Medicare's Annual Open Enrollment is from Oct 15 - Dec 7

 

From East Texas Council of Governments

 

People with Medicare get to explore their options every year and pick the health and drug plans that work best for them. The Open Enrollment period this year is starting earlier - on October 15 - and ending sooner - December 7. People with Medicare get a full seven weeks to compare plans and make decisions so that they will have new benefit information and membership cards in hand when their new coverage begins January 1, 2013.

 

                                                                            

 

 

There will be a wide range of health and drug plan options available. If they have a Medicare "Part D" plan to help them pay for prescription drugs or if they have chosen to enroll in a "Part C" Medicare Advantage plan for their basic health care services they will have options. They can stay in their current plan or choose a different plan. For those with Medicare Advantage plans they can choose to go back to the Original Medicare program. Not only do the Medicare plans sometimes change their benefits, people's needs can change from year to year, so these are important choices that should be made with care. For help with these important choices Medicare recipients can call their local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and consult with a Benefits Counselor. For this East Texas area the number for the SHIP is 1-800-442-8845.

Also, recipients can ask about information and enrollment events in their area.

 

 

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