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The intent of this page and the tabs below is to provide you with access to information that will help you understand Medicare and pre-age 65 health care plans. |
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Open Enrollment 2009 - Calendar of Events for Retirees |
WHEN |
WHAT |
Nov 15 |
National Medicare Open Enrollment begins for Plan Year 2010. Medicare insurance companies provide Medicare Advantage, Medicare Medigap supplement insurance and Prescription Drug facts and figures. |
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Dec 30 |
National Medicare Open Enrollment 2009 for Plan Year 2010 ends. | ||
» This is the season for health care plan enrollments
(1) Many retirees will be required to make decisions about their 2010 health care and prescription drug coverage during the months or October, November or December.
(2) If you are Medicare eligible, register yourself at MyMedicare.gov so you can stay current with your Medicare coverage.
» There are many changes expected this year. Existing legislation and regulatory decisions may change many of your plan choices. If health care reform legislation is passed, it will probably make important changes in years to come. Congress may also pass legislation to continue the 2009 Medicare Plan B premium level. This would help Social Security recipients who may not be receiving a 2010 cost of living adjustment to their monthly checks.
Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) will be changing. New plans will be introduced and some existing plans dropped. The most popular Plans C and F will stay.
Effective June 1, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will be revising the Medicare supplement plans by creating new Medicare supplement plans and revising existing plans. Currently there are twelve different standardized Medicare supplement plans in force. After the modernization revisions are implemented, there will be ten plans available (Plans A-D, Plan F, Plan G, and Plans K-N), plus High Deductible Plan F.
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Medicare Advantage subsidies will be lower. Most sources indicate that Medicare subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans will be lower in 2010. This will mean either higher premiums or benefit changes for retirees. While the NRLN Agency feels obligated to make you aware that Medicare Advantage plans exist, the Agency has elected not to offer these plans because Congress may eliminate subsidies for Medicare Advantage plans. If this happens, insurance companies will either increase the premiums or cancel the plans. When the legislative issues are resolved, the NRLN Agency will reconsider its decision.
Prescription drug plans. Medicare has announced "that the average monthly premium that beneficiaries will pay for standard Part D coverage in 2010 will be an increase of $2 over the 2009 average premium." Other changes retirees may see may be a small increase in deductibles and some co-pays. Commercial plans will announce these changes in early November.
Pre-Medicare health care plans. The much discussed draft Health Care Reform legislation has special provisions for retirees whose age is between 50 and 64. Whether, and when, these would be applied depends on the outcome of this legislation.
» One of your most important decisions, if you have an employer-sponsored health care and prescription drug plan, is whether to continue with the plans, or to use commercial plans. The NRLN Agency doesn't take a position on these two options - other than to provide you as much information as possible for you to reach your own conclusion.