Suzie and I have been working with Health and Medicare Plans for years. What happens when my medicare advantage plan leaves? It comes up frequently during the initial enrollment period. The quick answer is we go through the different options and select a different one at that time.
We have seen Molina & Premera paid plans leave our Chelan County. Lifewise leave and come back, Moda leaves the state, Soundpath Health Medicare Advantage wave goodbye to North Central Washington. We have been taking care of the entire Washington state for over eleven years.
It is tough when a plan that you are comfortable with
cannot continue in your area. Not every county in Washington state has Medicare
Advantage plans. The insurance company has to identify that there is enough
people who qualify, obtain contracts with providers in the area, and have enough
profits that can be made in the area to continue to operate.
Every year, some Medicare Advantage plans may leave the
Medicare program by Dec. 31. You should receive a letter from the plan by Oct.
2 explaining your options. Surprises in health insurance, especially in Medicare
can be rough.
Suzie has been around long enough that she worked
with Soundpath Health Medicare Advantage Customers when that
Insurance Plan left in 2019. Suzie has worked with a wide variety of insurance
companies from around the state and we built out action plans over the years to
work through a customer’s option so that a transfer from one company to the
next is as easy as possible.
When can I join a new Medicare Advantage plan?
The three most common Medicare Advantage plan enrollment
periods are the:
- Initial
Coverage Enrollment Period when you first join Medicare Parts A and B
usually around your 65th birthday.
- The
Annual Enrollment Period, Oct. 15 – Dec. 7.
- Medicare
Advantage Open Enrollment Period, Jan. 1 – March 31 each
year if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan then you can change to another
plan.
In addition to these three enrollment periods, because your
plan is leaving Medicare, you also get a Special Enrollment Period in which you have
two options:
1. Join a
different Medicare Advantage plan from Dec. 8 to the last day of February.
or
2. Join a
new Medicare Part D stand-alone plan from Dec. 8 to the last day of February (this
automatically enrolls you in Original Medicare). This also allows you to enroll
in a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) plan within 63 days after your Medicare
Advantage plan ends.
The company offering the Medigap plan must take you if you
choose a B-N plan and you don’t have to take a health screen.
Note: If you’re under age 65 on Medicare due to
disability, you might not be able to get a Medigap.
Whichever option you choose, your new plan starts the first
day of the month after you switch. To avoid a coverage gap you should sign up with a new plan before Dec. 31.
Whenever Suzie sees
a large shift Medicare Shift, we recommend setting an appointment as early as
possible. We have seen people miss the deadlines and it makes for a tough year.
For the appointment, you will need:
- Fill
out a Scope of Appointment at
least 24 hours in advance
- Bring
your red, white, and blue Medicare Card
- Bring
any doctor’s names or medications that you would like for us to look up
If you enroll during the Annual Enrollment Period in a
Medicare Advantage Plan and discover that it is not a good fit then we change
during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment which runs January 1st through March 31st. Yes, you have options before the next Annual
Enrollment Period
If you find yourself with a Medicare Advantage plan leaving your area in Washington state then talking with Suzie can help sort out your options.
Topics: Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Suzie, Wenatchee Insurance,
Hospital Insurance, Prescription Drug Coverage, Part D, Medical Insurance,
Disability, Medicare Part C, Chelan County, Grant County, Douglas County,
Okanogan County,
 |
| office is on 413 N Mission, Wenatchee |
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