Now’s the Time to Tweek Medicare Benefits

Now’s the time to double check your Medicare benefits and make any changes. The open enrollment period for individuals who are enrolled in Medicare plans to make final changes to their 2009 benefits ends Tuesday, March 31. Seniors and their caregivers have just a few days to take one more look, consider one more change before they can no longer switch to a new Medicare plan. The next opportunity to change will be in November for a January 1, 2010 effective date.

“By now, seniors should have had some experience with their current benefit packages, whether seeing physicians, filling prescriptions, or finally reviewing the packet of information provided by their health insurers,” said Bill Stapleton, president and chief executive officer of Health Plan One, the parent company of MedicareSolutions, an online insurance brokerage and Medicare information portal. “Some may be surprised to find out that their physicians are no longer in their plans’ networks or that co-pays and other costs had gone up more than they had anticipated.”

It pays to review your plan each year.

(Photo credit: Newscom)