By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Open enrollment, when Medicare recipients are able to change their main and supplemental coverage, begins today and will run through Dec. 7.

Seniors are able to change Medicare Advantage plans, change drug plans, change supplemental plans, or change between Medicare Advantage and original Medicare.

Advantage plans

Medicare Advantage plans advertise additional medical, drug, and dental coverage not available in standard Medicare. Some plans offer perks such as a modest grocery allowance.

But not all Medicare Advantage plans are accepted by health care providers and pharmacies in Marion County.

Enrollees should carefully compare plans available in their area for cost and services.

If they live in another state for part of the year, seniors should find out whether the plan will cover them in that state.

Medicare Advantage plans that St. Luke Hospital accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield Kansas Medicare, Humana Choice HMO/PPO, ARRP Secure Horizons Medicare Complete, and United Healthcare Medicare Solutions.

“With regard to Medicare Advantage plans, it is common that patients will need a prior authorization before receiving treatment,” St. Luke chief executive Alex Haines said. “It is common for those authorizations to be denied, and the patient never receives the treatment that was ordered by their physician. On occasion, patient will need to leave the hospital prior to their discharge because of an advantage plan saying it is not going to be paid. These types of issues don’t typically occur with regular Medicare.”

Hillsboro Community Hospital will accept any Medicare Advantage plan, billing manager Rhonda Ediger said.

Medicare Advantage plans require preauthorization for admission and co-pays apply, Ediger said.

Drug plans

For Part D, or drug plans, seniors could compare plans by entering prescriptions they take into an online program or by taking their drug list to a pharmacy. Marion County Department on Aging also runs comparisons for county seniors.

If the senior gets all his or her prescriptions at one pharmacy, most simply draw up the patient’s list from their files.

All Marion County pharmacies help their customers with Plan D comparisons. Lanning Pharmacy, for example, asks patients to call to ask for a comparison. When the pharmacy completes the comparison, it will call and notify the customer.

Comparison programs calculate annual costs under various plans, then return the top three plans for the patient.

Medicare Supplement plans

Medicare supplement plans, sometimes called Medigap plans, are sold by private insurance companies and help cover out-of-pocket costs of original Medicare Part A and B.

The plans have different coverage levels and costs. Typically, the more comprehensive the coverage, the higher the monthly premium.

Medicare counseling

The staff of Marion County Department on Aging provides free assistance to anyone needing to enroll — or change enrollment — in Medicare or supplemental programs.

Staff will consult with seniors and help them.