In October’s forum, we discussed important factors to consider when choosing insurance for 2020 from your employer or if you are self-employed. Because our monthly forum is now every other month (next is December), we want to use two to three weekly blogs to keep you abreast of new healthcare developments. In other words, to get you more useful, practical information.
Today, let’s discuss useful information about Medicare that you may not be familiar with:
- Open enrollment, when you can make changes in different parts (e.g. like D for drugs) of Medicare, is usually from October 15, to December 7.
- If your medications have changed, find out from your pharmacist or Medicare.gov what Plan D best covers the cost of your medications. The infamous doughnut hole, when you have to pay a certain amount out-of-pocket before your coverage kicks in again, continues to shrink.
- Because of changes affected by Obamacare, those with Medicare are entitled to a free annual medical exam and another free discussion with your doctor about your medical/other concerns. You may need to inform your doctor’s office manager of these no-cost visits. You’re also entitled to free screening tests (e.g. for prostrate, breast, cervical cancer, etc.) if your doctor believes they are indicated. We’ll discuss more about your Medicare coverage and benefits in our forthcoming weekly news. Stay tuned.