The 2018 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plan annual Open Enrollment Period (or Annual Coordinated Election 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 cancel your Medicare Advantage plan (MA or MAPD) or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP).

(Medicare beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, may be entitled to an extended 2018 annual Open Enrollment Period (AEP) that will continue through December 31st.  You can click here to read more about this Special Enrollment Period.)

If you are satisfied with your current 2017 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan coverage – and you understand how your Medicare plan is changing in 2018 - you do not need to do anything and you will be automatically re-enrolled into your Medicare plan along with any changes your plan may have made for 2018.

How can your Medicare plan change in 2018?
Here are a few examples of how Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan coverage can change year-to-year:

• Your Medicare plan may not be offered in 2018.
• Your Medicare plan’s name may change.
• You may be automatically reassigned to another Medicare Part D plan.
• Your monthly Medicare Part D plan premium can change.
• Your plan’s Initial Deductible (the amount you pay before coverage) may change.
• Your Medicare plan’s prescription drug cost-sharing design (co-payment) may change.
• Your Medicare prescription drug plan may be using preferred pharmacies
• Your Medicare Advantage plan’s healthcare provider network may change.
• The medications covered on your plan’s formulary or drug list can change.
• Your Donut Hole or Coverage Gap benefits can change.
• Your 2017 Medicare Part D plan may no longer qualify for the LIS $0 premium.
• Your Medicare Advantage plan’s Medicare Part A and B maximum out-of-pocket (MOOP) limit can change.

To reemphasize a note of caution …
As just mentioned, if your current 2017 Medicare plan is being discontinued or not offered in 2018 - you may not have 2018 Medicare plan coverage – unless you enroll in a new plan.  On the other hand, some 2017 Medicare plans will be consolidated and 2017 plan members are being automatically “crosswalked” or merged into a different 2018 Medicare plan – with potentially different plan coverage. Be sure to review your plan’s Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter to learn more about your 2018 Medicare plan coverage.

Compare 2018 Medicare plans by drug coverage and costs.
We have three different tools available to check coverage of your prescription drugs:

• We offer our 2018 Formulary Browser that allows you to browse through all 2017 Medicare prescription drug plan formularies or drug lists. You can click on the cost-sharing values of any medication to see the costs difference between using a preferred network pharmacy or a standard (non-preferred) network pharmacy. (Please note, as in the past, we currently are not showing any 2018 formulary information for sanctioned Medicare Part D plans. We will update our Formulary Browser when CMS releases this formulary information.)
  
  
• We also have our 2018 Drug Finder online (Q1Rx.com) allowing you to quickly see how all Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plans in your area are covering a particular prescription drug.  Our Drug Finder details include average negotiated retail drug prices (when available) and usage management restrictions (such as Quantity Limits or Prior Authorization requirements).
  
  
• Our 2018 Long-Term Care (LTC) Drug Finder (Q1Rx.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 (SNPs). You can click here to see an example for Pennsylvania.

Review all 2018 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans in your area.
If you wish to see an overview of all stand-alone 2017 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) offered in your state, then you can use our PDP-Finder. We provide a unique collection of prescription drug plan details including information on: drug tier co-payments, initial deductibles, monthly premiums, Part D plan IDs, Donut Hole or Gap coverage, formulary size, and Medicare plan quality star ratings. 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 our PDP-Finder showing all 2018 Arizona Medicare Part D plans with a $0 initial deductible.

Review all 2018 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.

You can use our 2018 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 2017 Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan is changing in 2018.
Changes to your existing 2017 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 2018, please use our 2017/2018 Medicare Part D plan comparison tool, PDP-Compare or use our 2017/2018 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 2018.

If you are unsure where to begin, you can click here for an example of a 2017/2018 New Mexico Medicare Part D plan comparison.

Review Medicare Part D plans qualifying for the Low-Income Subsidy $0 Premium.
Our PDP-Finder also offers information for Medicare beneficiaries qualifying for financial Extra-Help 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 2018 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 2018 Medicare plan . . .
If you have already reviewed your 2018 Medicare plan options and are ready to enroll in a new Medicare plan, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY 1-877-486-2048) 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.

Changing Medicare plans in 2018?
If you decide to change Medicare plans, you do not need to disenroll from your existing 2017 plan when joining your new 2018 Medicare plan -- your newly chosen 2018 plan will automatically contact your 2017 plan and handle the enrollment change.

Reminder: There is a Special Enrollment Period for people affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria
If you are a Medicare beneficiary affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, you are entitled to an extended 2018 annual Open Enrollment Period (AEP) that will continue through December 31st - allowing you more time to choose a 2018 Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan. You can click on the following link to read more: https://Q1News.com/650.html

Finally, remember there is no need to rush into a decision.
You have plenty of time to choose a 2018 Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan. Again, if you need assistance, please contact a local advocate or call a Medicare representative at 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) (TTY 1-877-486-2048) for assistance.