USA TODAY: The seven-week enrollment period for next year’s Medicare prescription drug and managed-care plans begins Tuesday but seniors shouldn’t simply renew their policies and assume the current coverage will stay the same. There’s a likely payoff for those who pay close attention to the details.
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…
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… (more)
