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Fiascos and Fixes
If you’re unhappy with your Medicare coverage, October 15 to December 7 is your chance to make a change. It’s Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period. Here’s what you need to know.
Imagine needing a medical procedure only to find that your Medicare Advantage plan is denying coverage. Unfortunately, that’s not an imaginary scenario. In fact, it’s very real and happens millions of times a year for seniors in Medicare Advantage plans. The problem of unfair coverage denials is finally getting more national attention. But it’s too late for those who were wrongly denied care.
After Michael Foxhoven learned that Medicare covers shingles and Tdap vaccinations, he made appointments for both himself and his wife at their doctor’s office. Since they were due for a Covid booster, they figured they could also get that out of the way in the same visit.
But a few months after that appointment, Foxhoven got the sticker shock of his life. That’s when he received a $2,055 bill for the vaccinations that he thought Medicare would cover.
So why didn’t it?
The answer will probably surprise you.
If you’re unhappy with your current Medicare plan, you’re in luck. It’s that time of year — Medicare shopping season.
For insurance companies that sell Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, now through Dec. 7 is sort of like the holiday season for retailers, with lots of advertising, promoting products and deals.
Read on to learn why Medicare beneficiaries should shop around but not necessarily buy a new plan. I’ll also explain how to avoid making bad decisions that could affect your health care — and your wallet.
If you have Medicare as your primary insurance and get hit with a health-related emergency while traveling in another country or on a cruise ship, will your treatment be covered? That’s the question many of our readers are asking. That’s the question many of our readers are asking.
Read on to understand what your Medicare coverage will and won’t do if you face a medical problem during an international trip. And, of course, I’ll also tell you how to make sure you are protected.
Ben Franklin famously said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” How about saving nearly $1,000? That’s how much my wife’s sister-in-law saved just by comparing Medicare prescription drug plans.
If this were an advertising scam, the headline might say, “Click here to find out how she earned $1,000 in less than an hour.”
But this isn’t some kind of advertising sales come-on. There is a real way to save money on your annual Medicare costs that most people overlook: shopping around for the best plan.
Bob Miller of Columbus, OH, needed cataract surgery on both eyes. He had the surgery on the first eye, but the evening before he was to have the second eye done, he got a phone call from his ophthalmologist. Miller’s Medicare Advantage plan had just informed the doctor that it was not authorizing the second surgery and she told him that she had to cancel the procedure.
“I was dumbfounded,” Miller told me. “It wasn’t like this would be a surprise to them. I have two eyes.”
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© 2025 Consumer Rescue / Michelle Couch-Friedman
