EFN

As the health care debate is taking place, Medicare has been quietly changing. The most recent changes took place a few years ago when consumers had a choice between traditional Medicare, Advantage and Medicare Part D. However, there are new changes are taking place in the types of plans offered. What is happening is changes to the laws, reduction in government reimbursement and cut backs by insurance companies are causing the number of plans that people have to choose from to fall. This means that if you are a part of a plan that is being dropped you must select another Medicare Plan to work in conjunction with your insurance company. For those who have been dropped from the traditional plan they will have until the end of the year to select another Medicare plan or they will be enrolled in traditional Medicare.

What this shows is that the tough economic challenges are being felt in Medicare as insurance companies reduce the number of plans in an effort to save money and stay in compliance with changing regulations. Clearly consumers need to pay attention to changes that are taking place with any of the different government sponsored health plans to ensure that they have the right coverage they need.