Reminder: the 2016 annual Open Enrollment Period (AEP) ends tonight, December 7th at midnight.
Enrollment topics · published Dec 7, 2015
After December 7th, most people will only have a limited opportunity to change their 2016 Medicare plan coverage until next October 15, 2016 and the start of the 2017 Open Enrollment Period.
You can click here to see more information on the 2016 Special Enrollment Periods (allowing you to change your 2016 Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan outside of the October 15 through December 7 Open Enrollment Period). If you wish to get an overview of all 2016 Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans that are available in your area, you can use our PDP-Finder or MA-Finder tools. To get you started, here is a PDP-Finder example comparing all Medicare Part D Plans available in Illinois (you can always change the state to whatever you desire): PDP-Finder.com/IL Need someone to speak with about your 2016 Medicare plan options?
If you find yourself overwhelmed with all the 2016 Medicare plan information, you can always telephone Medicare at 1-800-633-4227, select the prescription drug option, and choose to speak with a Medicare representative. Once connected, ask the representative to help you evaluate your 2016 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plan options. Should you decide to change Medicare plans, a Medicare representative can enroll you in any available Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Prescription Drug plan directly over the telephone. The enrollment process only takes a few minutes and includes an enrollment confirmation number.
Staying with the same Medicare plan into 2016?
If you wish to stay in your current Medicare plan (and the plan is offered in 2016), you do not need to do anything during the 2016 Open Enrollment Period and you will be automatically re-enrolled into your existing Medicare plan for another year, along with any changes that your current 2015 Medicare plan may have made for 2016. Remember that your 2015 Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan probably will have some changes in 2016 – so please be sure that you understand these changes – and be sure your Medicare plan is still being offered in 2016. You can use our online PDP-Compare or MA-Compare tools to provide you with a quick overview of how any 2015 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan is changing in 2016.
What happens if your 2015 Medicare plan is not offered in 2016?
If your Medicare plan is non-renewing or being discontinued in 2016 (in other words, not consolidated or merged into another Medicare plan) and you do not join another Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan during the Open Enrollment Period, you could be without prescription coverage for all of 2016. However, since your plan is being discontinued, you will be granted a Special Enrollment Period (SNP) from December 8 through February 29, 2016 during which you can join a 2016 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan. This enrollment period is called the Service Area Reduction Special Enrollment Period or SAR-SEP. Remember, your Medicare plan coverage begins on the first day of the month following your enrollment.
So what is next on the calendar?
The 2016 Medicare Advantage plan Disenrollment Period (or MADP) begins on January 1, 2016 and continues through February 14th. During the MADP, you can drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to original Medicare, plus you will be able to join a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.
2017 Medicare Part D Reminder Service
Would you like us to update you as information becomes available on the 2017 Medicare Part D program and plans? If you have not already done so, please click here to sign-up for our free 2017 email Reminder Service. As always, your email information will not be shared with any third parties.