Medicare Resources To Help You Find Better Health Care

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Medicare Resources To Help You Find Better Health Care

Do you understand your coverage options or costs associated with Medicare, Medigap, or Medicare+Choice? Over half of all Medicare beneficiaries, for example say they know little to nothing about the availability and benefits of Medicare+Choice plans, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Medicare has a number of resources that can help you choose a new health plan or get better health care. These include the Medicare & You handbook, mailed annually to beneficiaries; a toll-free telephone line, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227); and a consumer Internet site, (www.medicare.gov). CMS is expanding and enhancing resources to provide more detailed information to help you make more informed choices about your health care options.

The Medicare Toll-free Telephone Line
Do you have a question about your Medicare benefits? When you do, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One thousand new customer service representatives have been added to answer questions. The telephone line also provides pre-recorded information, which can help you request information about health plans in your area, copies of the Medicare & You handbook in English or Spanish, or answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Customer service representatives are available to help answer general Medicare questions and questions related to Medicare health plan choices, handle requests for health plan comparison information and dis-enrollment forms, and make referrals to other information sources where appropriate. The service accommodates both English and Spanish-speaking callers and offers a TTY line (telecommunications device for the speech and hearing impaired): 1-877-486-2048.

Medicare Online
The CMS web site can be found at http://www.medicare.gov. Information includes the Medicare & You handbook, a continually updated calendar of Medicare & You activities occurring across the country, lists of resources, and general information about Medicare.

The website has nine separate databases including Medicare Health Plan Compare, Nursing Home Compare, Dialysis Facility Compare, and Medigap Compare, which all contain detailed comparisons about facilities and choices available county-by-county. Other databases include a list of Medicare participating physicians, medical equipment suppliers, a local Medicare events calendar and information about available prescription drug assistance programs. A new tool to help you make more informed choices about all health plan options is the Medicare Personal Health Plan Finder.

Medicare Online Information Database

Medicare Personal Health Plan Finder - walks you through a series of questions to help you make choices about the various health plans that are available in your communities. Based on the answers, the tool computes the relative out of pocket expenses of all Medicare health plan options, including Medicare+Choice plans, Medigap plans and Original Medicare. The tool is entirely confidential. No record of the "conversation" is kept.
Nursing Home Compare - contains detailed quality information about individual nursing homes across the country.
Medigap Compare - explains supplemental insurance and compares the 10 different insurance plans that are available to most Medicare beneficiaries.
Dialysis Compare - compares the services offered at dialysis centers across the country.
Prescription Drug Assistance Programs - the most extensive, nationally complete list of programs that offer free or discounted rates for medicines and the qualifications necessary to take advantage of them. A list of contact names and phone numbers is supplied, along with contact information to help fill out applications.

The Medicare & You Handbook
The Medicare & You handbook is mailed annually in the fall to all Medicare beneficiary households and each month to new Medicare enrollees. The handbook includes an overview of Medicare, Part A and B coverage, including preventive health services, copays, premiums, rights and protections, and other basic information of interest to beneficiaries. The Medicare & You handbook answers basic questions about Medicare, Medicare+Choice, Medigap, and more.
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Source: Medicare Fact Sheet, "Helping Beneficiaries Become Active Participants In Their Own Health Care With The Medicare Education Campaign," Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, October 19, 2001.

Updated 8/02/02