Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog

Editor: Gerry W. Beyer
Texas Tech Univ. School of Law

Monday, November 16, 2020

When Medicare Choices Get ‘Pretty Crazy,’ Many Seniors Avert Their Eyes

RetireWith the new year approaching, many seniors will be bombarded with messages about their Medicare coverage. These messages range from emails to physical mail to television ads. 

The fall enrollment season which began October 15 and will run until December 7. During this season, "enrollees can shop Medicare’s marketplace for the prescription drug and Advantage plans offered by commercial insurance companies. They can also switch between fee-for-service original Medicare and Advantage."

The choices continue to grow as time passes. This year, enrollees will have 57 different coverage plans to choose from. At its inception in 1965, Medicare was much more basic and was seen as a social insurance program. Eligible workers would pay taxes and premiums but would all receive the same coverage. 

Between the 1990s and 2006 and continuing on, Medicare has expanded greatly. The growth allows people to make decisions and choose plans that are best tailored to their needs and lifestyle. 

This type of shopping is very important because seniors' needs may change, requiring them to shop for new plans and coverages that fit their lifestyle changes.

See Mark Miller, When Medicare Choices Get ‘Pretty Crazy,’ Many Seniors Avert Their Eyes, N.Y. Times, November 13, 2020. 

Special thanks to Lewis Saret (Attorney, Washington, D.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.  

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/trusts_estates_prof/2020/11/when-medicare-choices-get-pretty-crazy-many-seniors-avert-their-eyes.html

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