Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro

PHOTO COURTESY OF Delaware.gov

By Joseph Edelen

DOVER— With the start of Medicare open enrollment on Oct. 15, the Department of Insurance’s Medicare Assistance Bureau has shared an annual consumer information update.

Medicare open enrollment is open until Dec. 7, during which members have the opportunity to either join, change or drop a part D Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage plan.

“Our Medicare Assistance Bureau’s impressive track record includes saving Delawareans $2.2 million in 2024, and underscores the crucial need for unbiased, expert guidance during Medicare Open Enrollment. With a variety of options, annual plan changes, and federal updates, it’s vital that beneficiaries take advantage of our free services to ensure their coverage meets their health and financial needs” said Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro in a statement.

The Department of Insurance’s Medicare Assistance Bureau offers scheduled phone and virtual appointments, as well as weekly counseling windows — also by appointment — at agency offices from Oct. 20 to Nov. 20.

Those weekly counseling opportunities are available on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at their Wilmington location; Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at their Georgetown location; and Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the agency’s Dover office.

In-person services require appointments, and the department is not offering walk-ins. For more information, contact the Medicare Assistance Bureau at 302-674-7364.

The Department of Insurance is also offering tips for open enrollment. Those tips include that if someone enrolls in a Medicare Advantage Plan, that becomes their main coverage, and original Medicare will not cover services.

Further, if moving to such a plan, you will be required to pay a monthly Medicare Advantage premium and Medicare Part B premium. Also, Medicare Advantage Plans do not increase your Social Security monthly check unless you have an income below Medicaid limits.

The department also encourages consumers to make sure other benefits like dental, vision and prescriptions are approved dependent on their network provider; if their health care provider contracts with their plan; check if a plan is a Health Maintenance Organization of Preferred Provider Organization; and recognize that Medicare Advantage Plans may result in additional co-pays that differ from traditional Medicare.

Finally, the agency urges consumers to ensure their plan covers their part D prescription drugs; know that enrollment will lock their plan for the full upcoming calendar year; and to only make contact regarding enrollment with known, credible sources.