Q: When do I enroll?
A: The annual enrollment period for Medicare Advantage plans begins earlier this year and ends sooner. It runs from October 15 through December 7, 2011!
Q: Where do I get information on plans available in my area?
A: There are various ways to know which plans sell products where you live. It is based on your county of residence.
- You can talk with an area insurance broker/agent who sells Medicare Advantage products.
- You can visit www.ncshiip.com. This is the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) that is dedicated to providing free, unbiased insurance advice to Medicare beneficiaries.
- You can call SHIIP at 1-800-443-9354.
- You can visit www.medicare.gov. This is the official government site for Medicare. On that page, select “Compare Drug and Health Plans” under the “Finding Plans” heading. You can enter your home zip code to find plans in your area.
Finding Plans:
Q: How do I compare benefits from one Medicare Advantage plan to another?
A: You can visit www.medicare.gov mentioned above. Once you enter your zip code per above instructions, you can compare benefits and out-of-pocket expenses from one Medicare Advantage plan to another and you can even compare it to traditional Medicare.
Q: What do I compare across plans?
A: Every Medicare Advantage member must make the decision that is best for him/her. Consider the following:
- Doctors and Hospitals: Do your doctors participate in the plan and does your hospital participate?
- Benefits: Are extra services like eye exams, dental, or hearing aids covered?
- Cost: What will you pay out-of-pocket, including premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance?
- Prescription drugs: Do you need a plan that includes drugs and which ones are covered under formulary?
Q: With which plans does Cornerstone Health Care contract?
A: Cornerstone contracts with the following plans for 2012. This means you can receive care from your Cornerstone physician(s) if you enroll in these plans, and you will receive higher in-network benefits. Please note that if a plan is not listed below, Cornerstone will certainly continue to see you as a patient but you may have higher out-of-pocket expenses.
- Blue Medicare PPO products
- Blue Medicare HMO products
- United Medicare products (including AARP Medicare Complete and special needs plans)
- Universal American Today’s Options PPO products
- Universal American Today’s Options PFFS products
- WellPath/Coventry Advantra PPO products
Thank you for choosing Cornerstone Health Care as your medical home!
