How to use Medicare.gov to help you find a plan – Lance Henderson Insurance Solutions

I use this constantly when helping people understand the options available to them, when it comes to Medicare plans. It is an empowering tool. If you already have a plan, you can check to see how your medications look under that plan,and if perhaps another plan may be better suited. Keep in mind, if you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, that they differ quite a bit from one another.

The Annual Open Enrollment Period is coming up this October 15th. BUT, you can check Medicare.gov as early as Oct 1st to get a peek at what the plans look like. But there are a few things you will want to do before looking.

Determine what kind of plan you have. Have you a Medicare Advantage plan OR do you have a Medicare Supplement
1. If you have a supplement, and like the way the MEDICAL piece works, but are just wondering about part D (prescription drug) costs, then you will be searching for PART D plans with Original Medicare.
2. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan then you will need to know MORE about the plans you search on Medicare.gov, other than just how the medication coverage works with it. You will want to know how the Doctor Network looks and IF your doctors are included in the plan. You will also want to know about the various costs that you would be responsible for under the plans.
Put together a list of your medications. You will want to copy the information from your medication bottles. What you will need is:
1. the name of the medication (spelling is important)
2. the strength (ex: 10mg, 1000mcg, 1% etc..)
3. the form (tablets, Caplets, cream, ointment)
4. how many per day you take
Have a list of the doctors/specialists so you can verify if they take the plan you are considering.
1. If you are considering a supplement, then you simply need to ask them if they accept Original Medicare. The supplement just supports Original Medicare. you can actually check Medicare’s website to find particular Doctors: https://www.medicare.gov/physiciancompare/search.html
2. If you are considering a Medicare Advantage plan, then you will want the plan to validate that your doctors are covered in their plan.

The Annual Open Enrollment Period is coming up this October 15th. BUT, you can check Medicare.gov as early as Oct 1st to get a peek at what the plans look like. But there are a few things you will want to do before looking.

Determine what kind of plan you have. Have you a Medicare Advantage plan OR do you have a Medicare Supplement

If you have a supplement, and like the way the MEDICAL piece works, but are just wondering about part D (prescription drug) costs, then you will be searching for PART D plans with Original Medicare.

Put together a list of your medications. You will want to copy the information from your medication bottles. What you will need is:

the name of the medication (spelling is important)

the strength (ex: 10mg, 1000mcg, 1% etc..)

the form (tablets, Caplets, cream, ointment)

how many per day you take

Have a list of the doctors/specialists so you can verify if they take the plan you are considering.

If you are considering a supplement, then you simply need to ask them if they accept Original Medicare. The supplement just supports Original Medicare. you can actually check Medicare’s website to find particular Doctors: https://www.medicare.gov/physiciancompare/search.html

If you are considering a Medicare Advantage plan, then you will want the plan to validate that your doctors are covered in their plan.