Medicare Informational Meetings

NancyD

I have been on medicare for a couple years now, and since the open enrollment period is starting, most of the health insurers that offer Medicare Advantage plans have started advertising both on TV and in direct mail. I've received a few invitations to Medicare Informational meetings, and I wanted to know if they are worth my while. Are they hard sell? How long do the presentations usually last? A couple of them seem like they will run into lunchtime. Do they ever serve snacks? (No mention of a meal.)

I am always looking to find a better Advantage Plan than what I have, so I'm not adverse to changing insurers. But I like my doctors, some of whom I have been a patient with for over 20 years. I was very disturbed this year when my advantage plan insurer was in contract talks with the health organization that covers a lot of the doctors in my area—including ALL my doctors (even though they were originally from different practices). Every few months, I would get a letter from the advantage plan insurer warning me that as of a certain date my doctors would no longer be part of the plan. What got me very upset was that they could do this in the middle of the year when I could not change my plan. If I had to wait until the Open Enrollment Period, why didn't they have to follow the same schedule? In the end, the contract was signed, but I'd hate to have to go through that again.

Getting back to the informational meetings: Can/Will they tell you if their contract with your doctors is expiring in the coming year?