Among the top 10 most popular drug policies, monthly premiums for 2014 are changing dramatically — up 55% for one AARP UnitedHealth plan and dropping 38% for another from Wellcare, according to a recent study by Avalere Health, a Washington, D.C., health research firm. The second-most popular plan, SilverScript Basic, is now off limits to new members until Medicare officials are satisfied that the company has resolved operational problems. The plan's nearly 2.9 million members can choose to stay.
About 22.7 million people, or 43% of Medicare's 52 million beneficiaries, are enrolled in these drug policies, also known as Part D plans.
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The coverage gap, or "doughnut hole,"in Part D is growing smaller in 2014. The Affordable Care Act shrinks the gap every year until it's closed in 2020. Next year, drug coverage stops when the insurer and member together have spent $2,850 and resumes when the member has spent $4,550. This year, coverage stopped at $2,970 in spending and resumed at $4,750.
Discounts on drugs that seniors buy while in the gap have also improved, and next year's deductible is $310 instead of $325.
This open season also will have 142 fewer Medicare Advantage plans, the private plans that are an alternative to traditional Medicare fee-for-service coverage, the Avalere study found.They offer medical and often drug coverage from a network of participating providers. That's a 5.3% decrease, said Jennifer Rak, an Avalere senior manager.
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Still, Medicare officials announced last month that they expect the enrol! lment in Medicare Advantage plans to continue to increase next year. Roughly one in four Medicare beneficiaries have MA coverage.They also said that one-third of these plans would be awarded four or more stars in 2014, although these ratings have not yet been issued for 2014. Plans can earn ratings of up to five stars, based on the quality of service and customer satisfaction.
Officials expect average Medicare Advantage monthly premiums to increase by $1.64 to $32.60 next year, while the average prescription drug plan premium will remain roughly the same, at about $31.
Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade association, said Medicare Advantage continues to be popular despite the health law's cuts in federal payments to those plans because insurers "are doing everything they can to preserve benefits and minimize disruption for seniors in the program."
The Medicare open enrollment period, which ends Dec. 7, is for Medicare beneficiaries only. It's separate from enrollment in the Affordable Care Act's marketplace https://www.healthcare.gov/ health insurance, which began Oct. 1 and is geared mostly to people who have little or no insurance. Medicare Advantage and Medicare drug policies are not sold on the marketplace.
Because of the government shutdown, Medicare officials were not available for comment on details about the plans or enrollment. However, enrollment will start on time despite the shutdown.
Advocates for seniors noted that the government's online plan finder has carried a warning for the past several days that plan details may not be up to date. They recommend consumers should not decide on a plan until Medicare officials confirm that the plan finder provides accurate information. In addition to the website, assistance is also available by calling 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).
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Policies can change from year to year, so Medicare officials encourage seniors to ! review th! eir current coverage to make sure their drugs are still covered and at the best price. They should also check to see if they can get to the plan's preferred pharmacies, which offer lower prescription prices than others in the plan's network.
While the AARP MedicareRx Saver Plus premium will go up 55% next year, it's still below the average national premium, Sarah Bearce, a UnitedHealthcare spokeswoman said in an e-mail. The combination of federal reimbursement cuts, the health law's new tax on insurers and the automatic cuts triggered by sequestration "required us to make changes to our plans," she said, and added that this "financial pressure" is being felt across the health insurance industry.
But price increases, poor performance, and changes in covered drugs are often not enough to spur the vast majority of seniors to action. Only 13% changed policies in the four years since Congress added the drug benefit to Medicare in 2006, according to an analysis released last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health policy organization. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of KFF.)
It's easier not to switch," said Richard Lees, a retired New York orthodontist who moved with his wife, Joan, to Silver Spring, Md., to live closer to their two daughters and their families. But when he learned his premium is going up next year, "I was very disappointed," he said.
He and his wife chose different plans because they take different drugs. (Unlike employer-sponsored insurance, Medicare drug plans do not require spouses to be on the same plan.)
"Each year, we have changed companies and improved our situation," he said.
When considering coverage, it's important to look beyond premiums to consider drug co-pays and other costs. During last year's fall enrollment period, Senior PharmAssist, o non-profit group in Durham, N.C., helped 387 seniors save an average of $676, said executive director Gina Upchurch.
Kaiser Health Newshttp://www.kaiserhealthnews! .org/ is ! an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan health policy research and communication organization not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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