Why Shouldn't I Change My Medicare Plan?
We hope your current Medicare plan (Supplement, PDP, or Advantage) is working well for you. The annual Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) starts on October 15 and runs through December 7. During this time, annual plan changes can be made for a January 1st effective date. You’re also likely to be flooded with mailers, “free dinner” invitations, celebrity TV ads, and radio commercials, etc. telling you that you should switch your Medicare plan. You may ask yourself, why wouldn’t I change my Medicare plan? There are a few things to consider before you make any changes to something new.
My friend has this plan and loves it.
Your friend’s plan may work well for them and their needs. Or there may be a better option out there for your friend but they only know what they currently have. Either way, you and your friend may find that different plans work better for each of you. Unless everything is the same between you (age, location, doctors, hospital systems, medications, overall health), you likely aren’t getting the plan that’s a good fit for simply based on their suggestion.
The paid actor on TV said I should have this one instead.
Actors, athletes, or other prominent figures are paid to sell you on the idea of a plan. While they are recognizable and may appear trustworthy, they’re only paid to sell you on one specific plan or company and their only goal is to convince you to call so a sales call center representative can “close the sale”.
This plan is slightly less expensive.
While a new plan or company may be a few dollars less per month, sometimes it’s worth considering the headache that comes along with switching something. You’ll need to change your billing with the new insurance company, give your doctors/pharmacy the new ID cards, and dedicate the time to completing the paperwork (with our help). This may be worth it to you, but unless the savings are an impactful amount, you may be setting yourself up for more of a hassle than it’s worth.
I heard this plan offers…
Certain plans offer different benefits and low-income plans may provide different allowances for things like groceries or monthly over-the-counter items. You may not qualify if it’s a plan for low-income, but we can always review the numbers. A plan that offers an extra or higher benefit may be lacking where your current plan has or has as higher benefit. A change for one thing that’s positive could possibly leave you missing something you need. If you call in response to an advertisement for additional benefits or a refund of Medicare Part B premiums and don’t qualify for what they’re offering, they will almost certainly try to sell you something else you didn’t intend to buy.
I definitely want to make a change…
If you do want to make a change to a different plan, let us know and we’ll help facilitate it. If you use a 1-800 number to enroll in a new plan, it’s likely we will not be able to help you with any issues or plan servicing in the future and you’ll only be able to use the company’s call center.
At Jane Ryan Insurance Group, we look at all the plans from all carriers we work with every fall during AEP. If we see something that maybe a benefit to you or you could consider a switch, we’ll let you know. Plans do not change significantly each year and if your doctors, prescriptions, and other needs are being met without issue, it’s common for most folks to leave their plan as is for several years in a row. If you have new concerns, need to change from Medicare Advantage to a Medicare Supplement, you current plan is notworking with providers or prescriptions, or it’s been a while since you’ve done a plan review, we’re always happy to discuss and advise on your specific situation.