The 2019 Medicare Open Enrollment period began Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7. If you are on Medicare, you can change your Medicare health and drug plans during this period. You can change from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan or from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare.
The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid suggest you take the time to compare your current coverage with other options that will be available next year to see if your current health and drug plans will still be the best plans for you. There may be changes in coverage, benefits and costs to your current plans that will take effect next year.
You can find more information in the blog we posted on Oct. 1.
What I want you to know is that Illinois SMP, Age Options’ Senior Medicare Patrol, issued an alert on Oct. 7 that noted the “Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period is a Scammer’s Favorite Time of Year.”
You can click here to access the alert.
The Senior Medicare Patrol warns us about the following:
- There are no Medicare sales representatives. If someone contacts you suggesting they are from Medicare, it is a scam call.
- Enrolling in Medicare Part D or a Medicare Advantage Plan is voluntary. If someone suggests it is mandatory, that is false. (There, however, may be penalties if you do not enroll in a Part D plan when you are first eligible.)
- Do not give out any information over the phone to someone you do not know.