Medicare’s annual enrollment period has begun and to help seniors make decisions they will not regret, the non-profit policy organization, the Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) has released a first-time-ever guidebook.
Called the Medicare How-to Guide, the PDF publication helps seniors cut through the confusion and fine print of the numerous options, which require many trade-offs and cannot be easily changed.
“When individuals enroll in Medicare, they often surrender key freedoms, including the ability to make private, independent health care decisions,” said Twila Brase, RN, PHN, co-founder and president of CCHF, in a press release. “This guide was created to help Americans understand the restrictions and limitations of the Medicare system, from penalties to narrow provider networks to the often-overlooked painful realities of Medicare Advantage plans.”
There are various enrollment periods for Medicare but generally, coverage begins at age 65. A brief view of Medicare’s webpage shows how enrollment is no simple task. Mistakes can be costly as choices could limit coverage or provide more coverage than necessary and penalties could ensue for failure to make enrollment deadlines.
Key Issues Seniors Must Consider
The Medicare How-to Guide covers several key areas of concern, according to the news release:
-Medicare, with growing enrollment and shrinking revenue is unsustainable.
-Medicare is a defined benefit program with coverage limits.
-Coverage and cost decisions should be made considering a long-term future. Medicare Advantage plans, while initially appealing, can severely restrict access to care. It can be difficult to change from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare.
The Medicare How-To Guide also includes 12 key points seniors should keep in mind, 10 Medicare traps seniors can fall into, and a Medicare checklist. The guidebook also offers questions to ask Medicare brokers, important information on TRICARE for Life, and key terms, “one of the nation’s most extensive lists” available.
Sticker Shock on Drug Plans
Enrollees are also seeing for the first time the fallout from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Medicare.
An analysis by Edmund Haislmaier of The Heritage Foundation and Joel White, of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage finds that as a result of Medicare drug coverage changes under the IRA, many providers dropped out, leaving seniors with fewer choices. Also, the IRA caused premiums for Medicare Part D to jump by more than 90 percent in 10 states for 2025.
“Now you know what ‘we finally beat Medicare’ really means,” write the authors referring to President Biden’s misspoken words during the debate with Donald Trump in June.
-Staff reports