• Deductibles
• Coinsurance & Copayments
• Dental Care
• Cosmetic Surgery
• Custodial Care
• Acupuncture

• Hearing Aids, hearing exams & screenings
• Routine eye care & most glasses
• Non-skilled care in nursing homes
• Most health care while traveling outside the United States
• Most outpatient prescription drugs

ANNUAL ELECTION PERIOD:

You can only disenroll or switch plans once per year during the Annual Election Period (AEP) (November 15 – December 31 of each year for benefits that begin the following January).

OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD:

A Medicare Advantage eligible individual may make one Medicare Advantage Open Election Period (MA OEP) election from January 1st through March 31st. The Open Enrollment Period election must be made to the same type of plan MA-PD (regarding Medicare prescription drug coverage) in which the individual is already enrolled.

For example, if you have Medicare prescription drug coverage, you can only choose to join another plan that offers Medicare prescription drug coverage (like Freedom Blue PPO), or choose to return to the Original Medicare Plan and join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. If you don't have Medicare prescription drug coverage, you cannot use this chance to get it.

BIRTHDAY RULE:

If a person already has Medigap (supplement) insurance, they have 30 days of "open enrollment" following their birthday each year when they may buy a new Medigap policy without a medical screening or a new waiting period. The new policy must have the same or lesser benefits as the old policy.

ENROLLMENT PERIOD AT AGE 65:

When you reach age 65 and you sign up for Medicare Part B, you have a one-time seven-month period (three months before, three months after and the month of your birthday) during which you may purchase any Medigap (or Medicare Advantage) policy a company sells at the lowest price available, even if you have or used to have health problems. If you enroll during this time, the insurance company cannot:

• deny you medigap coverage or make you wait for coverage to start; or
• charge you more for a policy because of past or present health problems.

If you purchase a Medigap (or Medicare Advantage) policy after this seven-month initial enrollment period, you could be denied the Medigap (or Medicare Advantage) policy of your choice, or any Medigap (or Medicare Advantage) policy, because of pre-existing health conditions.

ENROLLMENT PERIOD AT AGES YOUNGER THAN 65:

In California, if you are younger than 65 years of age and entitled to Medicare because of a disability, you have an Open Enrollment period. This period is for six months after you first sign up for Medicare Part B. (However, this right does NOT apply to people who have permanent kidney failure known as End Stage Renal Disease or ESRD.) If you receive a notice from a government agency that your Medicare benefits began some time ago, then your Open Enrollment period begins on the date of that federal notice.

It is a good idea to apply for a Medigap policy early so it will take effect on the same day as your Part B benefits.

MEDICARE FOREIGN TRAVEL:

Many Medigap plans do provide coverage for foreign travel. Medigap plans C, D, F, G, M & N cover 80 percent of the cost of emergency care abroad during the first two months of a trip with a $250 deductible and up to $50,000 in a lifetime.

If you have Original Medicare, you can travel anywhere in the U.S. and its territories (this includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands) and get the medical care you need from almost any doctor or hospital. Original Medicare does not cover medical care you get outside the country. If you will be traveling to a foreign country and want insurance, click here for HTH Travel Health Insurance.

The only exceptions in which Medicare may cover medical care you get outside of the U.S. are:

• Medicare will pay for emergency services in Canada if you are traveling a direct route between Alaska and another state.


• Medicare will pay for medical care you get on a cruise ship if:
  1. The ship is registered to the U.S.;
  2. The doctor is registered with the Coast Guard; and
  3. You get the care while the ship is in U.S. territorial waters. This means the ship is in a U.S. port or within six hours of arrival at or departure from a U.S. port.
  
  
• Medicare may pay for non-emergency in-patient services in a foreign hospital (and connected physician and ambulance costs), if it is closer to your residence than the nearest U.S. hospital that is available and equipped to treat you medical condition. This may happen if, for example, you live near the border of Mexico or Canada.

Here are the changes to Medicare Supplement aka Medigap Coverages beginning in June 2010. These changes include the elimination of four plans, the addition of two new plans and modifications to other plans.