By DEBRA WOOD
SHICK Counselor
If there is one mantra for the open enrollment season, it’s “review your options.”
Most people are only allowed to make changes to their Medicare drug coverage during fall open enrollment. SHICK Counselors are available Wednesdays and Thursdays between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Salina Senior Center, 245 N. Ninth Street, to provide free, unbiased, assistance during the Medicare open enrollment period. Open enrollment begins October 15 and continues through December 7, with 2019 Medicare plan coverage beginning January 1, 2019.
SHICK stands for Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas.
If you have a Medicare Part D plan, you should review all of your options even if you are happy with your current coverage, because plans change their costs and benefits every year. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which you should have received from your plan by September 30. It will list the changes in your plan, such as the premium and copays, and will compare the benefits in 2019 with those in 2018.
Pay particular attention to coverage. If your current plan is dropping one of your medication from its formulary, or moving it to a different tier, your current plan may not be the best choice for 2019.
Kansans will have 26 Part D plans to choose from in 2019, three more than the current year. Premiums range from $16.20 to $99.50. Those who are taking no prescription medications and looking for the cheapest premium for their coverage will have new options available for 2019.
Beneficiaries who qualify for the Low Income Subsidy, or Extra Help program, have the same four plans that qualify as $0 premium plan. There are more plans that have coverage for some drugs during the deductible phase, and fewer plans that will have coverage in the gap. Beneficiaries falling into the coverage gap, or donut hole, and enrolled in a plan without coverage in the gap, will pay 25% of the full cost for brand name drugs and 37% of the cost for generic drugs once the full cost of their medications reaches $3,820.
Beneficiaries enrolled in the Federal Employee Health Benefits program do not need a separate Medicare Part D plan. Those who have retiree coverage or who obtain their medications from the VA may not need to compare plans either, though comparing will tell them if they might be able to save money.
Shop around to find a plan that best meets your needs and makes the most financial sense for you. If you would like assistance with the process, call the Salina Senior Center at 785-827-9818 to make an appointment in Salina, or your local K-State Research and Extension office, or an Area Agency on Aging, in other areas.
Debra Wood is a Family Resource Management Agent with K-State Research and Extension — Central Kansas District. A trained SHICK counselor herself, Wood coordinates the SHICK counseling program offered at the Salina Senior Center in conjunction with the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging.