Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today reminded residents throughout Illinois who are eligible for Medicare coverage that they still have time to enroll in a Medicare plan before its Dec. 7 deadline.
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During open enrollment, Medicare participants can join a new Medicare Advantage plan or a stand-alone prescription drug plan (Part D) and switch between an Original Medicare plan with or without a Part D plan and a Medicare Advantage plan. In most cases, fall open enrollment is the only time Medicare recipients can pick a new Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Any change made during fall open enrollment will take effect Jan. 1.
“With COVID-19 cases climbing, health care coverage is more important than ever,” Raoul said. “Seniors and other Medicare participants still have time to make sure that their plans adequately cover their health care needs, and I encourage them to enroll before this open enrollment period ends December 7.”
Original Medicare recipients can look at “Medicare & You Handbook 2021” to learn about their Medicare costs and benefits for the upcoming year. Those on a Medicare Advantage plan or a Part D plan should receive an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) or Evidence of Coverage (EOC) that lists costs and benefits.
Even if people are satisfied with their current Medicare plan, consumers should look at other Medicare options to find out whether there are plans that better meet their health care needs. Consumers also can use Medicare’s Plan Finder tool to find Part D plans and compare plans based on the medications they need, the pharmacy they visit and their drug costs.
Consumers can enroll in a new plan or get information by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or visiting medicare.gov. Illinois residents who are not eligible for Medicare can register for health insurance plans through Get Covered Illinois, the state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace. Open enrollment for Get Covered Illinois continues through Dec. 15.
Raoul encourages those who have questions or complaints about open enrollment to contact his Senior Citizen Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-5377. Consumers can also contact the Attorney General’s by calling the Consumer Fraud Bureau at 1-800-386-5438 in Chicago, 1-800-243-0618 in Springfield, and 1-800-243-0607 in Carbondale; the Attorney General’s Health Care Hotline at 1-877-305-5145; and the Attorney General’s website at illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.
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