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Review your
2008 Medicare Health Plan options, since
most private health plans’ costs and
benefits change from year to year, Medicare
Rights Center advises
New York, NY – Everyone who is enrolled in a
Medicare private health plan is advised to
review their health coverage options for
next year, since most private plans will
change their costs and benefits.
People have the right to change Medicare
health plans for 2008 from November 15
through December 31. Most people can change
their health plans only once, between
January 1 and March 31; they are then locked
into their health plan for the rest of the
year.
“No one in a Medicare private health plan is
free from the complex task of having to
review all of the plan options all over
again for 2008,” said Robert M. Hayes,
president of the Medicare Rights Center (MRC),
a national consumer group. “A private
Medicare health plan that worked well for
someone this year could be much more costly
and offer different health benefits next
year.”
Americans with Medicare can choose to
receive their health benefits through
Original Medicare, the public program that
allows you to see virtually any doctor
anywhere in the country. Four out of five
people with Medicare keep Original Medicare.
Medicare private health plans, another
option, are available through private
insurance companies, and are generally
managed care plans where rules and
restrictions apply. Many offer Part D drug
coverage as part of their benefits package.
Medicare health plan choices vary by county
but usually include health maintenance
organizations (HMOs), preferred provider
organizations (PPOs), and private
fee-for-service plans (PFFS).
Some things to consider when deciding
whether to join a Medicare private health
plan are:
·
Will I be able to use my doctors?
·
Which specialists, hospitals, home health
agencies and skilled nursing facilities are
in the plan's network?
·
Do I have to pay a plan premium?
·
How much will it cost to see my primary care
physician? A specialist?
·
How much will I pay for a hospital stay?
·
What service area does the plan cover?
·
What kind of coverage will I have if I am
traveling outside of the service area?
·
Are my prescription drugs on the health
plan's formulary (list of covered drugs)?
Other things you should know when choosing a
health plan are:
· If
you choose Original Medicare, it is
advisable to purchase a “Medigap” plan to
lower your out-of-pocket costs, unless you
have supplemental coverage from a current
job, a spouse’s job or retiree health
coverage.
·
If you have retiree health coverage, be sure
to find out if it works with a Medicare
private health plan. If you join a private
health plan you may lose your retiree health
benefits and never get them back.
·
People enrolled in Medicare private health
plans must generally get their drug coverage
through the private plan.
·
People with Original Medicare can get drug
coverage through a “stand-alone” Medicare
private drug plan, or if they have it, from
a current job, a spouse’s job or retiree
health coverage.
People with Medicare need to be on guard
against private health plan marketing abuse
and fraud. Unscrupulous sales agents have
been known to take advantage of people’s
confusion and enroll them in health plans
they never intended to join.
“‘Read the fine print’ is easier said than
done when one is facing stacks of glossy
brochures or listening to a sales pitch,”
said Hayes. “Our free resources will guide
you through the decision-making process step
by step in consumer-friendly language.”
The Medicare Rights Center offers the
following resources, at no charge, to help
people make a health plan choice that best
meets their needs:
· Medicare Interactive:
www.medicarerights.org/help.htmll
MRC’s free, web-based counseling tool
provides consumer-friendly information about
Medicare benefits, rights and options,
including:
o state-specific health care
information;
o a chart on how to compare your
Medicare health plan options;
o explanations of the different types
of Medicare private health; plans
o questions to ask before joining a
Medicare private health plan;
o tips on how to avoid marketing
fraud;
· Telephone
Counseling
Consumers who prefer to speak with a
counselor can call the Medicare Rights
Center’s toll-free hotline at
1-800-333-4114. Counselors are available
Monday through Friday, 9AM – 1PM (Eastern
Time).
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