Week one of the Annual Enrollment Period is underway and we are so excited to say that Medicare has corrected the biggest issue in the Plan Finder Tool (what we use to compare drug costs) to now calculate Premium + Drug Costs. This means that the most concerning setback to reviewing plans has been eliminated and all of the plan costs’ are being calculated properly.
The Plan Finder Tool still will not allow you to set the quantity of a drug to once per year. This is an issue for those of you that use expensive creams/etc that you rarely fill. This means that your total cost is being grossly inflated because the calculator must assume that you fill it every month. We are using our years of professional experience and knowledge to work around this issue.
How are we doing and how can you help?
We have hit the ground running since Tuesday and are completing reviews and returning calls as quickly as we can. Although, what we are realizing is that it takes us much longer to do a review than in the past because of the numerous additional steps. Please be patient as we work as accurately and quickly as possible. We still want to be sensitive to your questions and give you the time that you may need while we discuss plans. We cannot work on a first-come-first-serve basis or alphabetically and choose clients at random as we go along. If you call for an update on your status in our process, we may not be able to return your call for these reasons.
While we are here to answer your questions, we also need to manage our time wisely so that we can help as many of you as possible during this time. If you have questions regarding your current plan, consider calling the Member Services number on your card or sending us an email. Also, as a reminder, our administrators (Gina & Meagan) cannot answer benefit related questions.
If you would like to request a review, please check out our Resources page for the forms that you need to complete. You need to create your personal www.Medicare.gov account and return our forms to us in order to join our review process. Following our instructions ensures that everyone has a fair opportunity for a review and allows us more time to be efficient.
If you can edit your drug list in your Medicare.gov account, it helps us help you by completing one of the steps we have to take. If you find it difficult to edit your drug list, it’s okay.
If you would like to review your own plan, please contact Gina (extension 5) or Meagan (ext 6) to request our Plan Finder Tool Guide. We have almost completed our Guide and it should be ready next week. If you review your own plan and decide you would like to change plans, if you want us to be the agent (so that we can provide assistance/answer questions next year), just let us know which plan you want and we will send you the application paperwork and complete the enrollment like we always have.
Thank you so much for your business and friendship. We treasure chatting with you during this time and care for you and your wellbeing.
Again, we are working as quickly and accurately as possible while being mindful of our own health and limitations.