Medicare Open Enrollment is Coming Soon …
When is the last �me you had a plan review ?
October 15th - December 7th
When is the last �me you had a plan review ? If you signed up for Medicare years ago and have never reviewed your plan since then , then I suggest you do . You could be spending more money than you need to . Just the drug plan alone could save you money by switching plans . Any changes you make during this Annual Enrollment period , will be effec�ve on January 1 , 2023 . Carriers will start revealing their changes and new plans as early as October 1st . Be on the lookout for what changes your plan will have . This comes in the form of a le�er called :
Annual No�ce of Change ( ANOC le�er )
The ANOC includes any changes in cover age , costs , or service area that will be effec�ve in January . Review any changes to decide whether the plan will con�nue to meet your needs in the next year . If you don ’ t get this important document , contact your plan .
If your medica�on or health needs have changed through the year , you might find that the current plan you ’ re on isn ’ t mee�ng your needs . This would be the �me to change that plan . If you feel overwhelmed by the choices available or even how to decide which plan to move to , it ’ s best to seek out help to determine which plan is best suited for your needs .
This is an important �me to review your Medicare Advantage plan also , to be sure it is s�ll the best plan for you . These plans change from year to year , some plans go away , new plans come , the drugs that are covered can change , etc . In California we have many Medicare Advantage plans available , which consist of HMO plans and some PPO plans . You might find that one of these plans could save you quite a bit of money , so you should review them also .
If you ’ re on a Medicare Supplement plan , this won ’ t change for you , or at least the benefits don ’ t . The premium typically goes up each year , as you age and if they have an increase in your plan . If you feel like you ’ re paying too much , you might want to do a plan review . Did you know there is a new plan G that can save you money versus plan F ? Many folks feel overwhelmed with all these choices and are confused on what to do or how to research plans . We hear this all the �me , that they just don ’ t like dealing with insurance . Not to worry , you ’ re not alone . You don ’ t necessarily have to do anything , however , this is the �me to analyze your plan , especially your drug plan , to be sure your medica�ons are covered well .
Individual Open Enrollment period is also coming . As of the �me of this wri�ng , California hasn ’ t announced their open enrollment dates as yet . For Individuals , typically if you want to change your plan for a Jan 1 , 2023 effec�ve date , you will need to make your plan change by Dec 15th . The Individual market also has special reasons during the year which allow you to make immediate changes . Some reasons are losing your job , moving , change in income , etc .
For the Individual market , you can purchase your coverage direct from the insurance company or through Covered California . You can do either through an Insurance Agent who can help you navigate this difficult task . A lot of people assume you have to buy your coverage through Covered CA , but that is not true . We only place clients through Covered CA if they get financial assistance or outside of open enrollment when a carrier requires us to do so for a specific situa�on .
There is no cost to you to use an agent . With infla�on going up and all of us experiencing higher costs across the board , insurance is no excep�on and some costs will go up in 2023 . We , on the other hand , don ’ t charge you to get a consulta- �on . We are independent agents that will analyze your plan and try to find the best suited plan for you . For Medicare folks , we start by reviewing your medica�ons u�lizing a sophis�cated so�ware program that will check your medica- �ons against all plans .
There are other things to consider , like which pharmacy you use , then we see how your prescrip�on drugs are covered at different pharmacies . This can be daun�ng from some people to do this for themselves . If this is you , then you should contact an agent to help you .
We can help and our services are always free . To schedule a free consulta�on , use the QR Code to visit our website , email us at : michele @ mcinsuranceservices . com , call our office 408.848.2271
We do not offer every plan available in your area . Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area . Please contact Medicare . gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options .
8 FALL 2022 gmhTODAY Magazine gmhtoday . com