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By Erica Harman, ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Insurance Management Team

Medicare Part D (prescription) plan open enrollment is October 15 through December 7 and Medicare General Enrollment is January 1st through March 31. Medicare plans, including Part D, can be complicated, and not paying attention to the different open enrollment periods could have a substantial effect on a patient’s dialysis coverage.

²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ^® has a dedicated insurance resource team for its Kidney Disease patients and their caregivers. Please contact a ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ facility social worker, who can put you in contact with one of our ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ insurance management specialists, or fill out the insurance support form.

Here are some general guidelines and tips:

• If you have health insurance through an employer, you may not need Medicare. Learn more about insurance and financial support.
• If you currently have prescription drug coverage through an employer, you may not need a Medicare Part D plan. Check with your employer to find out whether your current coverage is as good as what is being offered by Medicare Part D.
• If you already have a Medicare Part D (prescription) plan, October 15 through December 7 is your time to review your current plan as well as other plans available in 2014.
• If you lost your Part B coverage because of nonpayment in 2013 or you are currently enrolled in Medicare Part A only, you may need to enroll for Part B coverage during the general open enrollment period which runs January 1 through March 31, 2014. Once enrolled, your Medicare Part B coverage will become effective on July 1, 2014. Learn more about Medicare for people with chronic kidney disease.