Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau: 10 Tips for Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment - news.delaware.gov

Free one-on-one counseling saved consumers much than a fractional cardinal dollars successful 2021

As the October 15 to December 7 Medicare Open Enrollment rapidly approaches, the Delaware Department of Insurance and its Medicare Assistance Bureau (DMAB) are sharing their yearly user accusation announcement.

During Medicare Open Enrollment, consumers tin join, switch, oregon driblet a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) oregon Medicare Advantage Plan. DMAB’s free, confidential, unbiased one-on-one assistance tin assistance residents find if making a sum alteration is the close choice. In 2021, DMAB provided much than 5,500 counseling sessions, redeeming beneficiaries a combined $521,000.

The section does not negociate benefits offered to authorities employees, pensioners, oregon spouses. While DMAB tin counsel Medicare-eligible authorities program members, questions astir the state’s Medicare Advantage program oregon modulation should archetypal interaction the Office of Pensions astatine 1 (800) 722-7300 and research their online guide. Medicare Advantage plans themselves are regulated astatine the national level, though the Insurance Commissioner and his peers are advocating for accrued authorities regulatory authority.

“Our Medicare Assistance Bureau is an important assets for residents. Many Delawareans look disorder erstwhile it comes to Medicare Advantage plans, and arsenic Open Enrollment approaches, they volition statesman to spot an influx of tv commercials and beryllium targeted by a batch of different enrollment marketing,” said Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro.

DMAB Director Lakia Turner agreed. “Many beneficiaries enroll successful plans based connected marketing, without afloat assessing the plan’s full costs oregon asking cardinal questions astir their coverage, and yet that means they past acquisition unexpected issues. We enactment hard to pass consumers connected the front-end to assistance guarantee they get the close program from the start.” Commissioner Navarro and Director Turner precocious shared enrollment proposal connected Delmarva Life.

Ten Tips for a Successful Medicare Open Enrollment

1. Know that enrolling successful a Medicare Advantage program means it becomes your superior coverage. Original Medicare volition nary longer wage for services. You volition person a caller ID paper from the caller plan, and should store your Original Medicare paper successful a harmless place.
2. When moving from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, beryllium prepared to wage some a monthly Medicare Advantage premium and a monthly Medicare Part B premium.
3. Medicare Advantage plans bash not automatically springiness you “more wealth successful your Social Security cheque each month.” To qualify, you indispensable beryllium eligible for the Medicare Savings Program by having an income beneath Medicaid limits.
4. Check that further benefits, similar dental, vision, hearing, fitness, oregon over-the-counter medications are really accessible if offered. Some web providers of these services whitethorn beryllium farther distant than anticipated, including successful neighboring states, truthful lone origin them into your determination if you consciousness they are usable.
5. Know that premium costs aren’t the lone out-of-pocket costs you whitethorn face. Medicare Advantage plans whitethorn person co-pays oregon cost-sharing that disagree from Original Medicare.
6. Call your preferred healthcare providers and facilities to recognize if your prospective program contracts with them. You whitethorn acquisition further out-of-pocket expenses, work denial, oregon referral requirements if providers are considered retired of network.
7. Check if a prospective program is simply a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) oregon Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). HMO plans necessitate healthcare to beryllium completed by a supplier contracted with the plan’s network, different the user volition request a referral. PPO plans person some in-network and retired of web providers and facilities, with user costs differing based connected the network. HMO and PPO plans are not Medicare Supplement Plans, and whitethorn person out-of-pocket costs each visit.
8. Check if the program provides Prescription Drug (Part D) sum that meets your needs.
9. Be alert that successful galore cases, enrollment locks a idiosyncratic into a program for the afloat upcoming calendar year.
10. Scrutinize immoderate interaction cautiously during Medicare Open Enrollment to guarantee it is from a known, credible source. Commercials, acold calls, and different interaction whitethorn beryllium scams oregon tin supply deliberately misleading accusation astir a plan.

About the Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau

The Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau provides escaped one-on-one wellness security counseling for radical eligible for Medicare. Residents tin telephone DMAB astatine 1 (800) 336-9500 oregon (302) 674-7364 to acceptable up a free, confidential league oregon sojourn the DMAB website for important acquisition resources. Counselors tin assistance with Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance), agelong word attraction insurance, billing issues, medicine savings, and overmuch more. DMAB has a Virtual Welcome to Medicare Seminar adjuvant for caller and soon-to-be Medicare beneficiaries and those exploring enrollment changes.

Be alert of non-compliant alternate wellness plans

Free one-on-one counseling saved consumers much than a fractional cardinal dollars successful 2021

As the October 15 to December 7 Medicare Open Enrollment rapidly approaches, the Delaware Department of Insurance and its Medicare Assistance Bureau (DMAB) are sharing their yearly user accusation announcement.

During Medicare Open Enrollment, consumers tin join, switch, oregon driblet a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) oregon Medicare Advantage Plan. DMAB’s free, confidential, unbiased one-on-one assistance tin assistance residents find if making a sum alteration is the close choice. In 2021, DMAB provided much than 5,500 counseling sessions, redeeming beneficiaries a combined $521,000.

The section does not negociate benefits offered to authorities employees, pensioners, oregon spouses. While DMAB tin counsel Medicare-eligible authorities program members, questions astir the state’s Medicare Advantage program oregon modulation should archetypal interaction the Office of Pensions astatine 1 (800) 722-7300 and research their online guide. Medicare Advantage plans themselves are regulated astatine the national level, though the Insurance Commissioner and his peers are advocating for accrued authorities regulatory authority.

“Our Medicare Assistance Bureau is an important assets for residents. Many Delawareans look disorder erstwhile it comes to Medicare Advantage plans, and arsenic Open Enrollment approaches, they volition statesman to spot an influx of tv commercials and beryllium targeted by a batch of different enrollment marketing,” said Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro.

DMAB Director Lakia Turner agreed. “Many beneficiaries enroll successful plans based connected marketing, without afloat assessing the plan’s full costs oregon asking cardinal questions astir their coverage, and yet that means they past acquisition unexpected issues. We enactment hard to pass consumers connected the front-end to assistance guarantee they get the close program from the start.” Commissioner Navarro and Director Turner precocious shared enrollment proposal connected Delmarva Life.

Ten Tips for a Successful Medicare Open Enrollment

1. Know that enrolling successful a Medicare Advantage program means it becomes your superior coverage. Original Medicare volition nary longer wage for services. You volition person a caller ID paper from the caller plan, and should store your Original Medicare paper successful a harmless place.
2. When moving from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, beryllium prepared to wage some a monthly Medicare Advantage premium and a monthly Medicare Part B premium.
3. Medicare Advantage plans bash not automatically springiness you “more wealth successful your Social Security cheque each month.” To qualify, you indispensable beryllium eligible for the Medicare Savings Program by having an income beneath Medicaid limits.
4. Check that further benefits, similar dental, vision, hearing, fitness, oregon over-the-counter medications are really accessible if offered. Some web providers of these services whitethorn beryllium farther distant than anticipated, including successful neighboring states, truthful lone origin them into your determination if you consciousness they are usable.
5. Know that premium costs aren’t the lone out-of-pocket costs you whitethorn face. Medicare Advantage plans whitethorn person co-pays oregon cost-sharing that disagree from Original Medicare.
6. Call your preferred healthcare providers and facilities to recognize if your prospective program contracts with them. You whitethorn acquisition further out-of-pocket expenses, work denial, oregon referral requirements if providers are considered retired of network.
7. Check if a prospective program is simply a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) oregon Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). HMO plans necessitate healthcare to beryllium completed by a supplier contracted with the plan’s network, different the user volition request a referral. PPO plans person some in-network and retired of web providers and facilities, with user costs differing based connected the network. HMO and PPO plans are not Medicare Supplement Plans, and whitethorn person out-of-pocket costs each visit.
8. Check if the program provides Prescription Drug (Part D) sum that meets your needs.
9. Be alert that successful galore cases, enrollment locks a idiosyncratic into a program for the afloat upcoming calendar year.
10. Scrutinize immoderate interaction cautiously during Medicare Open Enrollment to guarantee it is from a known, credible source. Commercials, acold calls, and different interaction whitethorn beryllium scams oregon tin supply deliberately misleading accusation astir a plan.

About the Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau

The Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau provides escaped one-on-one wellness security counseling for radical eligible for Medicare. Residents tin telephone DMAB astatine 1 (800) 336-9500 oregon (302) 674-7364 to acceptable up a free, confidential league oregon sojourn the DMAB website for important acquisition resources. Counselors tin assistance with Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance), agelong word attraction insurance, billing issues, medicine savings, and overmuch more. DMAB has a Virtual Welcome to Medicare Seminar adjuvant for caller and soon-to-be Medicare beneficiaries and those exploring enrollment changes.

Be alert of non-compliant alternate wellness plans