Important Notice for Medicare Beneficiaries: Don’t Ignore Your Mail This Fall

Every year, most Medicare beneficiaries assume their plan will automatically renew without any changes. And in most years, that’s true. But this year, several insurance companies are cancelling existing Medicare policies and rewriting them under new plan structures.

If you are on Medicare and receive a notice from your insurance company, don’t ignore it. What may look like junk mail could actually be an important message letting you know your current policy is being discontinued.

What’s Happening

Some insurance carriers are changing their Medicare offerings for the upcoming year. Instead of simply renewing existing plans, they are cancelling certain policies altogether and requiring customers to actively enroll in a new plan even if it’s with the same insurance company.

This means that if you don’t take action, you could wake up in January without Medicare coveragein place. Unfortunately, many seniors may not realize this change is happening, and they could easily mistake these letters for typical marketing materials or renewal notices.

What You Should Do

• Check your mail carefully. Read every letter or notice you receive from your Medicare provider over the next few weeks.
• Look for key words like “termination,” “discontinuation,” or “plan cancellation.”
• Contact your insurance broker immediately if you receive any correspondence about your plan changing or ending. If you do not have a broker, please give us a call and we can help.
• Review your options. You may be able to renew with your current company under a new plan or it might make sense to switch to a different carrier altogether.

We’re Here to Help

Navigating Medicare changes can be confusing, especially when they’re unexpected. If you’re unsure whether your plan is affected or if you’ve received a notice and don’t know what it means, call us right away. We’ll help you review your options so you don’t risk a lapse in coverage when the new year begins.