Medicare open enrollment brings change

Medicare open enrollment begins Tuesday, Oct. 15, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 7. With it comes the opportunity for beneficiaries to make changes to their Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, if they choose to. The Minnesota Board on Aging’s Senior LinkAge Line can help Minnesotans on Medicare navigate changes and ensure they have a plan Jan. 1 that meets their needs.

Each year brings changes to Medicare rules and regulations and to the plans themselves. This year’s most notable change is the revamping of Medicare’s Plan Finder tool, which people use to enroll in or change Medicare plans. Medicare has completely revamped this online tool to provide a better, more personalized user experience. In most cases, users should create, and log in to, a MyMedicare account to do a personalized search. This allows the user to access their current coverage and compare that with other plans.

“Even if you’re happy with your current coverage, it’s still a good idea to review all of your options, said Kari Benson, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging. “It’s important to make sure that things that are important to you, including your prescriptions, are still covered and that the plan is affordable and lets you access to the doctors, clinics and pharmacies you prefer.”

Minnesota has more than one million people on Medicare, and that number is growing. The Senior LinkAge Line helps Minnesotans understand Medicare and explore their options by providing unbiased, comprehensive Medicare counseling. You can reach them by calling 1-800-333-2433 or go to SeniorLinkAgeLine.com, click on "contact us" and select "chat" Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.