Review Your Current Medicare Coverage

Choosing a Medicare plan is not a “get and forget it” action. Maybe you recently enrolled in Medicare or you’ve had the same Medicare coverage for years. No matter. Change is constant. And sometimes your Medicare plan may need to change, too.

It’s a good idea to review your Medicare coverage each year to be sure it still meets your needs at a price you can afford. The worksheet on this page can help you do this review. If you find that your plan is lacking, then you can prepare to make an informed choice during the next Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP). Medicare open enrollment is October 15 to December 7 every year.

Medicare Plan Review

The list below can help you decide whether to keep your current coverage or look into making a switch. Read through it and place a mental check by the statements that are true for you. The more checks, the better your plan is working for you. The fewer checks, the more likely it is that you may want to choose a different plan. If you like, you can download a worksheet and print it to fill out by hand.

Coverage

• My plan covers all the health care services I need and use.
• My doctors and other health care providers are in my plan’s network or accept my plan’s terms and coverage.
• The specialist care I need, if any, is accessible and covered by my plan.
• My prescription medications are on my plan’s formulary.
• My plan is adequate to cover my changing health care needs.
• My plan works well with other coverage I have through my employer or union (if applicable).

Cost

• My monthly plan premiums, if any, fit within my budget.
• I am comfortable with my plan’s deductibles, copays and coinsurance amounts.
• My overall out-of-pocket health care costs are in line with what I expect and with what I am comfortable paying.
• My plan has a yearly limit on what I may have to pay out-of-pocket. (This feature is not available with Original Medicare.)
• My plan pays appropriately for the care and services that I expect and need it to cover.
• My doctor does not bill me for unexpected “excess charges.”

Convenience

• My doctors and my pharmacy are easy for me to get to.
• It’s easy for me to order refills of my prescription medications.
• I am able to receive my prescription refills by mail, if I want to.
• My plan has online information and services that I can readily access, if I want to.
• I am comfortable with the amount and type of paperwork I need to do with regard to my medical bills and my plan.

Satisfaction

• I am happy with the quality of care I receive.
• I am happy with my Medicare plan overall.
• I would recommend my plan to a friend.