IBM Medicare Via Benefits Medicare Brochures and Fall Enrollment for 2022

 In the last post I provided a link to a specific Medicare brochure about Medicare coverage of "Home Care".  There are 97 more brochures available on www.medicare.gov describing Medicare coverage in great detail that range from the coverage for diabetic equipment to the structure of Medicare prescription drug insurance. Some of them are excellent! I suggest you go to the site and look through the whole list: https://www.medicare.gov/publications  

     

This is the time of year to refresh your Medicare knowledge and get ready for Fall Open Enrollment.  FOE runs from October 15 thru December 7 and during that time you can change your Medicare coverage for 2022.  In September, you will get an "Annual Notice of Change" from your Medicare insurance providers.  Look at it!  Make sure the plan you currently have is still the right plan for you in 2022. 

     

 For those on Original Medicare, that means it's the time to make sure your part D drug insurance will continue to cover your prescriptions and do it at "best price" in 2022.  If not, enroll in a new plan!  If the part D insurance is how you "get" IBM HRA funding because it is the only insurance you buy through them, then work with Via Benefit to find a better plan.  If not, call 1-800-MEDICARE (633-4227) to get help and enroll or do it online at www.medicare.gov (find a plan) before December 8, 2021.  The FOE is NOT for your Medicare Supplement (aka medigap). The rules on when, or if, you can change your medigap depend on your state.  Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program to find out the rules if you want to make a change as sometimes Via Benefits has inaccurate answers (you can find the state organization phone number at https://www.shiphelp.org/)

   

For those on Medicare Advantage plans, call Via Benefits or go to the website to find out what plans they sell.  You must buy your MA plan through Via to get your HRA money because you must buy a "Medicare plan" to get the money (dental and vision insurance do not count). Make sure the doctors you want to use will take a plan you want to use, the drugs you take are on their formulary, AND what the "Maximum Out Of Pocket" is in 2022 (in 2021 it can be as high as $7,550). Investigate these things, whether for your current plan or for a plan you might want to buy in 2022.