Elder Care Expert Advice

Medicare Advantage plans seem attractive because of their low premiums but there are downfalls to them. Often Indiana seniors don’t realize they have then given up their traditional Medicare benefits. Most seniors over the age of 75 will at one time need to utilize their rehab benefit after a hospital stay. The majority of the Medicare Advantage plans have a limit of 15 days of coverage. If the senior is unable to go back home and be safe so soon they will have to pay privately at a rate of $185 per day.
Be sure to check your parents policy to make sure they didn’t give up their Medicare. You can usually tell based on the premium, less than $125 per month. If they have switched they still have time to get Medicare back. If you want to leave your Medicare Advantage (MA) Plan, you have until February 14, 2011 to drop your plan and switch to Original Medicare. If you do switch to Original Medicare and you had drug coverage through your Medicare Advantage plan, you have until February 14 to also join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.

The next Medicare open enrollment period when most people can make changes starts October 15, 2011. See “Understanding Medicare Enrollment Periods” for more details.

It is also important to know that Veteran seniors should never give up their Medicare B coverage. Just recently the VA had to cut coverage and many of these veterans had given up their Medicare coverage. They will now have to pay a penalty for every month they were eligible and didn’t have it.