7 Questions to Ask to Protect Yourself from Medicare Advantage Scams: Open Enroll Oct 15- Dec 7

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- Common Dreams, Nov. 21, 2023. Ed. By Diane Archer. - To ensure you have good coverage for both current and unforeseeable health needs this open enrollment period, you should choose traditional Medicare.
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During this Medicare Open Enrollment period, ask yourself these 7 questions. And, please know that you can always call the Medicare Rights Center at 1-800-333-4114 or your SHIP—State Health Insurance Assistance Program—for free, unbiased advice on any of your Medicare questions.

Q. What’s the biggest difference between traditional Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan? To ensure you have good coverage for both current and unforeseeable health needs, you should enroll in traditional Medicare. In traditional Medicare, you and your doctor decide the care you need, with no prior approval. And, you have easy access to care from almost all doctors and hospitals in the US with no incentive to stint on your care.

In a Medicare Advantage plan, a corporate insurance company decides when you get care, often requiring you to get its approval first. Medicare Advantage plans also restrict access to physicians and too often 2nd-guess your treating physicians, denying you needed care inappropriately. The less care the Medicare Advantage plan provides, the more the insurance company profits. You will pay more upfront in traditional Medicare if you don’t have Medicaid and need to buy supplemental coverage, but you are likely to spend a lot less out of pocket when you need costly care.

Regardless of whether you stay in traditional Medicare or enroll in Medicare Advantage, you still need to pay your Part B premium.

Q. Should I trust an insurance agent’s advice about my Medicare options? No. Unfortunately, insurance agents are paid more to steer you away from traditional Medicare and into a Medicare Advantage plan, even if it does not meet your needs. While some insurance agents might be good, you can’t know whom to trust. Keep in mind that while Medicare Advantage plans tell you that they offer you extra benefits, you still need to pay your Part B premium, and extra benefits are often very limited and come with high out-of-pocket costs; be aware that many Medicare Advantage plans won’t cover as much necessary medical and hospital care as traditional Medicare.

For free independent advice about your options, call the Medicare Rights Center at 1-800-333-4114 or a SHIP... - Read More,
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/protect-yourself-from-medicare-advantage
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* CMS.gov - Medicare Open Enrollment -
- When’s the Medicare Open Enrollment Period? Every year, Medicare’s open enrollment period is Oct. 15 - December 7.

Medicare health and drug plans can make changes each year—things like cost, coverage, and what providers and pharmacies are in their networks. Oct.15 to Dec. 7 is when all people with Medicare can change their Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage for the following year to better meet their needs...
https://www.cms.gov/priorities/key-initiatives/medicare-open-enrollment-partner-resources