The Medicare open enrollment period (October 15 through December 7, 2011) gives many seniors a chance to make changes to their prescription drug and health plan coverage. Rising health care costs in retirement can be hard to manage and learning more about available options may save money. The My Medicare Matters website has been updated and may be a useful source of information.
What is MyMedicareMatters.org?
Sponsored by The National Council on Aging (NCOA), My Medicare Matters is an online information source designed to help people better understand their health care options. Divided into three sections, the site focuses on these things.
- Prescription Drugs: Those without an existing Medicare Part D plan will be taken through a simple process to help them understand their options. Those with coverage can learn more about whether switching plans will be worthwhile. This area of the site also contains useful information on getting extra help with costs and a link to the Prescription Drug Plan Finder on Medicare.gov.
- Staying Healthy: This section covers Medicare benefits that are designed to help people stay healthier. For example, it contains information on preventive services, Medicare Savings Programs and Disease Information cost coverage.
- About Medicare: Those who feel that they need to learn more about how the system works may find this area useful. It provides a guide to Medicare basics and a video on how to use related websites.
The home page also contains question and answer links including a facility to mail a Medicare expert with a query that is not already answered on site.
New Information on My Medicare Matters
Although MyMedicareMatters.org is not a new site, it has been updated to incorporate recent changes so previous users may find it worth a repeat visit. New information on site includes:
- Guides about Medicare and how it works.
- Costs of covering diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's Disease and diabetes.
- Revised information on Medigap and guidance for those new to Medicare.
Those using Medicare open enrollment for the first time or to amend existing plans or coverage may also find it useful to consider related health care options. Some may, for example, find it useful to learn how to use the Medicare long term care planning tool and some may save money through the Part D donut hole rebate.
Source: My Medicare Matters; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accessed online 28th September 2010.
Carol Finch - Carol Finch is the Topic Editor for Retirement Planning, Budgeting, E-Commerce & Technical/Business Writing on Suite101.
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