Medicare Advantage

The Annual Election Period (AEP) to change your Medicare plan starts on October 15th and ends on December 7th of each year. If you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Part D Drug plan last year and you feel that this plan no longer meets your needs you can change your plan during this period. If you change your Medicare Advantage plan during this period and then decide that you made the wrong choice you still have the (OEP) Open Enrollment Period which starts on January 1st and ends on March 31st. This would allow you to change that plan that you didn’t like and switch to a new one with an effective date as soon as February 1st.
Some of the reasons one might change their Medicare Advantage plan during AEP or OEP might be that the doctor or specialist that took your plan last year is no longer accepting that plan. Maybe you enrolled in an HMO and you’ve decided that a PPO will be more suitable for you at this time.  Those reasons to change from HMO to PPO can vary, however, the most common reason why people choose a PPO is because they don’t have to get a referral from  their Primary Care Physician to see a Specialist.  
Another reason is that with a PPO they have access to the Insurance companies national network, so, if you travel a PPO might be a more suitable plan for you. Most PPO’s also offer Out-Of-Network coverage.  Now, having said that, keep in mind that copayments for PPO’s are typically higher than that of their HMO counterparts because you are getting the additional benefits the PPO offers.  You may decide to change plans to one that focuses on your chronic illness and gives lower copayments on your specific Medications. You may decide to change plans because you’ve decided to return back to Original Medicare. You would then have to purchase a Medicare Supplement policy to cover the 20% gap that Medicare doesn’t pay.  That is another full podcast going through the Pros and Cons of both Medicare strategies, Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare.  You might just decide that you want to take advantage of the Medicare Advantage “Giveback”  programs where you could receive a monthly amount applied to your Social Security payment.  This could help offset the cost of your Medicare Part B premium.  
There are many choices when it comes to Medicare Advantage plans but most of these plans offer all of the coverage offered by Medicare but with additional benefits such as Dental, Vision, and Hearing coverage.  Call me and we can review the many options available and choose the option that best fits your needs.  There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of plans out there and it can be a daunting task to try to figure out on your own which plan is best for you. Call me.  

MediGapX is your source for Medicare and Health Insurance in Florida

GARY KORNBLUH, MEDICARE SPECIALIST AND HEALTH INSURANCE AGENT

561-305-5949 Cell 24/7
954-532-2060 Office
954-388-7801 eFax

WWW.MEDIGAPX.COM
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SENIOR MEDICAL ASSOCIATES

Leaders in Senior Health Care

Phone: (954) 659-9690 Fax: (954) 659-9694

http://seniormedicalassociates.net/