Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1502526
What is Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) Each year Medicare participants have an op- portunity to save money! From October 15 through December 7, Medicare participants can enroll in a new Part D (prescription drug plan) or a new Part C plan for the upcoming year. Medicare Part D (drug)plans are insurance plans sold through private insurance firms that cover prescription drug costs and are annual plans. Part C plans also known as Medicare Advantage Plans, are sold through private insurance firms and are also annual plans. Part C plans contain Part D plans as part of their network of services. So folks will have one or the other to cover their prescription drugs, but not both. Each year, three things can change giving bene- ficiaries the opportunity to save money. First, people's prescription list can change from year to year. Perhaps a brand name drug comes out in a generic version, or a better medication becomes available to treat a person's illness. The price for a Part D plan is directly affected by the prescriptions that the plan covers. So, a change to someone's pre- scription list can change which plan best covers their list. Second, the insurance company can change the formulary of the Part D plan from year to year which may affect the cost of prescription drugs covered by that plan. Third, the cost of a plan may change from year to year. For in- stance, this year one plan decreased in price from $7.50 per month in 2022 to $4.50 per month for 2023 while another plan increased from $32.40 in 2022 to $65.10 per month in 2023, a 100% increase! Here at the Health In- surance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HI- CAP) we hear from folks every year who say they did not know their plan was increasing in price. We understand! People receive so much junk mail regarding Medicare insur- ance they tend to throw a lot of it away without looking at it. We have a solution! Each year, between October 15th and December 7th check to see if you have the least expensive plan for your prescription list for the next year. How do you do that? There are three ways to get unbiased help with new Part D plan pricing. One, someone can call Medicare at 1-800-633- 4227. The challenge with calling Medicare is it can take awhile (hours) to get a live representative. Two, someone can log onto Medicare.gov website and use the plan finder tool to research plans in their area for themselves. Three, the easiest way is to call HICAP at 831-462-5510 which is a government funded program operated out of Senior Network Services a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping seniors live their best life. Each year, HICAP helps about 150 - 200 seniors enroll in the least expensive plan for their prescriptions. It is best to call HICAP in August or September if you would like HICAP to research Part D or C plans to help lower your prescription drug costs. HICAP will be host- ing learning seminars throughout July, August and September at local Se- nior Centers to show folks how to use the Medicare. gov website. In July HICAP will be at Lon- don Nelson Community Center; on Tuesday, July 18th at 1pm, the Highland Park Senior Center on Thursday July 27 at 10am , and at Senior Network Services on Friday, July 21 at 3pm. Bring your laptop or tablet with you as we walk step by step on how to save money on Medicare Part D prescrip- tion drug plans using the medicare.gov website. As written above for Medicare Part D plans, Part C plans are also sub- ject to change each new year. From October 15th to December 7th folks can change or withdraw from their Medicare Advantage Plans. Sometimes people can find it challenging to change Part C plans because medical services covered by these plans are networked services and to change a plan generally means chang- ing doctors. But it is still worth checking to see if future changes to plans still meet someone's medical needs. The Part C plans also contain pre- scription drug plans that can change. So, it can still be worth checking to see if someone's current plan is most cost effective for their prescriptions. The ways to research a Part C plan is the same for a Part D plan. You can call Medicare, or you can log onto Medicare. gov and use the plan finder tool, or you can call HICAP in Santa Cruz at 831-462-5510. We can also be contacted through our Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/seniornetworkser- vices. If someone does not contact their Part D plan between October 15th and December 7th then the insurance company will re-enroll someone into the current plan regardless of price changes, changes to someone's prescrip- tion list or changes to the plan's formulary. Last AEP, HICAP had a client call in complaining of the cost of their Part D plan. They were paying $85 a month premium. This person had the same plan for about the last 8 years and had never checked to see if there was a less expensive plan for their prescriptions. HICAP compared this person's prescriptions to current Part D plans offered and this person could have been paying $7.50 per month through 2022 with the same copay. This person could have saved $930 in 2022 by switching to a plan that better served their prescription needs. HICAP services are free to the public, but we can run out of time, so please contact HICAP in August or September if you would like to save money next year on your Part D prescription plans. You can also visit https:// seniornetworkservices. org/ to see upcoming community education presentations on Medicare including how to use the plan finder on the Medi- care.gov website. W e A r e H e r e F o r O l d e r A d u l t s Provid es for older adults with complex medical needs Ofrecem a personas mayores con necesidades médicas complejas Transportatio tments, Elderday, and Meals on Wheels dining sites Transport y a Elderday y los sitios de comida de Meals on Wheels Home-delivered meals and friendly visits, as well as dining locations for individuals ages 60+ Comidas a domicilio y visitas amistosas, y sitios de comida para mayores de 60+ communitybridges.org/mealsonwheels Comidas a domicilio y visitas amis on for medical appoint te para las citas médicas, communitybridges.org/liftline 831-688-9663 ding exceptional day service mos servicios de día excepcionales a communitybridges.org/elderday 831-458-3481 831-464-3180 ext 100 E s t a m o s a q u í p a r a l o s a d u l t o s m a y o r e s By Bill Proulx Senior Network Services