BEWARE: DON’T SWITCH YOUR MEDIGAP PLAN TO MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS!
FROM JANUARY 1 TO MARCH 31ST
OF EVERY YEAR IS THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD FOR LIKE TO LIKE PLANS. THIS MEANS THAT YOU CAN SWITCH FROM A MEDIGAP PLAN WITH A STAND ALONE PDP TO A (MAPD) MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN WITH PRESCRIPTION DRUGS INCLUDED. YOU CAN ALSO SWITCH BETWEEN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS OR CANCEL YOUR MAPD TO GO BACK TO A MEDIGAP PLAN WITH A STAND ALONE PDP.
THIS TIME OF YEAR YOU MAY BE BOMBARDED WITH ADVERTISEMENTS ON TV AND MAIL TELLING YOU THAT THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS COVER MORE THAN ORIGINAL MEDICARE. WELL, IT MAY HAVE A FEW LITTLE THINGS SUCH AS VERY, VERY LIMITED DENTAL COVERAGE, BUT THEY DO NOT COMPARE THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS AGAINST MEDIGAP PLANS/MEDICARE SUPPLEMENTS. THEY KNOW THEY COULD NOT HOLD A CANDLE TO THAT COMPARISON. IT SOUNDS GOOD ON TV, BUT BEWARE…..MAPD’S DO NOT HAVE NEAR THE COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE PROVIDED BY YOUR MEDIGAP PLAN.
SOME DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS WILL NOT ACCEPT THE TERMS OF PAYMENT
FROM THE MAPD’S. YOUR DOCTOR COULD ACCEPT YOUR COVERAGE AT ONE VISIT AND DECIDE NOT TO ACCEPT IT AT THE NEXT APPOINTMENT. THERE IS NO GUARANTEED NETWORK OF DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS PROVIDED FOR YOU IN THE MAPD’S. WITH A MEDIGAP PLAN YOU CAN GO TO ANY DOCTOR OR HOSPITAL OF YOUR CHOICE WITH NO WORRIES.
ALSO, THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE WITH AN MAPD IS ALMOST ALWAYS INFERIOR TO CHOOSING A STAND ALONE DRUG PLAN. THE FORMULARIES DO NOT COVER AS MANY DRUGS AND THEIR CO-PAYS ARE HIGHER. WHEN YOU CAN CHOOSE A DRUG PLAN BASED ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL MEDICATIONS AND FIND THE LOWEST CO-PAYS WHY WOULD YOU TAKE A PLAN YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER?
THE ONLY PEOPLE WE RECOMMEND MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS TO ARE THOSE THAT ARE ON DISABILITY OR THOSE THAT CANNOT GET ANY OTHER TYPE OF COVERAGE DUE TO HEALTH REASONS . ALSO THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT CAN ABSOLUTELY NOT AFFORD THE PREMIUMS ON A MEDIGAP PLAN AND THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN WOULD BE BETTER THAN NOTHING AT ALL IN SOME CASES. HOWEVER, MANY OF THE MAPD’S HAVE GONE UP ON THEIR RATES AND SOME OF THEM ARE AS HIGH IN PREMIUM AS A MEDIGAP PLAN NOW. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU THINK YOU WANT TO JOIN AN MAPD THAT YOU ALSO COMPARE PREMIUM PRICES ON A MEDIGAP PLAN. IT WOULD BE VERY UNFORTUNATE TO BE PAYING THE SAME AMOUNT FOR AN INFERIOR COVERAGE PLAN.
I AM ALWAYS VERY ENTERTAINED BY THE TV COMMERCIALS FOR MEDICARE COVERAGE. I GUESS THAT IS BECAUSE I CAN READ BETWEEN THE LINES AND SEE WHAT INFORMATION THEY ARE DELIBERATELY LEAVING OUT OR HOW THEY ARE SPINNING THE BENEFITS THEY OFFER TO SOUND SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE. IF I DIDN’T KNOW BETTER, I MIGHT CONSIDER THEM AS WELL. THAT IS WHY I WANTED TO WARN YOU ALL ABOUT THE HURRICANE A’COMMIN’ DOWN THE PIKE. I CAN HEAR THE WINDS AND SEE THE RAIN.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT SOMETHING YOU WERE TOLD OR HEARD ON TV, PLEASE WRITE ME AND I CAN HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE TRUE MEANING. TAKE CARE! KARYN
