Medicare   enrollment  can be complicated if you live outside the United States. This means that you do not live inside the  50 states of the U.S, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands. Although Medicare does not typically cover medical costs you receive when you live abroad, you still need to choose whether to enroll in Medicare when you become eligible or to turn down enrollment.  This is subject to consideration as well; Whether you plan to return to the U.S. Whether you are working or volunteering outside the U.S. The potential costs of delayed enrollment If you are  65 or older and qualify for Medicare , you can enroll in Medicare Parts A and B, also known as  Original Medicare , either before or after you leave the U.S . However, you must remember that Medicare will typically not cover medical care you receive outside the U.S.  Part A coverage is the best to keep eve...

The Medicare Advantage and Part D star ratings for 2020 shows that more plans have 4 stars or higher star ratings this 2020 as compared to 2019. Also, there are more plans being offered to start on October 15.  According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, there are about 1,200 more Medicare Advantage plans operating in 2020 than in 2018. Approximately 52 percent of contracts for Medicare Advantage plans offering Part D coverage earned 4 stars or higher, compared to about 45% in 2019. In the 401 contracts for 2020, 210 are at 4 stars or higher, compared to 172 in 2019 when there were only 376 contracts. Twenty contracts for MA and Part D earned 5 stars, 72 earned 4.5 stars and 118 earned 4 stars. This compares to 14 that earned 5 stars in 2019, 64 that earned 4.5 stars, and 94 that earned 4 stars last year. The comparison between 2020 and 2019 shows 55 contracts rated 3 stars for 2020 as opposed to 66 in 2019. The average star rating for 20...

Before Medicare included an optional prescription drug benefit, many members had to choose what they should do first, either to pay their electric bills and buy their groceries or getting first their prescriptions filled. However today, it has improved especially for seniors who take the time to carefully choose a Part D plan that covers their medications with potential savings each year.  Here are the seven rules of the road when choosing Part D Prescription Coverage: 1.      Know your shopping window. You have from October 15 to December 7 to shop around for a new Part D plan or change your Medicare Advantag e coverage for the following year. It’s important to keep in mind that changes will take effect starting in January, leaving you the option to change your mind more than once during the fall open enrollmen t window. And if you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get anothe r opportunity to change your m...

What is a Doughnut Hole? The  Medicare  Part D donut hole  is a temporary coverage gap in how much a  Medicare  prescription drug plan will pay for your prescription drug costs. Starting in  2020 ,  Medicare  Part D plan beneficiaries pay 25 percent of their brand name and generic drug costs while they're in the coverage gap. How does the donut hole work? The donut hole closed for all drugs in 2020, meaning that when you enter the coverage gap you will be responsible for 25% of the cost of your drugs. In the past, you were responsible for a higher percentage of the cost of your drugs. Although the donut hole has closed, you may still see a difference in cost between the initial coverage period and the donut hole. For example, if a drug’s total cost is $200 and you pay your plan’s $40 copay during the initial coverage period, you will be responsible for paying $25 (25% of $200) during the coverage gap. How do I get out of the ...

Before 2006, Medicare did not cover prescription medications. There was a limited number of medications that were offered under Medicare Part Band,  and otherwise, you had to pay for your medications out of pocket. In 2003, everything had changed when President George W. Bush passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA). This is what we now know of as  Medicare Part D , an optional part of Medicare that provides prescription drug coverage. Part D plans are run by private insurance companies and not by the government. However, the federal government sets guidelines on what basic medications are covered and how much you can be charged.  A deductible is the amount of money you spend out of pocket before your prescription drug benefits begin. Your plan may or may not have a deductible. The maximum deductible a plan can charge for 2020 is set at $435. It has increased by  $20 from 2019...