Learning About Medicare Health Plans

Starting in 1999, Medicare offers more health plan choices. One of the new health plan choices might be right for you. The choice is yours. No matter what you decide, you are still in the Medicare program. All Medicare health plans must provide all Medicare covered services described on pages 6-8.


To be eligible for the other Medicare health plan choices :

• You must have Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance).


• You must not have End-Stage Renal Disease. (ESRD is permanent kidney failure that requires dialysis or a transplant.) However, ESRD beneficiaries currently in a health plan will be able to remain in the plan they are in.


• You must live in the service area of a health plan. The service area is the geographic area where the plan accepts enrollees. For plans that require you to use their doctors and hospitals, it is also the area where services are provided. The plan may disenroll you if you move out of the plan's service area. If you are disenrolled, you are automatically covered under the Original Medicare Plan. You can also choose to join a Medicare health plan in your new area.

Understand Your Medicare Health Plan Choices

If you want to learn about the new health plan choices, please keep reading. Think about your current health care needs or the needs you may have in the future. Consider how each health plan would meet your needs. No matter what you decide, you are still in the Medicare program. You will continue to receive at least all the Medicare covered services.

If you are happy with the way you get health care now, you don't have to do anything! If you do nothing, the way you receive your health care now will not change.

If you want to look at the choices, the steps below will help you compare your Medicare health plan choices.


Steps to Choosing a Health Plan :

Step 1: Review your Medicare health plan choices.

Step 2: Evaluate what's important in a Medicare health plan.

Step 3: Review the Medicare health plan choices available where you live.

Step 4: Get information about available Medicare health plan choices.

Step 5: Make the Medicare health plan choice that is right for you.

Step 6: Enrolling/Disenrolling in a Medicare health plan.

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