JOINING A MEDICARE PLAN

Joining a Medicare health plan, must:

·         Have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance).

·         Live in the service area of the plan you want to join.

·         Be a U.S. citizen or lawfully present in the U.S.

·         Have your Medicare Number and your Part A and/or Part B coverage start dates. Find this information on your Medicare card.

You can only join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) or Medicare drug plan (Part D) at certain times, called enrollment periods. In general, when you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you must keep the plan for the rest of the year, unless you drop it to return to Original Medicare within 12 months of joining the Medicare Advantage Plan. You can drop or change Medicare Advantage Plans during the Open Enrollment Period, Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, or if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

How to join a Medicare health or drug plan

1. Find out which plans are available in your area.

• Compare plans in your area – Find out what they cost and services they provide. Enter prescription drugs you take to get an estimate of your monthly and yearly cost for each plan.

• Use your “Medicare & You” handbook to find plans – they’re listed in the back.

• Talk to a trusted agent or broker – Check the rules they have to follow. 

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Contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to get free personalized health insurance counseling. SHIPs aren’t connected to any insurance company or health plan.

2. Make sure the plan meets your needs:

• Check if the plan covers your prescriptions and includes the benefits you need.

• Ask your doctors if they’re in the plan’s network.

• Review costs, like monthly premiums, deductibles, and the estimate of your yearly costs for drugs you take.

• If you have other health insurance or drug coverage, talk to your benefits administrator or other insurance provider before you make any changes to your current coverage.

• If you live in another state for part of the year, check if the plan will cover you there.

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3. Join the plan. Once you choose a plan, you can:

• Select “Enroll” for the plan you want to join.

• Contact the plan to join. You can call them or visit their website. You can also ask for a paper form to fill out and mail back to the plan, but they must get it before your enrollment period ends.

• Call us at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.