If you are already enrolled in Medicare, this can be an important time of year for you. The Medicare Open-Enrollment Period that runs from October 15, 2015 through December 7, 2015, gives you an opportunity to make changes and look at what other plans have to offer. Here are some important dates:
October: This is when current enrollees should be aware that they may receive notices of upcoming plan changes and if necessary, get ready to make changes or review plan options.
October 15th: Open-Enrollment begins. Individuals with Medicare can make changes to their health plan and prescription drug benefits for the next year. October 15th is also the first day you can change your Medicare choices for the upcoming year. Be aware that the insurance company must receive your enrollment change request before December 7th.
January 1st: Your new coverage begins if you switched to a new plan during the Open-Enrollment Period. If you stayed with your same plan, then any changes to coverage, benefits or costs begins for the upcoming year.
January 1st to February 14th. If you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can leave your plan and switch to Original Medicare if you wish. If you do change to Original Medicare during this period, you’ll have until February 14th to also join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan that will add prescription drug coverage. Your coverage will begin the first day of the month after the plan received your enrollment form.
We are currently making appointment times to review Medicare options during our office hours Monday through Friday. Appointments can be made subject to availability starting daily at 8:30 a.m. with the last appointment scheduled at 4:00 p.m. each day. We encourage you to call us early at (541) 258-2131 as available appointment times are filling quickly.