• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Zimmer Law Firm logo Zimmer Law Firm
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Communities We Serve
      • Butler County
        • Fairfield
        • Hamilton
        • West Chester
      • Clermont County
        • Milford
      • Hamilton County
        • Blue Ash
        • Cincinnati
        • Loveland
        • Montgomery
        • Sharonville
      • Warren County
        • Mason
    • Our Client Care Program
  • Services
    • Estate Planning Services in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA Inheritance Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Legacy Wealth Planning in Ohio
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning Services in Ohio
    • Medicaid Planning and Elder Law
    • How the SECURE Act Impacts Your Ohio Estate Plan
    • Special Needs Estate Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Young Adult Legal Protection Plan in Ohio
  • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Ohio Elder Law Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Fairfield
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Montgomery
      • Sharonville
      • West Chester
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate & Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Free Estate Planning Checklist
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning Definitions
      • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • FAQs
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Mason
      • Milford
      • Probate Checklist
      • Sharonville
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
      • West Chester
    • Presentations
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Zimmer Law Firm

Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys

513.721.1513
Request a Free Consultation
Request a Free Consultation

Google initial with star next to it

  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Communities We Serve
      • Butler County
        • Fairfield
        • Hamilton
        • West Chester
      • Clermont County
        • Milford
      • Hamilton County
        • Blue Ash
        • Cincinnati
        • Loveland
        • Montgomery
        • Sharonville
      • Warren County
        • Mason
    • Our Client Care Program
  • Services
    • Estate Planning Services in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA Inheritance Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Legacy Wealth Planning in Ohio
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning Services in Ohio
    • Medicaid Planning and Elder Law
    • How the SECURE Act Impacts Your Ohio Estate Plan
    • Special Needs Estate Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Young Adult Legal Protection Plan in Ohio
  • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Ohio Elder Law Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Fairfield
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Montgomery
      • Sharonville
      • West Chester
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate & Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Free Estate Planning Checklist
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning Definitions
      • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • FAQs
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Mason
      • Milford
      • Probate Checklist
      • Sharonville
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
      • West Chester
    • Presentations
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Home Our Blog Reviewing Your Medicare Plan

Reviewing Your Medicare Plan

By Barry Zimmer on March 3rd, 2016 in Medicare Recipients

capture-20150315-133217Did you know that between 90 and 95 percent of people enrolled in Medicare overpay? That’s just one reason why conducting a review of your Medicare plan is so important. While it can feel a bit burdensome or overwhelming, it’s important to not underestimate the role of due diligence.

Medicare’s open enrollment period, which continues through December 8, allows you do your own comparison shopping. This is especially important for those with growing drug costs.

Annual Notice of Change

You should have received the ANOC, or Annual Notice of Change prior to open enrollment. This important document provides information on what Medicare changes you can expect in 2016. But what happens if you want to make changes? Of course, meeting with your Medicaid and Medicare lawyer is a great way to move through the process as he can provide insight on various dynamics and expectations of any changes you do decide to make. There are also other ways to review your coverage.

The Medicare site itself is chock-full of information, resources and plans. In fact, one tool allows you to enter the medications you currently take and get returns on what plans are available, the costs and benefits. Not comfortable online? Medicare offers an 800 number staffed by representatives who can conduct the search for you – and it’s all free. That number is 800-633-4227 and it’s available 24 hours a day. Also, medicarerights.org is another website that presents a number of facts, updates to laws and policies, legislation efforts and other important consumer topics.

Arming Yourself with the Right Information

Once you’ve reviewed all of the information and realize your current plan is just right for your needs, you may wonder if maybe you’ve missed something (remember – 90 to 95 percent of people overpay). You might be part of that small minority that really does have the best plan. You won’t know until you delve into the details.

Other Factors Associated with Your Medicare Plan

And here’s something you may not know: you and your spouse don’t have to use the same plan. You may have needs that your spouse does not.

CMS also encourages users to check with their physicians, hospitals, ambulatory centers and even drug stores to be sure the new plan is one that’s compatible with their services. It can save a lot of frustration in the new year.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen a lot of news stories about drug costs. It’s as important now as it’s ever been to choose the drug plans that are affordable and serve the purpose you need. CMS estimates a 13 percent increase in many plans, making it a priority for seniors and the elderly.

As always, we stand ready to advise clients on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Our estate planning lawyers are experts with applying, appealing and ensuring approval for these programs. Give us a call today.

Primary Sidebar

Request a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

What Our Clients Say

Some years ago, Barry Zimmer suggested we do a basic estate plan for our son when he went to college. We had no idea how important it would be! In our son's freshman year, he ended up in the hospital, and we were able to get crucial information about his condition because we had a health care ...

Read All Testimonials

Zimmer Law Firm

9825 Kenwood Road
Suite 201
Cincinnati, OH 45242
  • Facebook Logo
  • Linkedin Logo
  • X Logo
  • Youtube Logo

Copyright © 2025 Zimmer Law Firm
Disclaimer Privacy Policy

 

Make a Payment