Medicare and Confusion

October 22, 2014 Leave a comment


It’s a confusing time for Medicare recipients. They need to wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun, then they go inside and have to turn on more lights to see. They are told to wear ear plugs to protect their hearing, then need hearing aids in order to hear!

No wonder people are confused when it comes to Medicare…they turned 65 and think they have their insurance figured out because they now qualify for Medicare, but no, here is this annual Medicare Open Enrollment that just adds to the confusion.

Don’t dismay…the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) is on its way to ease your confusion and help you make the best use of your health dollars.

SHIIP is part of the Nebraska Department of Insurance and its purpose is to help senior citizens understand the entire Medicare program and offer help comparing and enrolling in different parts of Medicare.

Open Enrollment is from October 15 through December 7 each year. During this time current Medicare recipients may make changes to their health and/or drug plans.

Some Medicare recipients are still working and are covered by their employers insurance. In that case, if they already have prescription drug coverage as good as or better than what Medicare offers they don’t need to do anything until they retire from their job.

Many other Medicare recipients need to take this annual Open Enrollment opportunity to check their health and drug coverage (if they are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan) or just their drug coverage if they have Original Medicare Part A & B, with a supplement.

You won’t know if you could have saved money if you don’t check your prescriptions against the 2015 Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and there are 30 of them to compare against! How can you possibly compare with that many? The easiest way is to call your local University of Nebraska Extension Office and make an appointment to meet with a SHIIP volunteer. These are trained volunteers who are only looking out for you, not any pharmacy, drug or insurance company.

Open Enrollment sessions are scheduled in Fremont this Thursday and Friday, October 23 & 24 from 9:00am-3:00pm at the UNL Extension Office at 1206 West 23rd Street. An enrollment event will also be held in the North Bend Public Library on Thursday, November 6. Call 402-727-2775 for an appointment at either of these Dodge County locations.

Other Medicare comparison events are scheduled in Blair, November 17 and 18 at the UNL Extension office in Washington County at 597 Grant Street. Call 402-426-9455 for an appointment time.

Many Medicare Open Enrollment Events are scheduled in Burt County. To find a date and location that fits your needs call the UNL Extension Office in Burt County at 402-374-2929. Sessions are planned in Craig, Oakland, Lyons, Decatur and Tekamah.

Anyone living anywhere is welcome at any of these events, just call to make an appointment so we have enough computers and volunteers to help.

End your Medicare confusion by attending a Medicare Open Enrollment Comparison Event and make sure you’re not spending more on your prescriptions and/or health care than absolutely necessary.

 

 

Mary Loftis,

Extension Assistant
UNL Extension – Burt County
111 North 13th Street, Suite 6
Tekamah, NE 68061
Phone: (402) 374-2929

Fax: (402) 374-2930

Internet: mloftis2@unl.edu

Mary Loftis

Mary Loftis

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New Medicare Drug Plan

January 16, 2014 Leave a comment


Personal Column

Mary L

Mary Loftis

Mary Loftis

oftis

UNL Extension Assistant

January 3, 2014

 

Your New Medicare Drug Plan – Now What?

 

You’ve got your new Medicare prescription drug plan card for 2014. You need to have a prescription filled…now what?

 

Changing Pharmacies:

If you decided when comparing plans it would be worth your time and money to change pharmacies you may need to plan ahead a little.

  • You may call or go to your doctor and say you are changing pharmacies and ask for new prescriptions. They may offer to call the new pharmacy with your prescriptions rather than giving you a paper copy.
  • Or bring your current prescription bottle or container to your new pharmacy. Tell them you would like to switch your prescription to their pharmacy and they will call your old pharmacy and transfer the prescription(s).
  • If you forget and go to your former pharmacy when you meant to go to a different one, don’t worry about it. You signed up for a drug plan, not a particular pharmacy. You may have a larger co-pay at your old pharmacy, but you can change pharmacies next month to get the savings the rest of the year.

 

Going to the Pharmacy:

When you go to the pharmacy have your new Medicare prescription drug plan card with you and give it to the pharmacist. That way you can make sure the pharmacy has the correct information for your new plan. The pharmacist will check your information on the computer and there should be no problem filling your prescription. It’s a good idea to write on your new card 2014 so you remember it’s the new card since the plans rarely put the year on their cards. Also, you can clean out your billfold and get rid of any old prescription drug plan cards.

 

Picking Up Your Prescriptions:

When you pick up your prescription you may or may not have a co-pay to get your prescription depending on your drugs and your plan. If you have a deductible you may need to pay up to $310 of the full cost of your prescriptions before you start getting the good out of your drug plan.

 

 

Paying the Premium:

Paying the premium raises other questions:

  • You may have decided to pay your premiums by check, but the drug plan has not sent a coupon book or a bill. Don’t worry about it too much. The drug plans are more concerned about getting everyone their plan cards and information so they can get their prescriptions when they need them. After the rush is over they will get to the billing portion of their job and then you’ll need to pay the bill.

 

  • If you want to pay the bill using an Electronic Funds Transfer through your bank you will need to set that up with the prescription drug plan. This will include filling out the plan’s form and providing a voided check. You may need to contact your plan to initiate this type of payment if they didn’t send you the form with your initial information.

 

  • You may have had the premium held out of your Social Security.  If you already received a Social Security Summary stating the wrong company and premium amount for your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, don’t worry. This information was sent out before all the details were finished on Open Enrollment. They will correct it and send the right amount to the right company probably by March. Keep an eye on it, but don’t let it upset you if you still have too much being deducted and going to the wrong company. Social Security should correct it before too long.

 

It’s a new year with your Medicare prescription drug plan. If you have questions don’t be afraid to ask your pharmacist, or you may call the Senior Health Insurance Information Program at 1-800-234-7119 or SHIIP Volunteer, Mary Loftis at 402-374-2929.

 

 

Mary Loftis,

Extension Assistant
UNL Extension – Burt County
111 North 13th Street, Suite 6
Tekamah, NE 68061
Phone: (402) 374-2929

Fax: (402) 374-2930

Internet: mloftis2@unl.edu

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