The 2020 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plan annual Open Enrollment Period (AEP) begins today, October 15th, and continues through December 7th.  During the next seven weeks, you will have the opportunity to add, change, or drop your Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan - with your new plan changes taking effect January 1st, 2020.


Staying with your 2019 plan into 2020?

If you are satisfied with your current 2019 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan coverage – and you understand how your Medicare plan is changing in 2020 – you do not need to do anything – and you will be automatically re-enrolled into your Medicare plan along with any changes your plan is making for 2020.  Be sure to review your plan’s Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter to learn more about your 2020 Medicare plan coverage.


As a note of caution about plan changes …

If your current 2019 Medicare plan is being discontinued or not offered in 2020, you may not have 2020 Medicare plan coverage – unless you enroll in a new plan. On the other hand, some 2019 Medicare plans will be consolidated and 2019 plan members are being automatically “crosswalked” or merged into a different 2020 Medicare plan – with potentially different plan coverage. 

You can use our 2019/2020 Medicare plan comparison tools (PDP-Compare or MA-Compare) to see:

• plan benefit changes from 2019 to 2020,
• which 2019 plans are being discontinued,
• which plan members will be “crosswalked” in 2020, and
• new plans being introduced in 2020

Review 2020 Medicare plans by drug coverage and costs.

We have three different tools available to help you check coverage of your prescription drugs:

• The 2020 Formulary Browser allows you to browse through all 2020 Medicare prescription drug plan formularies or drug lists. You can click on the cost-sharing values of any medication to see the cost difference between using a preferred network pharmacy or a standard network pharmacy.
  
  
• The 2020 Drug Finder (Q1Rx.com) provides a quick way to see how all Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plans in your area are covering a particular prescription drug. Our Drug Finder details include drug tier, cost-sharing, average negotiated retail drug prices and usage management restrictions (such as Quantity Limits or Prior Authorization requirements).
  
  
• The 2020 Long-Term Care (LTC) Drug Finder (Q1Medicare.com/LTC) is also online and provides a simple way to compare drug usage management restrictions for the top LTC medications found on Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) $0 premium Medicare Part D plans along with Institutional Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs). You can click here to see an example for Pennsylvania.

Reviewing all 2020 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans in your area.

If you wish to see an overview of all stand-alone 2020 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) offered in your state, then you can use PDP-Finder. We provide a unique collection of prescription drug plan details including: drug tier co-payments, initial deductibles, monthly premiums, Part D plan IDs, additional Donut Hole or Gap coverage, formulary size, and Medicare plan quality star ratings.

You can click on the plan name or “Benefits & Contact Info ” for more information about the specific Medicare PDP.  To start, you can click here for an example of PDP-Finder showing all 2020 California Medicare Part D plans with a $0 initial deductible.


Reviewing all 2020 Medicare Advantage plans in your area.

Medicare Advantage plans combine your Medicare hospitalization coverage (Medicare Part A), out-patient coverage (Medicare Part B) - and may provide your Medicare prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D), dental, vision, and fitness center coverage. In some areas, Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage are offered with a $0 monthly premium and a $0 initial deductible – and a low out-of-pocket spending limit (<MOOP).

You can use the 2020 MA-Finder for searching and comparing all Medicare Advantage plans across the country by plan features.  Since Medicare Advantage plans are offered on a county-by-county basis, begin by entering your ZIP code. Click on the “ Benefits & Contact Info ” button for more information about a specific Medicare Advantage plan. You can click here for an example of $0 premium Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage (MAPDs) in New York, NY – just change the ZIP code to see the plans in your area.


See how your 2019 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan is changing in 2020.

As mentioned, changes to your existing 2019 Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan coverage were explained in your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter that you should have received from your current Medicare plan.

However, if you would like a quick overview of how any current Medicare plan is changing in 2020, please use our 2019/2020 Medicare Part D plan comparison tool, PDP-Compare or use our 2019/2020 Medicare Advantage plan comparison tool, MA-Compare.

You will also see the Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans merged, discontinued, or introduced in 2020. To get you started, you can click here for an example of a 2019/2020 Texas Medicare Part D plan comparison (and then choose your own state or ZIP code).


Reviewing Medicare Part D plans qualifying for the Low-Income Subsidy $0 Premium.

PDP-Finder also offers information for Medicare beneficiaries qualifying for financial Extra-Help (Low-Income Subsidy) and may be particularly helpful to advocates and nursing homes.

If you are just seeking Medicare Part D plans that have monthly premiums completely covered by your state’s Low-Income Subsidy, you can narrow your plan search by choosing “Yes, show only plans that qualify for the $0 Premium” option.  Click the link for an example of all 2020 Part D plans in California qualifying for the LIS $0 premium.

In both our Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Plan Finders, you can also choose the “LIS Subsidy Amount” and the monthly Medicare plan premiums will be adjusted based on your selected level of Extra Help.


If you are ready to enroll in a new 2020 Medicare plan . . .

If you have already reviewed your 2020 Medicare plan options and are ready to enroll in a new Medicare plan, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and enroll directly through a Medicare representative. The Medicare representative can process your enrollment into any Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan directly over the telephone and the process only takes a few minutes. Be sure to record and keep your enrollment confirmation code in a safe place.

If you decide to change Medicare plans, you do not need to disenroll from your current 2019 plan when joining your new 2020 Medicare plan -- your newly chosen 2020 plan will automatically contact your 2019 plan and handle the enrollment change.


Finally, remember there is no need to rush into a decision.

You have plenty of time to choose a 2020 Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan.  Again, if you need assistance, please contact a local agent, advocate (SHIP office), or call a Medicare representative at 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227).


Questions?

If you have any general questions about Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans, please let us know. You can click here for our online Help Desk. To speak with a Medicare representative, please call Medicare at 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227).


Copyright Q1Group LLC, Saint Augustine, Florida (2019)