If you are 65 years old or older, you have been receiving lots of calls, letters, and emails regarding the Medicare Open Enrollment period from October 15 through December 7. What you may not know is that nationally, roughly 70% of Medicare patients do not review their plan during the open enrollment period. That can be scary and leave opportunities to discover unwelcome or unwanted changes in coverage when they visit a doctor, pharmacy, or other provider in the new plan year.

Another fun fact is that Medicare Advantage Plans have become the way that most Medicare Patients receive their Medicare benefits. Around 50% of Medicare beneficiaries chose to enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan. Advantage Plans became popular because most offer benefits that are not covered by traditional Medicare.

This morning we are fortunate to talk with Trisha Witts from our local five-star advantage plan, PrimeTime Health Plan. PrimeTime is locally owned and when you call, you will be talking to a neighbor or friend to help you understand your Medicare benefits and options.

In this program you can get answers to the following questions about Medicare Open enrollment:

1. What is the Medicare Annual Election Period?

2. What happens if I miss the Annual Election Period?

3. Why is it important to review my plan options?

4. What is the difference between a Medicare Advantage Plan and a Medicare Supplement?

5. If I am on an Advantage plan and go on vacation, am I covered?

6. What is the difference between Medicare Part D and a Medicare Advantage Plan?

7. What is the donut hole and can I avoid it?

8. How can I sign up for Primetime Health Plan? Phone 330-363-7407 or 800-577-5804

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Thanks for listening today! We’d like to remind our listeners, if you suspect you have a medical issue, please contact your healthcare provider. Thanks to our sponsor Aultman Helath Systems. As always, we thank our listeners for joining us on Health Matters with the Medicine Center Pharmacy. Have a healthy week and we’ll see you again next Friday right here on News Talk 1480 WHBC.