Medicare Enrollment Warnings from In-home Care near Los Angeles

In-home Care near Los Angeles is Concerned About Medicare Enrollment

There’s a strictly designated window of time between October 15 and December 7—called “open enrollment”—during which seniors can sign up for specific Medicare programs, either for the first time or to change their coverage. This process can easily be confusing under any circumstances, even with the help of a geriatric care manager or in-home care near Los Angeles. But this year, two factors are making it even harder for seniors to sign up for the coverage that best meets their needs: the recently-ended government shutdown and the rollout of the Affordable Care Act.

Medicare Made Complicated

As you know if you were closely following the developments in early October, the partial government shutdown did not suspend the Medicare system. Seniors still received benefits, and the program continued to reimburse doctors for products and services. But there were still some negative effects on Medicare; for example, the website that many people use to sign up during open enrollment was apparently not updated during the shutdown. This is particularly troublesome because the shutdown occurred immediately before the open enrollment period began (October 15).

Compounding Factors

What are some of the other factors that make it hard for the elderly to navigate Medicare enrollment? The introduction of the Affordable Care Act (itself plagued by technical shortcomings) has made it difficult for patients to know just what program they should sign up for. Worse yet, scammers have taken advantage of the confusion and are contacting seniors with false information about their medical coverage. Without the help of competent family or eldercare in Los Angeles, seniors are in danger of giving out sensitive information over the phone in an attempt to sign up for Medicare.

Eldercare in Los Angeles: Still the Same!

If your aging loved one needs to begin or change their Medicare coverage this year, don’t leave them to do it on their own! Taking some time to look at the situation and walk them through it will almost certainly save money and headache throughout the coming year. And remember, professional in-home care stays the same, no matter what convulsions the government experiences. Let us help your loved one with the details of living at home comfortably and safely.

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