Mistake 1: Signing up too early or too late for Medicare and its parts<\/h3>\n
The Initial Enrollment Period<\/span> is the first time you can sign up for Medicare.You may join Medicare Parts A, B, and D during this time:<\/p>\n Your coverage will start no sooner than your birthday month.<\/b> Note:<\/b> If you miss this period, you will have a chance again later on. But if you wait, you may have to pay more. You also could be without health coverage. Learn about penalties for late enrollment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Use\u00a0 Medicare QuickCheck<\/a>\u2122 to find out what you can sign up for and when if you are not sure.<\/p>\n Most consumers buy more coverage in addition to their\u00a0original Medicare Parts A and B<\/strong>. This is called\u00a0a private Medicare Supplement<\/a> (also called Medigap<\/span>) policy. You can get a Part D<\/span> plan for your\u00a0prescription drugs<\/strong>. A Medicare Supplement policy may cover some services that are not included under the standard Medicare Parts A and B<\/a> as well as some out-of-pocket costs<\/span> such as co-insurance costs for care at skilled nursing facilities, the Part A<\/span> deductible<\/span>, and foreign travel emergency care. If you choose a Medicare Supplement policy, you will pay an additional monthly premium<\/span><\/strong>. You won\u2019t need prior authorization<\/span> to use specialists or to get second opinions.<\/strong><\/p>\n A Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C)<\/a>\u00a0takes the place of original Medicare Parts A and B<\/strong>. These plans are\u00a0like group insurance. They are sold through approved, licensed insurance companies and may have an additional monthly premium<\/strong>. Often, Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage as well as services that original Medicare does not such as health\/wellness programs and vision care. However, a Medicare Advantage plan may also limit a person\u2019s ability to use doctors and hospitals, and also require prior authorization to use specialty services. (Note this big difference).<\/strong><\/p>\n Get help if you are not sure. Use\u00a0Medicare QuickCheck<\/a>\u00a0and then get in touch with an expert, licensed adviser.<\/p>\n You might be eligible for extra help. If you aren’t sure ask for help. Use the\u00a0BenefitsCheckUp<\/a>\u00ae where you can see if you\u2019re eligible and apply online for Extra Help<\/a>\u00a0or Medicare Savings Programs<\/span>. Or, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program<\/a> (SHIP) to see what\u2019s available to you.<\/p>\n I know it’s a pain but you have to do it. Once you have Medicare you should review your coverage every year. You might be able to get better coverage and save money. You should especially review Part D to see if you can save money on your prescription drugs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here is an excellent resource entitled The Five Biggest Mistakes Boomers Make When Enrolling in Medicare Mistake 1: Signing up too early or too late for Medicare and its parts The Initial Enrollment Period is the first time you can sign up for Medicare.You may join Medicare Parts A, B, and D during this time: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,158,164],"tags":[167,159,317],"class_list":["post-1091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-information","category-medicare","category-open-enrollment","tag-common-mistakes","tag-medicare-2","tag-open-enrollment","czr-hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1091"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1092,"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091\/revisions\/1092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plinylives.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nExample:<\/b>If your birthday is in July, your IEP begins April 1st and ends October 31st.<\/p>\nMistake 2: Not understanding the difference between a Medicare Supplement and a Medicare Advantage policy<\/h3>\n
Mistake 3: Guessing when picking specific plans<\/h3>\n
Mistake 4: Not applying for extra help<\/h3>\n
Mistake 5: Not re-evaluating your coverage every year<\/h3>\n