Potential Extra Benefits for Medicare Advantage Customers
There’s a whole new array of insurance benefits from Medicare Advantage that differ from the typical coverage of doctor visits and other kinds of care.
For instance, shampooing, food for a service dog, pest control, and rides to a nutritionist are just some of the options among the new supplemental health benefits that privately run versions of government’s medicare program may offer starting next year.
Medicare Advantage plans already offer a number of extra benefits, like dental, or gym memberships that Original Medicare doesn’t provide, however, Medicare Advantage can restrict access to a network of doctors or hospitals, while regular Medicare doesn’t do that.
Extra Potential Benefits Through Medicare Advantage Plans
According to the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, about one third of the people on Medicare opt for Medicare Advantage plans. Advantage plans are widening the reach of their coverage both as a push by insurers as well as the government in order to keep people healthy, providing preventative maintenance, instead of waiting to cover their claims once they are sick. The idea behind this action is that someone who improves their personal diet, or keeps a chronic condition like asthma under control, they’re less likely to generate a big medical bill.
Differences This Year
Medicare Advantage plans are receiving more leeway from the federal government to pay for things they ordinarily would not have covered. These supplemental benefits will reach to help people who have certain health issues or chronic diseases stay healthy when they aren’t seeing a doctor or receiving care.
The idea of moving the standard from just treating the illnesses to preventing the illnesses and allowing people to stay in their homes longer, also lowering the cost of big medical bills, is the goal behind these new potential benefits. These new benefits will only be available through Medicare Advantage plans, not through Original Medicare, and insurers are not required to offer them. Whether they do offer them can really depend on what they think their customers need to stay healthy.
The carpet shampooing, for example, might be covered by some plans to help customers with asthma avoid a flare-up, thus preventing a major medical expense. Might is the key word, as the extra benefit is up to the insurer to offer.
Another cool perk offered through Medicare Advantage plans is provided telemedicine benefits. This allows patients to connect remotely, to doctors and other health care providers. This can save time, travel costs, and other related expenses, especially for people are are traveling or in a rural area. These doctors can diagnose remotely, and offer treatment options or prescriptions.
Evaluate Your Benefits
There are, of course, many variables when it comes to Medicare Advantage plans and the coverage they can potentially offer. You already have to re-evaluate whether your drug coverage has changed from year to year, or if your doctor will stay within your insurer’s network, and some markets have dozens of Medicare Advantage plans for customers to shop though.
Many people generally dislike making coverage changes after they’ve look at their options and picked a plan when they first qualified for Medicare. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, many say it’s too hard, or too much work, and feel that they couldn’t identify a better plan. This is where seeking the help of a professional comes in handy. Many times you can take 15 to 30 minutes with an Insurance professional, who can help not only present plans to you, but they can help you understand the benefits and details to each, so you can feel confident you have the best plan option available to you.
Enrollment Windows
Insurers will start marketing their Medicare Advantage plans October 1st, giving their customers a couple of weeks to learn about coverage changes and added benefits before the October 15th start of the Annual Open Enrollment period. Shoppers will have until December 7th to enroll, switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or opt for Original Medicare and add Part C (Prescription Drug) coverage for 2020.
After the Enrollment periods have ended, any customer unhappy with their decision can make one change in the first three months of 2020. That second window only applies to those who already have a Medicare Advantage plan, otherwise you may have to wait until the next Open Enrollment period to make changes.