October - December 2019

Medicare is complicated. Serving Our Seniors’ certified OSHIIP counseling team is here to help you review your Medicare plan options for 2020. Please call 419-624-1856 to schedule an appointment to discuss any questions you may have about your Medicare insurance. IN 2019 • The annual Medicare Enrollment Period is October 15 - December 7, a period of time when you may change your Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Part D drug plan. Any changes will take effect on January 1, 2020. • You will receive, by mail, an Annual Notice of Changes to your current plan. You should review the information carefully for changes to coverage, co-pays, formularies and cost, with reference to your individual healthcare and medication needs for 2020. • The Medicare Plan Finder has been redesigned for the first time in a decade! The most used tool on Medicare.gov allows users to shop and compare Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. • The OSHIIP team at Serving Our Seniors will be learning all that is available in the new Medicare Plan Finder, expected to be released sometime in September. We are committed to keeping you informed of your Medicare options. IN 2020 • The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment is January- March 31, a period of time when you can switch out of an Advantage plan into another Advantage plan or a Part D plan. Please note: this enrollment window does not permit you to move between Part D plans. Medicare Changes for 2020 • The supplemental Medigap Plans F and C are being discontinued for newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries. F and C will continue to be available for anyone who was eligible for Medicare 2019 or earlier. • Status of the Part D donut hole? It is being eliminated in 2020 for generic drugs; it was eliminated in 2019 for brand names. This means that in 2020 out-of-pocket costs are limited to 25 percent for brand name and generic drugs. • Medicare Advantage plans continue to gain in popularity. Some of the expanded covered benefits include meals, transportation, home helper, dental, vision, hearing aid allowance and over-the-counter allowance. Patricia Stineman, MSIG, CSA, Insurance Education Specialist / OSHIIP Trainer Making Sense of Medicare Check out the Calendar of Events (page 4) for information about upcoming Medicare Education programs offered by Serving Our Seniors or call the office if you need an individual counseling appointment. VS 19 www.servingourseniors.org