Enrollees have until Dec. 7 to choose their health and drug plans for the upcoming year.1 The average beneficiary has 43 Medicare Advantage plans and 21 stand-alone Part D plans to choose from during that time, according to nonprofit health policy research group KFF.2
KFF. “What to Know about the Medicare Open Enrollment Period and Medicare Coverage Options.” That’s more than twice as many Advantage plans and slightly fewer Part D options than a decade ago.
Experts said there are a few ways enrollees can navigate all these choices to ensure their Medicare plan is best suited for them.
“No one is required to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan,” said Rachel Gershon, senior attorney at Justice in Aging. “If somebody does enroll in Medicare Advantage, it’s a good idea to think about which providers, such as which hospitals or which doctors you might want to keep seeing in the new year, and check with the potential plan to see if they’re in network.”
