It is important for seniors and their families to know when it’s time to enroll for Medicare or to change their Medicare coverage plan. Signing up for a Medicare account is necessary to get started with enrolling into a Medicare coverage plan. The Medicare.gov website has great resources and a guide to plan for year one (first year of coverage) for a Medicare coverage plan.
Many seniors are unaware that there is an initial Medicare enrollment period that starts 3 months before one’s 65th birthday and ends 3 month after. Second, there are two time periods for enrollment to know about: the general and open Medicare enrollment periods. The Medicare’s General Enrollment Period is from January 1-March 31 and coverage will start July 1st. In the fall, Medicare’s annual open enrollment period is from October 15-December 7, to join a coverage, drop, or switch plans. The annual open enrollment is the best time to join a Medicare health or drug coverage plan. Lastly, there is a special enrollment period for people with special circumstances.
Here is a breakdown on Medicare parts. Medicare consists of four main parts:
Medicare Part A – Covers hospital-related services and emergency cares
Medicare Part B – Covers doctor’s office visits
Medicare Part C – Covers both Part A & B with additional coverage
Medicare Part D – Covers prescription drugs
The Medicare coverage plans are broken up into the Original Medicare (Part A, Part B, or both), Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Part D, and Medicare supplemental (Medigap plan). These are different Medicare coverage plans that one can pick from or group together if eligible. Please check out these articles done by Louise Norris, a health insurance broker, the 10 factors in deciding between the Medicare coverage or plans and the Medicare Open Enrollment 2021 Guide. It goes into detail about the coverage plans, coverages costs, and eligibility details, and how to change coverage. Also, Medicare also works with other health insurances or coverages, which you can learn more about here. Hopefully, with these resources, you can start with planning for an enrollment and pick which Medicare coverage is a best fit.
If you or your elderly loved one is in need of further assistance or have general questions, WellPath Partners offers many different resources and services for seniors and their family members. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for help!
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By: Hilda Huambachano
Placement Coordinator at WellPath Partners
B.S. in Health Science & Biology at San Diego State University
MPH Candidate at California State University, Long Beach
