to help take the guesswork out of Medicare for you, to make sure you are on the best plans for your needs and to ensure that you know how to access and utilize those plans throughout your Medicare journey. I would be honored to help you with any and all of your Medicare needs!