5 Medicare Myths to Look Out for This AEP

Every fall the mailbox fills up, and the phone starts ringing as Medicare’s Annual Enrollment period draws near. In my experience, most of the trouble doesn’t come from people making bad decisions. It comes from people making perfectly reasonable ones based on something that turns out not to be true. Here are five I hear every year:

“I’m happy with my plan, so I don’t need to do anything.”

Your satisfaction is with the plan you had this year. Copays, provider networks, drug tiers, and extra benefits can all change in January, and carriers are trimming for 2027. The Annual Notice of Change that arrived in late September tells you exactly what’s different. Staying put may well be the right answer — but it should be a conclusion you reach, not a default you fall into because the envelope looked boring.

“My plan will still be here in January.”

Several national carriers are discontinuing plans and pulling out of counties for next year. If you received a non-renewal notice, don’t file it away. It opens a special enrollment window that extends past December 7, and in most cases it gives you guaranteed-issue rights to a Medicare Supplement — a policy a carrier must sell you without asking a single question about your health. That door is closed to most people most of the time, and it doesn’t stay open long.

“I can move to a Medicare Supplement whenever I want.”

This is the costliest misunderstanding on the list. Outside of specific protected windows, Florida carriers can review your medical history and decline you, and Florida is not among the states with a birthday rule. The exception most people never hear about: if you enrolled in Medicare Advantage when you first became eligible at 65, you generally have a twelve-month trial right to leave for a Supplement with no health questions asked. That clock runs quietly, and then it’s gone.

“My doctor takes Medicare, so she takes my plan.”

Those are two different questions. Accepting Medicare and participating in a particular Advantage plan’s network are separate contracts, renegotiated every year. Practices leave, and hospital systems renegotiate, so the plan that covered your cardiologist this year may not next year. Call the office and ask about the plan by its full name — not “Medicare” — and ask again each fall.

“I’d get a better deal going direct to the carrier.”

Plan premiums are filed with and approved by the federal government. They are identical whether you enroll on your own, through an 800-number, or through a local agent, and there is no fee for our services. What differs is whether one person can compare every carrier in your county against your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget — and whether anyone picks up the phone in March when a claim gets denied.

The Annual Enrollment Period ends December 7 for coverage that starts January 1. After that, your options narrow considerably, and for most people the next real opportunity is a year away. Take twenty minutes to review your plan and get a second set of eyes on it.

Need help reviewing your Medicare options? Bring your Annual Notice of Change, your current insurance card, and a list of your medications and doctors. No cost, no obligation.

Tepsick Insurance Agency

1529 W North A St Suite #10

Tampa, FL 33606

(813) 444-2492

www.tepsickinsurance.com

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 34 organizations that offer 198+ products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1–800–MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.