Medicare deadline

People with Medicare have through Monday to select their Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan coverage for 2021. To ensure you have the right plan in place come Jan. 1 of next year, it’s important to focus on these three key topics:

Navigating plan options during COVID19 — This year, you can safely access the resources you need to choose the best plan for you, online or by phone. The Medicare Plan Finder is a great place to start.

Doctors in network, prescription drugs covered? — As you connect with a licensed sales agent or research information online, remember to confirm which doctors and hospitals are in a plan’s network. A licensed sales agent can look up the medications you would like covered and help you estimate what the cost of each drug would be on a plan.

New, innovative benefits — Beyond vision, hearing and dental coverage, look for fitness program benefits as many Medicare Advantage plans include them. Some Medicare Advantage plans offer benefits to help address the COVID-19 pandemic including virtual doctor visits or home-delivered meals for members with a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Key resources are available including licensed sales agents and websites such as medicare.gov and humana.com/medicare. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (or TTY: 1-877-4862048) 24 hours a day, seven days a week; or call Humana at 1-800-213-5286 (TTY: 711) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time seven days a week.

Mike Bowersox, Humana Medicare president for Virginia, Richmond