People With Medicare

How do I switch plans?

The first thing you need to do is decide on a new plan. Most people pick a plan based on:

What drugs they use.
What pharmacy they want to use.
How much the plan costs.
Whether they want a plan that covers prescription drugs only (a stand alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or PDP) or a Medicare Advantage plan with both medical benefits and prescription drug coverage (a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan or MA-PD).

How do I sort through all the plans?

There are many plans to choose from in your area. Medicare.gov has the best tool to help you narrow your search. It is called the Medicare.gov Plan Finder. You enter your drugs and the name of your pharmacy. Then the tool will tell you which plans are available, how much each one will cost, and whether a plan has special rules about how you get your drugs. You can compare the different plans and decide which one is right for you.

Once I decide on a plan, how do I sign up?

Once you decide on the plan that is right for you for 2013, you need to enroll in that plan. You can join a plan in the following ways:

On Medicare's website. You can choose a plan and enroll online through Medicare's secure website.
By paper application. Contact the company offering the drug plan you choose and ask for an application. Once you fill out the form, mail or fax it back to the company.
On the plan's website or call the plan. Visit the drug plan company's website. You may be able to join online. NOTE: If you join using the web, the plan must send you a bill. The plan cannot ask for payment at the time you join online.

If you are currently in a Medicare plan, you do NOT need to cancel that plan. When you join the new Medicare plan, your coverage will switch automatically. The new plan will cover you starting on January 1, 2013.

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Information on this web site was compiled from approved materials of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.