Medicare Open Enrollment takes place each year between October 15th and December 7th. During the Open Enrollment period, you can check to see whether you have the right Medicare plan to cover your physicians and pharmaceuticals. You can check to see whether a Medicare Advantage Plan would give you similar or better coverage for a lesser price (e.g., some advantage plans include dental, vision and hearing coverage). You can change your Part D coverage plan.
To join any Medicare health plan, generally, you 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.
In most cases, the best place to find information regarding what basic Medicare covers is in the annual Medicare & You handbook. Once you know what is (and isn’t) covered under basic Medicare, then you’ll be better prepared to review different supplement and advantage plans.
