People Over 65 Who Miss Initial Medicare Part B Enrollment Window Can Face Coverage Gaps
Unless covered by an employer plan, people should sign up for Part B in the recommended time frame around their 65th birthday, but there are several problems that keep many from doing so. News on Medicare enrollment season comes out of Minnesota and Arizona, as well.
The New York Times:
Why You Shouldn’t Wait To Sign Up For Medicare Part B
[George Zeppenfeldt-Cestero] should have signed up for Medicare Part B three years earlier when he turned 65. By delaying, he had missed the best window — the so-called Initial Enrollment Period — to apply for Part B, which covers much of what we consider health care: doctor visits, tests, injectable drugs (including chemotherapy), ambulances, physical therapy and other non-hospital services. As a result, he has to pay permanently higher premiums, and he had to endure an unsettlingly long period — from December to July — before the coverage actually kicked in. (Span, 10/27)
The Star Tribune:
Medicare Shift Tightens Doctor, Clinic Networks In Minnesota
Big changes in the state’s Medicare market highlight the need for shoppers to check which doctors and hospitals are part of the network when sizing up new health plan options. More than 300,000 people in Minnesota are being pushed into new coverage for 2019, and they are finding a market with more Medicare Advantage plans that limit the number of doctors and hospitals providing care at lower in-network rates. (Snowbeck, 10/27)
Arizona Republic:
Tips For Arizonans On Medicare To Avoid Getting Scammed
The federal government says Arizona seniors should be on the alert for scams related to new Medicare cards. The new cards are red, white and blue and will be arriving in the mail, if they haven't already — all of Arizona's 1.3 million beneficiaries are getting them and mailing began in September, officials with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services say. (Innes, 10/26)
