Medicare open enrollment begins October 15th, and there are changes to be aware of in 2024.
The Extra Help program is expanding to offer full subsidy benefits to those up to 150% of the federal poverty level. Newly eligible people won’t have to pay a deductible or premium, and will have fixed lower copayments for certain medications.
For people with Medicare Part D, catastrophic cost-sharing was eliminated, and there is now a cap on annual out-of-pocket drug costs.
Those with Traditional Medicare taking insulin through a pump will not have to pay more than $35 for their monthly supply with no deductibles.
And free vaccine coverage is also expanded.
But Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro says one thing that hasn’t changed is the number of scammers looking to take advantage of the open enrollment period.
“Oftentimes people will sign up for a plan and not understand what they're signing up for. People are getting inundated with phone calls, emails, text messages. And to some degree, individuals are knocking on seniors' doors to get them to sign up for a potential Medicare Advantage plan that, if it's in the right scenario, may work very well for people. But there are scammers out there who, in some cases, will have folks sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan and it will completely disenroll them from Medicare.”
To help enrollees navigate the process and avoid scams the Department of Insurance and Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau offer free one-on-one health insurance counseling to understand their options.
Navarro adds it’s always a good idea to shop around for the best plans, as copays and deductibles change every year.
“It's really important that you understand what you're signing up for, and that's why we offer free counseling sessions here at the Department of Insurance. Last year we completed over 5,100 counseling sessions, and we know based on those sessions that we saved beneficiaries about $1.5 million,” said Navarro.
Phone and virtual enrollment sessions are available by appointment, and the Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau offers weekly in-person appointments at Department of Insurance Offices from October 17th to November 30th.
In-person sessions are available at all three Department of Insurance offices:
Tuesdays from 9:30AM-3:00PM at 503 Carr Road, Suite 303, Wilmington DE 19809
Wednesdays from 9:30AM-3:00PM at 28 The Circle, Suite 1, Georgetown, DE 19947
Thursdays from 9:00AM-3:30PM at 1351 West North St., Suite 101, Dover, DE 19904
For more information, visit insurance.delaware.gov.
