Your Plymouth insurance agent at EnviZion Insurance get asked the question many times. Should I check my Medicare plan annually during the annual election period? And if so, why? There are a few reasons why we recommend that every person on Medicare take a look at the plans available to them each year. And we will start with a couple here that are very, very important for every person on Medicare. Your Plymouth insurance agent has seen over the years that plans can change, especially in Minnesota where we have seen some bigger changes in the last few years, such as the Medicare Cost Plans removed from the Twin Cities area at the end of 2018.
On a base level, making sure that your current plan that you are on is going to stay as a offered plan is a huge reason why to double check every year your insurance company that you have with Medicare will show, send you a letter explaining the changes that are happening to your plan. And let’s see, that’s a great thing to review to start. And that has always sent right around the annual election period time. The first reason why we recommend every person to check their plans specifically is because providers and networks can change. When it comes to Medicare advantage plans. Your Plymouth insurance agent has seen many times a plan remove providers from their plan and that those doctors that were in network one year now become out of network the next year. This can be very problematic for people, especially because many people have doctors that they have seen for many, many years and need them to be in network because of their history of care and for many other reasons like just comfortable being comfortable with your doctor or being in a group of doctors that is needed for your particular health situation.
Checking for your providers is one thing that your Plymouth insurance agent can do and if you do not do this, sometimes there can be surprises. Again, the change in benefits page that is sent to you or pages that are sent to can be a great place to start, but checking the provider lists and making sure your doctors are still in the network for your plan is a key component of our annual check. As Plymouth insurance agents at EnviZion Insurance. The second reason and it’s on the same lines as providers, is prescription drug formularies. The same sort of reasons why we check providers is the same reasons that we check prescriptions every year. Formularies for prescriptions are unique to each company and many times different for specific plans and certain prescriptions can be dropped from coverage, increase in price, and sometimes even decrease in price.
As your Plymouth insurance agent. Our goal is to make sure that you do not have any unforeseen or surprise payments that you would not have had previously and not checking your the formulary every year can be a reason for this to happen. If the prescription you are on is not covered any longer or goes up on a tear and is much more expensive, this may be caused for you to look at other plans in your area to find a plan that will cover that prescription at a lower cost that will be more beneficial for you.
Again, as you’re a Plymouth insurance agent this is part of our normal review annually with all of our clients to make sure that these things are all in place, that you have great understanding of your plan and that you will be comfortable and in a good position for the next year. Also as your Plymouth insurance agent, we think it’s just a great idea for you to be comfortable and reassured in the plan that you are on. So although these changes can happen that we previously talked about, there can also be many positive changes to a plan and added benefits to a plan that a consumer on Medicare you can take advantage of. For example, maybe your plan does not cover transportation to a doctor and you, that’s something that you need and now the plan decides to change that feature and add transportation. Again, this is usually going to be covered in your change of plan information you receive, but taking a deeper dive into the plan and making sure you have full understanding of it is a great idea.
Also as things change over the years, we are seeing more and more added benefits as far as the dental vision and hearing that have been a great benefit for many people. So not only does your Plymouth insurance agent help protect you from changes to your plan that may hurt you financially or puts you in a tougher position, but we also want to make sure that you’re taking full advantage of the plan that you have and knowing all the benefits that are available to you as your Plymouth insurance agent. We want to make sure that you fully understand your plan, that you understand the benefits of it, you understand the changes each year and that you go into the next calendar year feeling comfortable and ready and with great understanding of the plan that you have. One of our Plymouth insurance agents at EnviZion Insurance would be glad to review your plan with you, especially during the annual election period when you have that opportunity to switch plans, or if you just have some questions about the plan you’re currently on and would like to take a look at them and have someone review them with you. Our agents are always available to do that and we’ll take the time to help you understand your current plan.
If you would like to have a review like this or have any other questions, feel free to contact your Plymouth insurance agent at EnviZion Insurance at any time and we will help you review your plan and answer any questions that you have.