Medicare Open Enrollment occurs each year from October 15 through December 7. Insurance companies are allowed to advertise on TV and via mail, after the approval of their ads by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. They are NOT allowed to contact you via phone or come to your door, unless you have invited them to do so. The only exception to that is your current Medicare insurance provider.
Some mailed ads can look as if they’re official Medicare correspondence requiring that you act, or else! Get out a magnifying glass, if needed. If it is an advertisement, it will say so, but it is usually in very small print.
These ads can be alluring, with generous over-the-counter debit cards to pay for non-prescription drugs, food, or utility bills. Use caution. Find out if they’re valid at stores that you use, and always ask for the max out-of-pocket cost for the policy to make sure that it’s not far higher than your current plan. You’d need to decide if saving a few hundred dollars at the store is worth the risk of sometimes thousands of dollars more in copays.
We urge you to look through all mail for your “Annual Notice of Change” from your current provider. It will detail changes to your policy price, benefits, or medications. The list of covered meds can be found on their website, or you can call them to receive a copy in the mail. We do recommend that you review your plan to make sure it’s still your best choice at Medicare.gov or call the MMAP office to make an appointment. We can help you with that.
MMAP (Michigan Medicare Assistance Program) has offices in every Michigan county. Reach us at (800) 803-7174. MMAP is a free Medicare counseling service provided to you via state and federal funds.