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"Marci’s Medicare Answers"
November 2006
Dear Marci:
I didn’t sign up for a Medicare drug plan this year but am thinking about it for next year. Can I still sign up?
-- Scarlet
Dear Scarlet:
You can sign up for a Medicare drug plan between November 15 and December 31 each year. This is called the Annual Coordinated Election Period, and your drug coverage begins January 1. When choosing a Medicare private drug plan, remember that different plans cover different drugs at different prices and have different monthly premiums. Make sure that the plan you sign up for will work with any other health coverage that you have, such as a Medicare Advantage plan or retiree coverage. If you want to stay in Original Medicare, you must choose a stand-alone drug plan (PDP). You may have to pay a premium penalty if you have not previously had drug coverage that is as good as the standard Medicare drug benefit (“creditable”). For more information you can call 800-MEDICARE.
Dear Marci:
Last year I signed up for a Medicare drug plan and it took a lot of time to find one that covered all of my prescriptions. Can I keep my plan next year or do I have to find one all over again?
-- Billy
Dear Billy:
As long as your plan is still in business next year you can keep it, but you should check to make sure it still covers the medications you need at a price you can afford. A plan can change its list of covered drugs (“formulary”). Your plan should send you information this fall telling you how its costs and coverage are changing.. Before you decide whether to stay with your Medicare drug plan, call the plan and make sure that it is still affordable and will continue to cover your prescriptions. Everyone who has a Medicare private drug plan has the opportunity to choose a new plan for next year between November 15 and December 31.
Dear Marci:
Breast cancer runs in my family and, since this month is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I’d like to get a mammogram. Will Medicare cover this?
-- Anne
Dear Anne:
Getting a mammogram is a good idea since breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in American women. Medicare will pay 80 percent of the cost for one screening mammogram every year if you are 40 or older ( 80 percent of the cost of one baseline mammogram if you are 35 to 39 years old). Medicare will cover this screening even if you haven’t yet reached your Part B deductible. A mammogram can identify breast cancer while in its early stages when the most treatment options are still available.
Marci’s Medicare Answers is a service of the Medicare Rights Center (www.medicarerights.org), the nation’s largest independent source of information and assistance for people with Medicare. To speak with a counselor, call (800) 333-4114 ext 1. To subscribe to “Dear Marci,” MRC’s free educational e-newsletter, simply e-mail dearmarci@medicarerights.org.
Medicare Rights Center
www.medicarerights.org
