Days Running Short for Senior Citizens to Change
Medicare Drug Plan for 2010
Senior should check to see if their drug plans, or
their drug needs have changed
Click
image for CBS video discussing the ease of sorting on the
Medicare drug options. Opens with short commercial.
Dec. 7, 2009 - Maybe senior citizens have already
grown tired of searching for a new Medicare drug program each year. Or,
maybe most are satisfied that little is changing in the plan they have
or their needs. Not checking, while the window is open for making
changes, however, could be a costly mistake. Checking for options has
become much easier, as explained in the CBS video with this news report.
Medicares annual Open Enrollment period began on
Nov. 15 and is open until midnight on December 31. It is the time when
all people with Medicare can review and, if necessary, change their
current health care coverage.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
is encouraging senior citizens and other Medicare beneficiaries to take
advantage of this period to make
sure they have the best coverage available to meet their healthcare
needs in 2010.
Medicare beneficiaries will continue to have a
wide range of health and drug plan options in 2010, including Original
Medicare, said Jonathan Blum, director of the Center for Medicare
Management and the acting director of the Center for Drug and Health
Plan Choice.
Beneficiaries can go to www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to make changes
in their Medicare prescription drug and health coverage.
Medicare's Annual Open Enrollment is from Nov. 15 -
Dec. 31
Each year drug and other plans change what they cost and what they
cover. The next general open enrollment starts on November 15, 2009.
During this time, people with Medicare can add, drop or change their
prescription drug coverage. They can also select a health plan for their
2010 coverage.
You'll find helpful Medicare tools and information
on this page. Use these resources to compare the cost or benefits of
Medicare health plans in your area.
Get answers to your Medicare
questions. Learn how to lower health care costs and stay healthy.
People in Original Medicare without prescription
drug coverage can enroll in a drug plan or health plan that offers drug
coverage during Open Enrollment.
Few people make annual changes in any of their
Medicare options except for Medicare Part D - the prescription drug
program.
Senior citizens are most likely to make changes in
their drug program for several reasons, including -
● changes in prescription drugs they require from one year to the
next,
● changes in the prices the drug plans charge,
● changes in the drugs covered by various plans, or
● other plan changes.
Beneficiaries and their advocates, therefore, need
to review their drug coverage carefully; the drug plan that worked for
an individual in 2009 may not be the best option in 2010.
The Standard Prescription Drug Benefit for 2010
The benefit design for the standard benefit changes
each year. The standard benefit for 2010 is:
● Annual Deductible Maximum - $310
● Member pays 25% of the next $2,520, which will
equal $630 ($2520x25%=$630)
● Initial Benefit Period Maximum (what the
member AND the plan have spent) - $2,830 ($310+$2520)
● DONUT HOLE: Member pays 100% of the next
$3,610
● Catastrophic Coverage Begins when member (NOT
plan) has spent a total of $4,550
● Cost sharing during Catastrophic Coverage is
$2.50 generic/$6.30 brand or 5% (whichever is higher)
This information was provided by the
Center for Medicare Advocacy,
which is a source of helpful information for senior citizens on the drug
program.
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