We moved from Atlanta to South Carolina about 3 weeks ago. I still have my GA Medicare Advantage plan (via Humana). I am 74 yrs old. I talked to a Humana agent on the phone to get my address changed on my account and was told my plan was not available in South Carolina. I was told by the agent that my plan would be cancelled soon and they presented me with a couple new plans to consider that had much poorer coverage than the one I have now that I had while I lived in GA. I talked to a local agent here in SC and was told that because I was losing my coverage through no fault of my own that I would be eligible for a special enrollment period during which I could choose another plan.
Assuming the above is true. I have a few questions:
How long is the special enrollment period?
If I don’t pick a plan during the special enrollment period do I automatically go on original Medicare (part A and B)?
As far as I know, if you get kicked back into Original Medicare, you will have to go through Medical Underwriting for Medicare Supplemental, which you really need for Medicare Part B. So, I would try to find the best Advantage plan you can.
Oh, you talked to Humana only? Don’t do that! Find a Medicare broker in your local area who deals with ALL plans, not just their one house brand, and make your best choice.
Medical networks are highly regionalized. Just because Humana had good plans in GA doesn’t mean they are good in SC. You need to be looking at all plans. Don’t get locked into some kind of brand loyalty which doesn’t reward YOU.
thats exactly what I am doing. I have an appointment with a broker who seems to think he can provide an advantage plan that is comparable to the one I had in GA
I have also used a Medicare broker and I choose traditional medicare. To cover the bases, one other resource in South Carolina is the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).