Money Talks News recent article entitled “5 Things Most Seniors Get Wrong About Medicare” reports that recently, the insurance website MedicareAdvantage.com surveyed more than 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries and found that they share common errors with Medicare enrollment. The researchers said that this ignorance can mean seniors wasting money and forfeiting benefits. Here are the errors most seniors make with Medicare enrollment, and how such things really work.
- Premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance. Many survey respondents were unable to correctly define these terms:
- Deductible: 59.7%
- Coinsurance: 55.5%
- Premium: 56.1%
A deductible is the amount you pay out-of-pocket for care before your insurance kicks in. Coinsurance is what you often pay for services after you’ve met the deductible — for example, a common coinsurance requirement is 20% of service costs. Your premium is the amount you pay each month for coverage.
- Out-of-pocket spending limits. One thing about most health insurance plans is that they restrict the amount you’re expected to pay out of pocket. However, when talking about original Medicare, nearly three-quarters (73.7%) of survey respondents don’t realize they could be hit with an unlimited amount of coinsurance bills for Part A and Part B coverage. It’s a big reason why Medicare supplement plans are so important, if you’re choosing original Medicare. Many Medicare Advantage plans — also known as Medicare Part C — come with out-of-pocket limits. After you reach this limit, you pay nothing for the Part A and Part B care that is included in your plan.
- Part D’s late enrollment penalty. Only a fifth (20%) of Medicare beneficiaries knew that there’s a penalty if you sign up late for Part D prescription coverage. After your initial Medicare enrollment period ends, you may owe a penalty if there’s a period of 63 or more consecutive days when you don’t have Medicare drug coverage or other equivalent prescription drug coverage. If you have a penalty, you’ll have to pay it for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage.
- The fall open enrollment period. Every year, the federal government schedules an open enrollment period when you can make changes to your existing coverage. This period always starts on October 15 and goes until December 7. However, 59.7% of Medicare beneficiaries didn’t know the start date, and half of that percentage falsely thought open enrollment starts after October 15.
- Virtual services covered because of the pandemic. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual health care has become more widely available. As a result, the federal government now permits Medicare to cover some of these services. However, a large percentage of beneficiaries are unaware of that fact. Here are the percentages of survey respondents who didn’t know that the following services now are covered:
- Virtual e-visits with a physical therapist: 81.9%
- Virtual telehealth visits for preventative health screenings: 56.6%
- Virtual telehealth visits for mental health counseling: 54.1%
Working with an experienced Elder Law attorney who can help you avoid these common errors with Medicare enrollment, and allow you the full benefits you have earned and deserve. If you would like to read more about Medicare benefits and how to enroll, please visit our previous posts.
Reference: Money Talks News (Nov. 3, 2021) “5 Things Most Seniors Get Wrong About Medicare”
