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Ohio Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 7

Seniors with Medicare insurance have until Dec. 7 at midnight to make changes for next year.

Many seniors never review their health plans during the open enrollment period and they could be missing out on a chance to save money, said Christina Reeg, Director of the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program. OSHIIP is a Medicare counseling service under the Ohio Department of Insurance.

Prices can change from year to year in Medicare Part D programs, the part which provides drug benefits, said Reeg.  People who don’t review plans and renew each year will be rolled over and kept in their current coverage, but it’s best to see if there are better options, she said.

“Especially if they are in a Medicare Advantage Plan which is an alternative to original Medicare,” Reeg said. “Those plans are also on a one-year contract so they should review not only their prescription drugs but also those health plan visits like, doctor copays, specialty copays, amounts they would have to pay at the hospital or other facility.”

Seniors can find more information and compare plans on the Medicare.gov website or call 1-800-Medicare. There is a plan finder tool on the Medicare website which allows people to compare plans side by side, Reeg said.

Marlene Harris-Taylor
Marlene is the director of engaged journalism at Ideastream Public Media.