Medicare Advantage Plan Finder:
1. Visit www.medicare.gov; scroll half-way down the page and on the left hand side under the large font “Find doctors, providers, hospitals, plans & suppliers” click on “Find health & drug plans”
2. Decide if you want to perform a General Search or a Personalized Search
a. A General Search will locate plans in the area you select. It will not reflect any of your personal information including any current coverage or additional benefits you have
ii. Next, you will be asked to specify if there are any details related to Medicare coverage you would like to be considered with your search.
1. Select 1 option under each question posed
a. If you are not sure, select “Original Medicare” as your first answer and select “I don’t get any Extra Help” as your second answer
2. Select “Continue to Plan Results”
b. A Personalized Search will use your unique Medicare account to locate plans in your area. You will be able to see your personal information such as any current plans you are enrolled in as well as additional benefits you may have.
i. Enter your information including: 1. Zip code
2. Medicare Number 3. Last Name
a. Include a suffix if applicable 4. Part A Effective Date
5. Date of Birth ii. Click “Find Plans”
Select One
Answer
iii. If you need help locating your Medicare Number or your Effective Date, refer to your red, white and blue Medicare Card
3. Next, enter your drugs into “My Drug List”
i. Select the dosage you take ii. Type in the quantity you take
1. Select whether you take that every month, 3 months, etc. iii. Select “Add drug and dosage”
b. Write down your Drug List ID and Password Date and save the information in a safe location with the rest of your medical information
c. Review your drug list (up to a maximum of 25 drugs) to ensure:
i. All prescription drugs are listed and are set at the correct dosage and quantity ii. You have selected the generic or brand version of the drug based on what you
are prescribed
iii. Select “My Drug List is Complete”
4. Add the pharmacy of your choice (local retail pharmacy)
a. Expand your search area or search by Pharmacy Name if you do not see your preferred pharmacy at first
5. Select filters on the left hand side of the screen to narrow your options
a. Limit your monthly premium by moving the slider bar from right to left
b. Limit your Annual Drug Deductible if desired
c. Select Drug Options to search for only plans that cover all of your listed medications or do not have any restrictions on any of your listed medications
d. Select Star Ratings to find only plans that have “good” ratings
e. Select coverage options to find only plans that offer provider coverage nationwide or have an open-network of providers (PPO)
f. Select Special Needs Plans if you would like to search for the availability of plans catered specifically to certain mental/medical illnesses
g. Change your health status
h. Select Plans by Company if you have a preference for which health insurance organization administers your healthcare
i. Select “Update Plan Results” once all filters have been selected
7. Scroll down until you see “Medicare Health Plans with Drug Coverage”
a. All of the plans available in your area that meet the search criteria you indicated will be listed below
b. Review the plan information visible for each program; consider: i. Monthly premium
ii. Annual drug deductible iii. Annual health deductible iv. Doctor Choice
v. Out of Pocket Spending Limit vi. Overall Star Rating
i. This will generate a new page where you can see drug coverage details
d. Check drug restrictions to determine if there are any Quantity Limits lower than your current quantity prescribed, Step Therapy requirements, or Prior Authorization requirements
8. Once you have selected a few plans you may be interested in based on the initial details, check the boxes next to the plans you would like to research further (up to 3 plans)
9. The plans you selected will appear side by side now. You will want to review both the “Health Plan Benefits” and the “Drug Costs and Coverage”
a. First, select the “Health Plan Benefits” tab
i. You have already reviewed most of the “Costs and Other Important
Information” such as monthly premium, deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums ii. Scroll down further to view “Benefits” and review information most important
to you; Consider:
1. Doctor’s Office Visits (including Specialist) 2. Durable Medical Equipment
a. If you would like more detailed information regarding specific benefits or to see if there are supplemental benefits available to purchase for an additional premium (vision, dental, hearing) select “View More Detailed Cost & Benefit Information”
b. Lastly, you will want to select “Drug Costs & Coverage” to review prescription benefits side by side
1. Select the following check boxes to keep the report simple but comprehensive (add additional check boxes as you feel comfortable)
a. Fixed costs
b. Drug Coverage Information
c. Estimated Drug Cost Details at Pharmacy d. Estimated Monthly Drug Costs at Pharmacy e. Pharmacy Network Information
i. Include the “Definitions” check box at the bottom of the selection screen if you want the report to include a glossary of commonly used terms
ii. Select “Print”
10. Once you have selected a plan and are ready to enroll, return to the “Your Plan Results” page where you originally marked the check boxes for plans you wanted to compare.
a. On the far right hand side next to each plan, there will be an “Enroll” button (it will be in the same area that on this document says “Enrollment begins October 15, 2014)
i. Select “Enroll” to begin online enrollment
b. If online enrollment is not your preference, contact the plan directly to speak to a representative and enroll
i. The contact information for the plan can be found by clicking on the plan name of the policy you have chosen
