Medicare recipients in Central New York have a limited window to consider making changes to their plans as open enrollment ends December 7th. The Senior Action Council of New York has advice if you’ve received a booklet for Medicare in the mail or are looking online. Council executive director Maria Alvarez says it’s important to double check what your plan covers against what Medicare Advantage plans offer, because gaps of coverage are created minute to minute.
"It’s important before you make that commitment that you confirm that what you saw on the website, in the book, what people are telling you in the plan comparison is what they are currently covering and what they will cover for the new year.”
Alvarez says in addition to insurance plans constantly changing, a person’s health can change, too.
"I may have to take a new medication. I may have to have a different type of treatment that I didn’t have this year," Alvarez said. "So, I want to make sure that whatever it is that I’m selecting is appropriate for moving forward.”
WATCH FOR SCAMS
Central New York seniors should also prepare themselves for possible scams during the open enrollment period. Alvarez says anyone shopping for Medicare Advantage plans or switching to a new health insurance company should do their homework. She says beware of scammers who call asking for personal information.
“That could be very dangerous, because we have had cases where the caller has given some information about them, including their Medicare number," Alvarez said. "What ends up happening is that they get disenrolled from their own plan that they liked and was serving them properly.”
Alvarez says seniors need to safeguard their information, in the event deceptive telemarketers might be calling. In fact, she says if you don’t know who’s calling, it’s best not to answer. Caller ID might not always be accurate… or tell you the programmed call is AI generated.
“It might sound like your doctor’s office or a nurse or somebody you might think is legitimate. And that’s what we always hear," Alvarez said. "They say, ‘well they had all of my information, so I gave them my information.’”
Alvarez says phone scammers during Medicare open enrollment often call and say to potential victims they’re updating their records. She advises not to give a telemarketer Medicare and Social Security numbers or bank information.
Alvarez says a legitimate Medicare representative will never call you and ask for your personal information, so never share it if you did not initiate the call. Predatory marketers are known to call seniors and transfer their medical coverage to a plan outside of their original Medicare program without permission.
If you receive an aggressive phone call from an insurance marketer selling Medicare Advantage plans, call the New York State Senior Medicare Patrol at 800-333-4374.
