Insurance Broker Illinois » Medicare

Medicare Part D Prescription Plans in Illinois

Insurance Broker — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:08:38 +0000

The annual Medicare Part D Prescription Plans Open Enrollment period starts and ends earlier this year. It will be from October 15 to December 7.

Open Enrollment is the one time each year when everyone with Medicare can enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan for the first time, or switch to a different plan for 2012. Changes will be effective January 1, 2012.

Insurance companies that offer Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans were required to send Annual Notice of Change packets to their members by September 30. These packets explain changes to a plan’s benefits, drug list and costs for 2012. Some people were notified that their coverage will change in 2012 or that their plan has been discontinued. Others were told that they will automatically be moved into a different plan offered by the same company. For anyone who is not happy with their new plan, now is the time to make a change.

Medicare Part d Prescription Plans

• Make sure you received the Annual Notice of Change. If you did not, call your Medicare Part D plan right away and ask them to mail you one.

• Evaluate plans carefully, whether it’s your existing plan or a new one you’re considering. Look at the plan to be sure it covers the medications you need, and whether you can afford the premiums, deductibles and co-pays.

• Review the list of drugs (also called a formulary) that your plan pays for and make sure it covers your prescription drugs. The Annual Notice of Change packet should include a formulary of drugs your plan will cover next year. Call your plan if you did not receive a formulary with your packet or if your drugs are not listed.

• Plans change and so do individual health care needs. If changes to your existing plan are acceptable, you don’t need to do anything. If not, you need to find a plan that better fits your needs.

• Don’t wait until the last minute to enroll in a plan. Join as soon as possible to be sure everything is in place by January 1.

• Remember that the deadline for enrolling is earlier this year – December 7.

For information about qualifying and applying for these programs, call Health Insurance Services, Inc at (847)566-6250

Illinois Medicare Open Enrollment Starts Oct. 15, Ends Dec. 7

Insurance Broker — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:44:28 +0000

Medicare has changed the “open enrollment” period this year.

Therefore, beneficiaries need to study their options regarding Part D prescription drug and Part C Medicare Advantage plans.

In prior years, the annual enrollment period did not begin until mid-November and lasted through end of the year, with any changes or choices made effective Jan. 1.

Starting this year, that time period has been moved up for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.

This means that Medicare beneficiaries will have to analyze their options and make choices earlier than in prior years.

During “open enrollment,” Medicare beneficiaries who do not have a Part D plan can enroll in one, and those who do have Part D coverage can change plans.

They can also return to traditional Medicare from a Medicare Advantage plan, enroll in an MA plan, or change MA plans.

Individuals must make their choices by the new deadline of Dec. 7 in order for coverage to be effective Jan. 1, 2012. Open enrollment is only once a year.

Even if individuals are satisfied with their plan in 2011, they still need to review their plan options for 2012.

Part D and MA plans may have made changes to their coverage, provider networks and other plan features.

Starting Oct. 1, 2011, plan information for 2012 will be available on the Medicare Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov.

Medicare Advantage and Part D plan sponsors are allowed to start marketing their plans on Oct. 1.

If you have questions about Medicare please contact Health Insurance Services, Inc. We are Medicare Experts.

Few want Illinois to run Illinois Health Care Exchange

Insurance Broker — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:23:54 +0000

There is a lot of talk about state run health insurance exchanges. Dont worry, private health insurance policies like Blue Cross & Humana are NOT going anywhere. If you read the post below you will see that nobody really knows how how the health care exchange in Illinois is going to work, not even the people in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD Illinois- Almost no one wants the state running Illinois new health care exchange.

Health care advocates, unions, doctors’ groups and business people testified in unison this past week before the Illinois Legislature’s rule-making body, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, that the state should have a limited role in running the health care exchanges, but they were divided on their reasons.

Each state must create an exchange where people can shop for and buy competitive health insurance plans, as required under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Each state can form its own exchange.

At its most basic, an exchange would be a marketplace, a one-stop shop. Some states are looking at online exchanges or physical exchanges or both, but no single model has emerged.

Various advocates supported the state establishing regulations for the exchange but not running its day-to-day operations. The groups included AARP, which represent senior citizens; Planned Parenthood, which speaks for women’s health issues; and labors unions, including the Service Employees International Union and United Food and Commercial Workers.

Laura Minzer, executive director of the Healthcare Council for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, one of the state’s largest business groups, said her organization was concerned about a proposal from the Illinois Department of Insurance that would give Gov. Pat Quinn the power to appoint most of the people who would oversee the health care exchanges.

“We have some concerns in terms of the appointments (to the exchange) being largely from the governor,” Minzer said. “We believe this should be separate and apart from the politics” of the state.

Minzer said politics is driving the decisions that will shape Illinois’ health care exchanges. Lawmakers are trying to figure out whom they will pay to create an exchange and how it will be run. And they want a plan by the end of the fall veto session in early November.

“We still don’t know what it is that we’re doing with the exchanges,” Minzer said last week. “We feel that this has to be tackled in a bigger way, and six days of sessions is not enough time to do that.”

State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said Illinois has to have an exchange up and running for federal approval by January 2013. If not, the federal government will impose its own exchange on the state. The exchange would start selling insurance in 2014.

“This is an immensely complex undertaking. It’s going to be expensive for somebody,” Harris said. “So there is a real caution not to make promises to folks now that we can’t keep if the ground changes underneath us.”

The ground is changing as challenges to the requirement in the federal health care law that would require everyone to buy health insurance make their way through the courts.

The U.S.. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld the mandate last year. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit struck down the mandate earlier this month. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments once the cases move through the appellate process.

Lawmakers are scheduled to return for the fall veto session from Oct. 25 to 27 and again from Nov. 8 to 10. The big question is, who really wants the state of Illinois part of their healthcare decisions.

Welcome to my Blog

Insurance Broker — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:51:48 +0000

Thank you for visiting my new website and blog.

If you’ve taken a few minutes to navigate through my website you noticed that my name is Larry Smith, President of Health Insurance Services, Inc. Over my 20 plus years of experience in the insurance field I have gained a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of health insurance, life insurance, group insurance, and medicare insurance. Throughout the years I have also gained a reasonable amount of knowledge about technology including the use of computers. Most of us seem to use computers now as part of our careers.

Ive had a website since I started Health Insurance Services back in 2002 and recently I had decided that it was time to update my company website. My goal was to create a website that contained helpful and informative information. I wanted to have a resource that my clients could use to learn more about insurance as well as the services we offer. You will find on my new site several informative downloads. I also wanted to update my ability to provide real time insurance quotes to my clients and prospective clients.

Most importantly I wanted a new website where I can regularly post updates and news regarding all the changes that are occurring in the insurance industry. As Im sure you have heard, there are many new changes on the way for health care. I get calls every day from my clients asking me about these changes. I hope you find my new website and blog to be an informative and useful tool. I plan on posting a wealth of informative posts to keep my clients up-to-date on all aspects of insurance that directly affects their lives.

If you have any questions at anytime, I welcome your phone call.