If your Medicare Advantage plan is ending on December 31, 2015, you need to make timely decisions about your Medicare coverage. Keep in mind that most Medicare Advantage plans include Medicare health and prescription drug coverage, so you will need to think of about both types of coverage.
Below are steps to take regarding Medicare health and prescription drug coverage when your Medicare Advantage plan is ending.
- If your Medicare Advantage plan is ending at the end of the calendar year, you should receive a letter from your plan by October 2, 2015 to tell you that your plan won’t be available next year. Make sure you keep this letter from you plan. You may need it later to prove you have the right to join other Medicare plans or to sign up for a Medigap plan as explained below.
- Decide how you want to want to get your health and drug coverage next year. You can either select another Medicare Advantage planor switch to Original Medicare to continue getting Medicare health benefits. If you need Medicare prescription drug coverage, most Medicare Advantage plans include drug coverage. If you change to Original Medicare, you will need to join a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan to get Medicare drug coverage.
- Make your plan selections before the end of 2015 to ensure you have the drug and health coverage you need on January 1, 2016.