This is time to choose a sensible health plan for senior citizens. What one chooses one has to stay with that for one full year. Citizens in Florida have a wide choice. They have about 53 stand-alone plans to choose from. Last year there were 58.
There are a wide variety of Medicare health plans, the senior citizens can opt for more than 72 HMOs, PPOs and fee-for- service plans from 20 different companies in Palm Beach County. Seniors in Martin and St. Lucie also are not far behind with a choice of nearly three dozens plans offered by 12 different companies.
It is imperative to re enroll in a plan if one wants to by 31 Dec. This year the confusion seems to be confounded as the companies are offering more premiums and benefits as they are trying to combat rising prices. Florida companies have raised the premium by 20% on an average. Humana well known company offered a reasonable package last year with a drug plans low as $10.21 a month. This year ie for 2009 the lowest will be $38.90 “Its still a bargain beyond belief,” said Cris Perry, a Humana marketing director.
Despite the attractive offer very few people change their plans. Apparently people don’t review and renew the plan without a thought. “The reality is that once seniors make their initial decision, there is a reluctance to make a change,” said Juliette Cubanski, principal policy analyst with the Kaiser Family Foundation. “A lot of money is being left on the table that people could stand to gain if they consider alternative plans.”
Another change is that a lesser number of plans offer generic prescription coverage. The doughnut hole or the period when plans are not required are not covered. When there is a coverage gap then seniors tend to avoid buying medicines. This could prove to be disastrous.
Last year, 2.5 million of 12.5 million Medicare beneficiaries who were eligible for the assistance did not get it. Seniors need to contact the Social Security Administration to apply.
