The Many Options of Medicare Coverage

Add comment November 24th, 2009

Medicare is a federal health insurance program available to individuals 65 and older. Since Medicare is fundamentally a health insurance program, it comes with the complex options and limitations of any other health insurance program, such as premiums, deductibles, copays and exclusions.  Choosing the best coverage to suit your individual health care needs is no easy task, since Medicare has several components and offerings.  Recipients have many important choices to make regarding their plan, such as whether to choose Medicare D drug coverage along with their traditional Medicare, or to opt for a Medicare Advantage plan, which is a private-carrier package that groups many benefits together.  There are many Medicare Advantage plans currently available.

The annual Medicare enrollment period is from November 15 through December 31.  Welecia Konrad of the New York Times has recently published two clarifying articles designed to help enrollees make the best decisions possible when choosing their health coverage.  The article “Nearly 65? Time for the Medicare Maze” is for first-time enrollees.  The article “Now Is the Time to Weigh Medicare Options” is for those already enrolled in Medicare, and explains whether making changes to your current plan may or may not be the best idea for your individual situation.

Be sure look into all of your options and to sign up for your new coverage before the Medicare enrollment period ends.