Some Information For Medicare Part D Open Enrollment

By Jean Wallace

One of the important tasks that a person who is receiving Medicare will want to take care of between November 15th through December 31st, is to take advantage of the Medicare Part D Open Enrollment. Part D is the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage portion of your health plan and there are some important factors to consider when you are filling out this section of the forms.

To join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, you must have Medicare Part A or Part B and you must live in the service area of the Medicare drug plan you want to participate in. It will be helpful to discuss Part D with your current provider to find out what their premiums are for coverage.

Comparing premiums and providers will be important because the rates can vary. Insurance and private providers must be approved by Medicare to offer these types of plans. If you are receiving supplemental medicare coverage through your employer, you will need to talk to your benefits administrator about the Part D option since some companies have prescription coverage through another source and do not offer the Medicare drug plan option to their employees.

There are no extra fees when you sign up or change carriers for Part D coverage during the open enrollment period. Some people do not enroll in Prescription Drug coverage when they first become eligible, however it becomes more important as the cost of medications rise.

You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare drug plan when you first become eligible for Medicare or if you get Medicare because of a disability. There are other special situations that allow an individual to qualify for Medicare and if you are not sure, it will be wise to contact the Medicare Administration to find out whether or not you may qualify for benefits.

The structure for premium payments are based on monthly, annual, or co-payment plans. Some people have the payments taken from their social security check each month, while other people pay on an annual basis. The cost of the coverage varies and is one reason that it is important that you compare providers.

When deciding on providers, it will be important to discuss the "gap coverage" that the provider offers. In addition, Medicare has special provisions for people qualifying for special assistance with Medicare premiums. Learning about the options and incentives available will be helpful if you have a chronic illness that may push you past the coverage limits.

Both Medicare and the Medicare Prescription Drug plans have a "donut hole" that caps on the amount that the coverage pays for health care and drugs. Between this cap and the level where the coverage will begin paying again, all expenses must be paid out-of-pocket. This gap is called the "donut hole". Even when you have capped on coverage paid by Medicare, you must still pay the premiums for coverage.

When you are comparing providers, it will be important that they have expertise in the full scope of Medicare and have knowledge about what your options are during Medicare Part D Open Enrollment. There are many rules regarding Medicare and Part D that you should know about when you are making decisions about your coverage. A professional will be able to help you to make knowledgeable decisions about the coverage you select.

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