Leah Kari, Local Licensed Insurance Agent and Retired Pharmaceutical Representative
Your Medicare health insurance plan coverage is not something to “set and forget.” If you haven’t reviewed your plan in months or years, it can be tempting to think, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Medicare plans can change yearly, and your health, prescriptions, providers, budget, and daily needs can change, too. That is why a Medicare plan review is a smart step to take.
Reviewing your Medicare plan is helpful any time of year, not only when changes are on the horizon. Check in with your enrolling agent to help you better understand how your plan and benefits work. Are you using your coverage in ways that support your health and finances? A post-enrollment review may also uncover a useful benefit that could otherwise go unused.
How long will this take? Plan on 20 to 30 minutes by phone, Zoom, or in person with your enrolling agent. If you contact your carrier directly, the conversation may take longer because of possible waiting times. The goal is not to start over from scratch; it is to review how your plan works and revisit benefits that may have seemed unimportant when you first enrolled.
What should I prepare? Bring an updated list of prescriptions and your current doctors, specialists, hospitals, and pharmacies. This is especially important if you are enrolled in plans with network providers or preferred pharmacies that may help lower your out-of-pocket costs.
During the review, you can check how your prescriptions are being covered, and confirm that your pharmacy is in the preferred network status for your plan, since using a preferred pharmacy generally offers lower costs.
When should I do this review? A plan review can make sense any time you have questions about benefits or how you are using your coverage. It is especially important when you are leaving employer coverage due to retirement, relocating, aging into Medicare, becoming eligible due to disability, or the enrollment period for annual plan changes.
Why should I review my current coverage? A review gives you a fresh look at your plan’s structure and benefits. When you first enrolled, you may have received a large amount of information at once. Some details may have been hard to absorb, and some benefits may not have seemed relevant at the time. Later, those same benefits may become useful.
Even if you are happy with your current plan, a conversation can uncover savings, improved drug coverage, better provider access, or extra benefits that support everyday wellness. It can also answer questions that have come up since enrollment and give you added confidence that your coverage is still working for you.
Leah Kari, AMR, FHIAS, specializes in showing Medicare eligible people their insurance options. Reach Leah at 520-484-3807 (TTY users dial 711) or email leah@leahkarisolutions.com.