BELTON, Texas — Medicare open enrollment is now underway, giving beneficiaries the opportunity to review and make changes to their health coverage for next year.
The annual enrollment period opens Oct. 17th and runs through Dec. 7th and allows people enrolled in Medicare to compare plans, adjust coverage, and review prescription drug benefits.
This year, some changes could affect both coverage options and out-of-pocket costs.
Roy Robinson, who turns 65 next month, is currently reviewing his Medicare choices and seeking guidance on which plans best fit his medications and healthcare needs.
“Well, there are supplement plans that you can sign up for that are different from advantage plans, and so just running through the different options that are available in either of those two categories, making sure you do it by the right deadline,” Robinson said.
Russell Hoelscher, a benefits counselor with the Area Agency on Aging of Central Texas, said one notable change involves prescription drug costs.
“A nice change is there a limit on the amount that people have to pay for prescriptions, so this next year it's going to be 24 hundred dollars for the year, so no one will have to pay more than that if they are on a Medicare prescription plan,” Hoelscher said.
According to Hoelscher, the cap will increase from $2,100 this year to $2,400 next year.
Benefits counselor Thom Wilson said beneficiaries should carefully compare plans to determine which options best cover their medications and preferred healthcare providers.
“Advantage plans: there may be areas that they do not provide coverage. They may only provide emergency coverage,” Wilson said.
Robinson said the counseling services are valuable for people trying to understand the often-complicated Medicare system.
“Any help they can get to wade through all that information to make the right choice is advisable, but it's also needed,” Robinson said.
Open enrollment ends Dec. 7. Medicare beneficiaries who want to make changes to their coverage for next year must do so before the deadline.
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