ROANOKE — Medicare’s open enrollment period from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 allows Virginians covered by Medicare to reevaluate their health coverage options and select a plan for 2025.
As health care costs and personal needs change, experts stressed the importance of carefully reviewing the available plans.
Robbie Boyd, director of operations for the Local Office on Aging in Roanoke, encouraged seniors to visit their local office or consult a Virginia Insurance Counseling Assistance Program counselor for assistance. His key advice is to review your current medication regimen and enter it on the Medicare.gov website to ensure you are choosing the best plan.
“Put in your medications, you sign up for medicare.gov, and it gives you the perfect list of what your pricing is going to be for the plans,” Boyd explained. “You really need to kind of dissect if your pricing is based on your pharmacy, it’s going to be higher, because it’s a preferred network, or if it’s out-of-network.”
Reducing health care costs involves more than focusing on monthly premiums. Boyd encouraged people to explore resources like Medicare savings programs, which can help lower premiums and drug costs based on income. Also, do everything you can to stay healthy like exercising, eating a healthier diet and avoiding smoking.
Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer and executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, stressed the importance of getting a head start on the process because there might be surprises regarding what’s covered and what is not.
“Things like dental, vision and hearing,” Randall outlined. “Many Medicare beneficiaries might be surprised to know that original Medicare doesn’t cover most of those things but many Medicare Advantage plans do. I also recommend people to check for mental health coverage.”
She noted the increasing demand for mental health services is reflected in many Medicare Advantage plans, which now cover virtual mental health visits at no additional cost. As open enrollment season brings heightened activity, seniors should also be cautious of Medicare scams, in the form of calls or emails targeting their personal information.
