By the Medi-Lady

With the holiday season upon us it’s easy for seniors to get wrapped up in family events. But seniors also need to remember to take care of certain issues concerning their Medicare enrollment before the deadline on Dec. 7.

Here are some important things to address:

• Is your doctor still contracted with your Medicare Plan? Senior citizens need to check if their primary care doctor is still contracted with their Medicare plan. If the doctor is not, you will be assigned to a new doctor by the health plan. If you are seeing a specialist who serves a unique section of medicine, for example diabetic care, you need to make sure that your doctor is still accepting your Medicare plan. You do not want to be in a situation where your doctor does not accept your Medicare plan, and you have to look for another specialized doctor who does.  Most doctors contract with multiple Medicare plans, so keeping your doctor can be as easy as switching to a new Medicare plan.
• Do you have a Medicare drug plan? Prescriptions are now covered under Medicare. To get prescription coverage, you have to join a plan run by an insurance company or other private company approved by Medicare. The deadline for signing up for a Medicare drug plan is also Dec.7. Changes go into effect on Jan. 1, as long as your request is submitted by the deadline.
• Have the formularies changed? A formulary is a list of medications covered by a drug benefit plan. It is important that you review this list or discuss this with your Medicare enrollment specialist as formularies change from year to year. In some cases, certain brand name drugs are changed for generic ones.  You should make sure your prescriptions are still covered.
• Have your needs changed? Unfortunately, as we get older our bodies deteriorate. In many cases people are diagnosed with new ailments or require specialized care such as assisted living. These adjustments need to be reviewed during the enrollment process to make sure new treatment and care are covered by your Medicare plan.

Medicare enrollment is a complex process which must be reviewed each year. It is important that seniors, or their care providers, go through this process carefully to make sure they get the health care services they need.

For more information about Medicare programs please call 877-633-4523 or go to www.medilady.com.