Medicare Annual Enrollment started on October 15 and ends on December 7. Each year drug plans and Medicare Advantage/HMO plans announce their changes for the upcoming year during Annual Enrollment plan changes; these changes can be seen on www.medicare.gov.  Sometimes plans have minor changes, sometimes those changes can be significant to a beneficiary.  It is important to become aware of what changes may have occurred for 2018 with your stand-alone drug plan or Medicare Advantage/HMO plan coverage to make sure you have the coverage that fits your specific needs as of January 1, 2018.
Annual Enrollment is the time when, if the 2018 benefits of your current HMO or current drug plan will not fit your specific needs, you will want to submit an enrollment for the carrier/plan that will work for you to be effective 1/1/2018.Â
(*NOTE: Medicare Supplement/Medigap policies do not change during Medicare Annual Enrollment, they have been defined by Medicare so the benefits remain the same. In California we have a “birthday rule” that allows those beneficiaries on a Medicare supplement during the 30 days following their birthday to select to change their Medicare supplement carrier and/or switch to a different supplement plan (i.e., Plan F to Plan G) to lower their premium.