Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Plans
Source: AARP.org
Medicare Advantage plans are health plans under the umbrella of Medicare. Advantage plans pay for the same health care services as Original Medicare.
Unlike the Original plan, private insurance companies offer Advantage plans. They might pay for additional services that Original Medicare doesn’t cover. For example, some plans partially pay for prescription drugs.
In some Medicare Advantage plans (as with Health Maintenance Organizations), however, you may only be able to see certain doctors or go to certain hospitals to get covered services.
You can join or switch Medicare Advantage plans from Jan. 1 to March 31 each year, but you cannot add or drop Medicare prescription-drug coverage during this time. If you are currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription-drug coverage, you can switch to Original Medicare, but you’d also have to join a Medicare Prescription-Drug plan.
To compare Medicare Advantage and Prescription-Drug plans available in your area, visit www.medicare.gov or call Medicare toll-free at 800-633-4227. Once you have decided on a plan, contact the administrator to ask for more information and to enroll. Once you enroll, the plan will let you know when your new coverage begins.
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