Enrollment under way for Medicare Part D

Open enrollment for Medicare Part D has started and will continue until Dec. 31. It's an important time for seniors, who must choose a plan before the beginning of 2010.

"It's going on right now, Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, so you only have a little time to make any changes, and this is the only time you can do it," Leonard Ernsbarger said.

It can be quite confusing trying to figure out just what benefits a person has and Ernsbarger pointed out that with the different parts of Medicare there are different policies available.

"You have to be very careful," Ernsbarger said. "Medicare Part D isn't the same as Part A and B, which have supplemental policies available for them. The supplemental policies aren't Part D and don't usually cover prescriptions.

Part D is separate, and you have to consider a lot of things before you choose which plan you want."

Medicare currently has four parts, Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D.

Part A is hospital insurance and covers inpatient care in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities as well as hospice and home health care. Part B is medical insurance to pay for medically necessary services and supplies. Part C is Medicare Advantage, which is a combination of Part A and Part B, but is provided by private companies, not the federal government.

Ernsbarger said that people have to watch out for things that could trip them up, choosing the cheapest premium plan may be more expensive overall than choosing one with a higher premium.

"You have to watch out that you don't choose a plan because of a low premium and then find out it costs you more because high deductibles mean you are paying more over the course of a year," Ernsbarger said. "CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medic-aid Services) has a Web site. www.medi-care.gov, you can go to find a plan that fits your situation."

Because it is confusing and because there are so many options, Medicare scams are a problem. Ernsbarger said that people should know who they are dealing with, and what that person is legally able to sell them.

"Agents who sell Part D plans have to be qualified, they have to take special classes and pass special tests to sell them, they aren't like Medicare supplement plans which any insurance agent with a health insurance license can sell," Ernsbarger said. "The problem is that commissions for the plans are low and getting qualified involves a lot of red tape so they (agents) are better off doing something else that pays better."