Annual open enrollment for Medicare began on October 15th. Now is the time to think about enrolling before it’s too late; the deadline to enroll for Medicare is December 7th. The annual enrollment period is also a time for existing Medicare users to take advantage of the opportunity to make changes to an existing Medicare plan. If you, or someone you know, is considering making changes to your Medicare plan, now is the time to act. What is Medicare, who is Medicare for, and how can you obtain more information about Medicare?  Great Care will answer these questions and help get you on your way.

Who is Medicare for? “Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD).” Medicare is designed to help individuals over the age of 65, pay for health insurance.

Medicare is a federal health insurance program, but there are several coverage options to take into consideration.

• Part A is Medicare’s hospital insurance; it helps cover hospital stays, care received in a nursing facility (not long term care), hospice care, as well as some home health care.
• Part B is Medicare’s medical insurance; it helps cover services like preventative maintenance care, outpatient care, and some medical supplies.
• Part C is Medicare’s Advantage Plan. A Medicare Advantage Plan is: “a type of Medicare health plan offered by a private company that contracts with Medicare to provide you with all your Part A and Part B benefits.”
• Part D is Medicare’s prescription drug coverage. “Part D adds prescription drug coverage to Original Medicare, some Medicare Cost Plans, some Medicare Private-Fee-for-Service Plans, and Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans. These plans are offered by insurance companies and other private companies approved by Medicare.”

There are four weeks remaining in Medicare’s open enrollment period. To learn more about Medicare you can visit the official U.S. Government website for people with Medicare, by going to, http://medicare.gov. Here, you can find more information about Medicare benefits, cost and coverage, download a copy of the Medicare & You Handbook, access other Medicare resources, file a claim or check the status of one, read about the Top 5 things to know about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) if you have Medicare,  and sign up or change your Medicare plan. Other great resources about the open enrollment period for Medicare can be found at CMS.gov or by visiting: http://www.cms.gov/Center/Special-Topic/Open-Enrollment-Center.html. If you wish to speak with someone for more information about Medicare, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or TTY 1-877-486-2048.