Open enrollment in October is the only thing they have in common, but it can lead to mistakes, errors and confusion.
If you are in Medicare, you DON’T have to register on any of the Obamacare exchanges, and you DON’T have to make any alterations in your coverage.
You can’t go on the special Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange, the marketplace exchanges, to buy an insurance policy. Anyone who tries to sell you an exchange policy is committing a felony under federal law.
“Make sure that you’re reviewing Medicare plans and not Marketplace options,” advises the “Medicare & the Marketplace” website.
Your Medicare open enrollment season runs from October 15 until December 7, giving you the chance to decided if you want to stay in original Medicare, with access to all participating doctors and hospitals, or switch to an HMO under Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage. The Part C plans require you to get your care from a limited network of doctors and hospitals, but you will get some extra benefits such as drug coverage.
Those who stay in the original Medicare program, which does not cover prescription drugs, will use the open enrollment period to select a drug plan, known as Medicare Part D. Plan premiums may change each year, and even more important, the plans may change their drug formularies- their lists of approved medications-and what they charge for the drugs. Go to Medicare.gov, starting October 15, and enter your medications, and you can see which plans cover those drugs and at what prices.
Medicare information is available at 1-800-633-4227 . You can ask about Medicare Advantage Part C plans or the Part D drug plans. Remember that all of these plans can be researched and selected through the Medicare.gov website.
Medicare coverage has been improved by some provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
Here are some tests covered without charge for people enrolled in Medicare.
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm one-time screening for men of specified ages who have ever smoked
- Alcohol Misuse screening and counseling
- Aspirin use to prevent cardiovascular disease for men and women of certain ages
- Blood Pressure screening for all adults
- Cholesterol screening for adults of certain ages or at higher risk
- Colorectal Cancer screening for adults over 50
- Depression screening for adults
- Diabetes (Type 2) screening for adults with high blood pressure
- Diet counseling for adults at higher risk for chronic disease
- HIV screening for everyone ages 15 to 65, and other ages at increased risk
- Immunization vaccines for adults–doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations vary
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Herpes Zoster
- Human Papillomavirus
- Influenza (Flu Shot)
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella
- Vaccines : Meningococcal, Pneumococcal Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis Varicella
- . Obesity screening and counseling for all adults
Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention counseling for adults at higher risk
Syphilis screening for all adults at higher risk
Tobacco Use screening for all adults and cessation interventions for tobacco users
