Enrollment To-Do List (NAPSA)—Medicare's annual enrollment period is now underway, and runsfrom October 15 to Decem- ber 7, 2018. You may be happy with your current Medicare coverage, but it pays to shop around. Hereare a few thingsto keep in mind. Don't shy away from shopping. Plan details change each year, so the pol- icy that wasbestfor you in 2018 maynot be yourbest option for 2019. Changes to premiums, deductibles and co-pays can becostly. An analysis of more than 17,000 people using Medicare.com to 7 A health insurance agentcan help you find the Medicare plan that’s best foryou. compare Medicare plans found that just 10 percent were enrolled in the Jowest-cost plan for their prescription drug needs. Those who switched to a newdrug plan stood to save an average of $611. Watch for changes in drug coverage. Read any letters from your insur- ance companyoutlining changesin your prescription drug coverage. Insurance companies often tweak their formulary, ot list of covered drugs, each year. That can mean higher out-of-pocket expenses for you. Compare coverage for your prescriptions under any new Medicare plan you consider. Be sure your doctorsparticipate in your plan. Double-check to makesure yourpreferred doctorswill still be part ofyourhealth plan’s network next year. You'll pay moreto see non-network providers, and somehealth insurers won't cover out-of-network providers atall, exceptin an emergency. Compareservices. MedicareAdvan- tage plans tendtooffer additional benefits you can't get with Original Medicare. ‘These can include dental, vision, hearing and evenfitness benefits. Shopping for Medicare plans can seem daunting, but there's a range of services outthereto help enrollees navigate them. Readup on youroptions and don'thesitate to work through licensed agent to help match you with the best plan for yourneeds.
