As a last reminder, the 2017 annual Medicare Open Enrollment Period (
AEP) ends tonight, Wednesday, December 7th at midnight.
During this final day of the 2017 AEP, you can still join,
change, or
drop your Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan
coverage.
After December 7th, most people will only have a
limited
opportunity to change their 2017
Medicare plan coverage before next year’s 2018 Medicare Part D and Medicare
Advantage plan Open Enrollment Period. (You can
click here to read more about the 2017 Special Enrollment
Periods -- situations allowing you to change Medicare plans outside of the AEP.)
For an overview of all 2017 Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans
available in your area, you can use our
PDP-Finder or
MA-Finder tools.
For example, here is our PDP-Finder showing all Medicare Part D
plans available in Illinois (you can change the state to see plans in your
area):
PDP-Finder.com/IL. Here is an example of our MA-Finder
showing Medicare Advantage plans available in ZIP code 15205, Allegheny County,
PA (you can change the ZIP code to see plans in your area):
MA-Finder.com/15205.
Need someone to speak with about your Medicare plan options?
If you find yourself overwhelmed with all the 2017 Medicare plan choices,
you can always telephone Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 and choose to speak with a
Medicare representative. Once connected, ask the representative to help
you evaluate your 2017 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plan options.
Should you decide to change Medicare plans, a Medicare representative can also
enroll you in any 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 Part D or Medicare Advantage plan in 2017?
If you wish to stay in your current Medicare plan, you do not need to do
anything during the 2017 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 2016 Medicare plan may have made for 2017.
Again, remember that your 2016 Medicare plan probably will have some changes in
2017 – so please be sure that you understand these changes – and be sure your
Medicare plan is still being offered in 2017.
You can use our online
PDP-Compare or
MA-Compare tools to provide you with a quick overview of
how any 2016 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan is changing in
2017.
What happens if your 2016 Medicare plan is not offered in 2017?
If your Medicare plan is non-renewing or being discontinued in 2017 (not
consolidated or merged into another 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 2017.
However, if
your plan is being discontinued, you will be granted a
Special Enrollment
Period from December 8,
2016 through February 28, 2017 during which you can join a 2017 Medicare Part D
plan or Medicare Advantage plan. Remember, your Medicare plan coverage
begins on the first day of the month following your enrollment. (This is the Service Area Reduction (or SAR) Special Enrollment Period.)
So what is next on the calendar?
The 2017 Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (
MADP) begins on January 1, 2017 and continues
through February 14th. During the MADP, you can drop your Medicare
Advantage plan and return to original Medicare Part A and Part B, plus you will
be able to join a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (
PDP).
Our 2018 Medicare Part D Reminder Service
If you would
like us to update you as information becomes available on the 2018 Medicare
Part D program, please
click here to
sign-up for our free 2018
Reminder Service. And you can also
click here if you would like to receive our regular
Medicare Part D Newsletter. As always, your email information will not be
shared with any third parties and there is no cost for our service.
Still have questions?
You can click on the following link and send us your question:
https://q1medicare.com/Helpdesk.php