2012 Medicare Enrollment Changes - North Carolina NPR News

2012 Medicare Enrollment Changes

October 15, 2011 |

There are a few changes for Medicare recipients. The first is an earlier enrollement date. Saturday October 15 was the first day for individuals to sign up. Previously, the enrollment period was from mid November until the last day of December. Executive Director of United Health Care of North Carolina Donna Reynolds says another change is the coverage gap for people who have high persciption drug costs. In 2012, if someone falls within that coverage gap, they'll receive a 50% discount on brand named drugs and a 14% on generic drugs. This discount is doubled from 2011. Reynolds also encourages people to consider how their health and lifestyle have changed as they decide the plan to choose. She also recommends several informaton sources including medicare.gov, medicaremadeclear.com, North Carolina's Seniors Health Insurance program. People can also call 1-800-medicare.
The enrollment period ends December 7th, 2011. After this date, Medicare recipients will not be able to make changes to their plan. But according to Reynolds, if they don't like their new plan, they have the option of reverting to Medicare original. This option is available through February 14, 2012.