Seniors know that we are now in Open Season for changing our Medicare Advantage providers if we so choose.
We know this as our mailboxes are filled with ads from every company in our zip code which provides this insurance!
BUT – in 2010 we MUST make any changes by the end of this December. The deadline is not next March like it used to be!
If you are a senior or know a senior – PLEASE – be sure if they want to make any changes that they do so by the end of this month!
subtitled – why we need Health Care Reform and need it very badly
Got my 186 pages of Medicare and my private insurance coverage information a few weeks ago. No I did not read it thoroughly and never will. [Disclaimer – I counted the pages for notes, the unnumbered pages and the covers]
More recently I got the OFFICIAL medicare.gov document – it for Oregonians as each jurisdiction gets its own version. Page count = 128 [the feds do count covers in their numbering system.]
What do these 314 pages tell me?
That last comment came from scanning the most unbelievable company. This ONE company – and I will not give them air time – ALL ON ITS OWN has 36 options. Yes 36 different options! By comparison mine has 3 – "basic" and "costs more" for anyone and "really costs more" for current members wanting to upgrade.
As others have options for different counties within the state maybe the 36 options have plans for block by block coverage – their descriptions are very vague… and all 36 options have the same phone number to get information – hmm call a sales rep to get truthful clear answers about each of the 36? Not gonna happen.
Health care reform should make this a more simple choice for those over 65. The proliferation of plans and options is stupid and leads potentially to misrepresentation or even "honest" error by those who stand to make gobs of money from these choices.
I did not look through the list of prescription drug plans – but add those to the mix and you have a confusing array of options here in Oregon – and elsewhere.
Think of those who are blind or limited in reading capacity – how do they make their choices? Scary – very scary!
Today I got this in the mail.
The most noticeable feature of the envelope is the black and white pattern – along with the ALL CAPS WORDS TELLING ME HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS – AND THAT. IT. IS. RELATED.TO. MEDICARE!!
Only if you turn the envelope over and read the much smaller print that says " This is an advertisement" do you know it’s not really from the Social Security Adminsitration – why?
Because below is what an offical envelope from Social Security looks like.
Hmmm… Legal? Yes. Misleading? To many – also a yes! And of course the leter inside lets you know that you can call for FREE INFORMATION [also all caps] and that if you give them your phone number you are giving them permission to have a sales representative call you.
If you or anyone you know are Medicare eligible – PLEASE warn them about these letters.