Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment (Jan.-March): Gone in 2011
April 2010: Medicare Advantage members will have only one chance to change their Advantage plan later this year, between November 15th and December 31st. After January 1, they will be locked into their Advantage plan for 2011- unless they decide to dis-enroll from their Advantage plan and go back to Medicare. From January 1st to February 15th, seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans will be allowed to dis-enroll from their plan. And if their Advantage plan included a drug plan, they will be allowed to sign up for a stand-alone Part D plan to replace the drug coverage that was in their Medicare Advantage plan.
For many years (and in 2010), people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans were able to switch from one plan to another during the months of January, February, and March. This “Open Enrollment Period” will not be available in 2011.
In November this year (2010), it will be very important for seniors to review the materials they receive from their Medicare Advantage plan – in case their plan makes some big changes. If they want to shop around for another Advantage plan, they will only have November 15th to December 31st to do so. If they discover in January that their plan no longer works for them, they will be unable to change to another Advantage plan. Their only recourse will be to dis-enroll from their Advantage plan and go back to Medicare (and pick up a Part D plan).
This past January, February and March, quite a few seniors realized their Health Net plan had introduced a $36 monthly premium. Several thousand people did not realize this until the company sent them a coupon book at the very end of December. Everyone had received an Annual Notice of Change at the end of October, but many people had not read the mail from their plan. Health Net sent out a letter in January warning people that they would be dropped if they did not pay the monthly premium – and shocked folks into action. These people had the opportunity during the first three months of the year to shop around and change to another Advantage plan. They will not have the same option in 2011.
I also heard from a number of people who did not realize until the new year that their Advantage plan was no longer covering one of their drugs. They had missed the notification that had been sent to them at the end of October (as required by Medicare) and when they went to refill their prescriptions in January or February, the pharmacy informed them that their plan no longer covered the drug. These seniors were able to change to another Advantage plan in February or March, 2010. But in 2011, they will be stuck with their Advantage plan.
Things are going to be interesting later this year and early next year.
You would think since we are dealing with seniors that they could give them more time to realize if a plan will work for them or not. as an agent it is hard enough to keep up with the ever changes crap that goes on with medicare rules and changes. You mean to tell me they have one month to decide if this MAPD will work for them or not, what if they don’t go to a doctor in this time. The goverment is making this verydifficult for us all. Lets just reexamine this. We call this reform? Why not just open it up, Just like any medical plan, those of us that aren’t on medicare don’t have a window, and can change when we feel the need. This is so frustrating to everyone specially to seniors. I could go on and on but I know I’m just wasting my time writing this, it just feels good to vent. wake up america!
If Advantage plans change a lot this year, it will be chaos between Nov 15 and Dec. 31. I’m not so sure there will be huge changes this year, but next year…. With 25% of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage- and 45% in Phoenix and Tucson – and 40%+ in many areas of the country….if a lot of these seniors complain, they might have to open up the enrollment period again.
The new AEP (in 2011 the dates will be October 7 -December 15th) is like the annual enrollment period for federal government employees. They only get one chance to change plans each year- as is the case with many employer health plans. If seniors end up in plans that don’t work for them, there will be a big outcry to revert to the old system. We’ll have to wait and see how that goes.