Here are five steps that can help smooth your transition to a
new plan.
Every year, many Americans like you take the opportunity
during Medicare’s Open Enrolment period to change insurance plans. Regardless
of whether you are changing a Medicare Supplement, an Advantage Plan or a Part
D Prescription Drug Plan, there are a few things you can do now to avoid
problems now that your new insurance has gone into effect in 2016.
1. If you are going from a Medicare Supplement to a
Medicare Advantage Plan, make sure you have cancelled your supplement coverage.
Your Supplement is not automatically cancelled when you switch to an Advantage
Plan. Although some companies will cancel and make changes over the phone,
others require a written request so give your Supplement Plan insurer a call
and ask what they require.
2. Cancel your automatic withdrawals for the old plan. I
recommend you cancel your withdrawal with the insurance company and then follow
up with a call to your financial institution to make sure the automatic
withdrawal is cancelled.
3. Tell your doctor that you have different insurance. If
your doctor unknowingly files for reimbursement with the wrong insurance
company, it will cause confusion and delays in payment. Let your doctors know
about your new plan the first time you see them in the New Year.
4. Check your Prescription Drug coverage to find out what
pharmacies are the preferred pharmacies of
your new plan. If it’s a different pharmacy than the one you’ve been using,
arrange to transfer your prescriptions now so they have your information on
hand. You should also present your new health
insurance Plan cards to your pharmacy before you need your next
prescription. Don’t wait until you need a refill or have an emergency before
you make this change.
5. Determine whether your new plan has different requirements
for prescriptions. Some plans may require a pre-authorization before your
prescription will be filled. Take steps ahead of time to let your
physician know what’s required by your new plan.
Most of the time, people fail to understand the importance of such a solution, which can be their escape plan from a situation like this. The key to escape plan is known as health insurance plan.
ReplyDelete