Preparing for Medicare Open Enrollment Time

Sunnymere’s Breakfast Club is presenting a program on Medicare programs, Wednesday, Sept. 21^st at 8:30am. No charge, but reserve by calling us at 630-898-7844.

Whether you are on Medicare yourself, or the caregiver for a loved one, when it comes to getting ready for the annual Medicare Open Enrollment (MOE) period on behalf of your loved one, sooner is always better than later.

Here are a few things you can do now:

1. Familiarize yourself with the different
   parts of Medicare and how they work together.
2. Is your loved one on an Medicare Advantage Plan? Is that still working well? Make a note to yourself to be sure and open any mail from the providing organization that arrives in September and October so you can be on top of any changes to premiums, deductibles, co-pays and provider groups.
3. If your care recipient has a Medicare Supplement (also known as Medigap), make sure you pay attention to any premium increases. At some point, you may need to re-evaluate these choices or look into public programs that can assist with covering costs.
4. If you have been spending a lot of money out of pocket on hospital visits and doctor’s appointments (because your loved one doesn’t have Medigap or a Medicare Advantage Plan), now is the time to add up those costs and decide whether a different mix of coverage is a better solution.
5. Go to thegov site and look up the location of your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). They often put on public programs and seminars in the fall that give good basic information about changes in Medicare for the coming year. They often offer face-to-face counseling as well, but the slots fill up quickly. Now is the time to become best friends with your local SHIP program so that they will remember you if you have a last-minute need for assistance.

To request free and confidential assistance from the Illinois SHIP, call: 1-800-548-9034. You can talk to talk to a counselor or make an appointment.

6. The other part of the equation is making sure that you have up-to-date information about your loved one’s health status. Are they due for a doctor’s appointment? Make sure you have a current list of all their medications and know exactly why they are taking each one. If any of their prescriptions are a brand name, are there generic equivalents available? If not, be prepared to ask the drug program for an exception if the more expensive brand name isn’t part of their formulary.

Meanwhile, if you yourself are a Medicare beneficiary, do not forget to factor in your own open enrollment needs. Caregivers are notorious for looking out for everyone BUT themselves. Are your preventive visits up to date? Are you getting the exercise you promised you’d pay attention to on January 1, 2016? Use the above tips to create a MOE game plan for yourself as well. Perhaps you are turning 65 in the next 12 to 18 months.

That “best friend” at the SHIP program can assist you with weighing your own choices for coverage as well.