Medicare Annual Enrollment starts on October 15 and ends on December 7, 2018. Each year drug plans and Medicare Advantage/HMO plans announce their changes for the upcoming year during Annual Enrollment; these changes can be seen on www.medicare.gov in October. Sometimes plans have minor changes, sometimes those changes can be significant to a beneficiary. It is important to become aware of what changes may occurred next year with your stand-alone drug plan or Medicare Advantage/HMO plan coverage to make sure you have the coverage that fits your specific needs for 2019.
In September 2018 you will receive information on any changes in the 2019 benefits of your current HMO or current drug plan. Please review that information to confirm whether or not you will need to change your insurance carrier and/or insurance plan for 2019 or will remain on your current plan coverage.
(*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.