Your ride could be here by now
Many Aetna D-SNP members get a monthly benefit amount to pay for gas or transportation.
What you need to know about annual enrollment
If you’re thinking about becoming an Aetna® Medicare D-SNP member, you likely have questions about the Annual Enrollment Period. Get the answers you need here.
Annual enrollment is your chance to choose a new health insurance plan with new benefits. It’s a great time to explore your options and make sure your plan is still the right one for you.
“Benefits change from year to year, as do your own personal health goals and needs,” says Ashley Shearer. She’s the director of business and operations with the Aetna® National Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) Program Office in Pennsylvania.
Still, there’s a lot of information to read through and think about. We want to make things easier for you. So here are answers to some of the most common questions about how to enroll in an Aetna® D-SNP.
What is annual enrollment?
Annual enrollment is the time of year when you can enroll in a new plan. For Medicare plans, including Aetna® D-SNPs, it happens from October 15 to December 7. If you do make a change, your new coverage will begin January 1.
What is my current coverage level?
Great question! The answer is different for everyone. But knowing what benefits you have now makes it easier to compare your current plan to possible new ones.
One place to look: your Summary of Benefits (SB). When you first sign up for any health plan, you get the SB. It gives answers to common questions about your coverage and costs, says Shearer, including ones like:
- Do you have an annual deductible?
- What is your copay?
- How much is my dental or over-the-counter benefit amount?
You can also usually find this information on your plan’s website. If you still can’t find all the answers you need, Shearer suggests calling your customer support team.
Enrolling in a health plan just got a lot easier!
A licensed Aetna® agent can help answer your questions and guide you through the enrollment process from start to finish — for free. Schedule a call with a licensed Aetna® agent today — it can’t hurt to learn more!
How do I find out about plan changes coming in the new year?
You should get notified by your plan about any upcoming changes. For example, Aetna® D-SNP members get an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter in the mail in late September, says Shearer. It explains any changes in the plan’s cost and coverage for next year.
“Every year, we make changes to the benefits we offer,” says Shearer. So be sure to read the ANOC carefully. You want to be sure that the changes are right for you.
Is my primary care provider (PCP) in network at the new plan I want to enroll in?
This is a very important question that’s often ignored, says Michelle Ingvalson. She’s the manager of Medicaid eligibility and policy on the National D-SNP Program Office team. Ingvalson suggests you call an Aetna® licensed sales agent to check. But if you forget to make the call, don’t worry.
“Right after you enroll in your new plan, you’ll get a welcome call from us. You can double check that all your physicians and prescriptions are covered on the new plan and that you understand everything that’s offered,” says Ingvalson. If they’re not covered, the Aetna® licensed agent may help you look for another doctor. Or they can let you cancel your enrollment application or help you find a new plan where your doctors are in it.
It’s often a good idea to meet with your Aetna® licensed agent before you enroll, says Ingvalson. Together you can go through your list of doctors and prescriptions to make sure they’re all in your new network. Just bring along a photo ID, such as your driver’s license, and your original Medicare card. Doing so will help speed up the process. If you have a Medicaid card, bring that too.
What if I find out later that I don’t like my plan? Can I switch?
Most of the time, you can. Dual-eligible individuals have Special Enrollment Periods, or SEPs. They can make changes to their coverage once during each of these periods. Special Enrollment Periods occur:
- January to March
- April to June
- July to September
If you make a change, it will start on the first day of the next month. If you want to make another change, you’ll have to wait for the next Special Enrollment Period.
What if I don’t want to change my plan?
Then you don’t have to do anything. Generally, your plan will automatically renew on January 1. If your plan is not renewing on January 1, you will get a notice from your plan to let you know.
“A lot of our members stay in the Aetna® Medicare D-SNP plan. They’re really happy with it,” says Shearer. “A big selling point for our members is that they have a dedicated care team to support them. They’ll help connect members to health services and community programs and even help set up transportation.”
If you are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, you may be eligible for an Aetna® Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP).
Aetna® is a recipient of the Newsweek Best Customer Service Award for 2023.*
*FOR NEWSWEEK ARTICLE AND AWARD: The 2023 Newsweek America's Best Customer Service rankings were identified from the results of an independent survey of more than 30,000 U.S. customers who have either made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the past three years. Customers evaluated several brands: in total over 200,000 evaluations were collected. The awarded brands each received on average 100 evaluations from customers. For more information visit https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/americas-best-customer-service-2023
Aetna Medicare is a HMO, PPO plan with a Medicare contract. Our DSNPs also have contracts with State Medicaid programs. Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal. To send a complaint to Aetna, call the Plan or the number on your member ID card. To send a complaint to Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1- 877-486-2048), 24 hours a day/7 days a week. If your complaint involves a broker or agent, be sure to include the name of the person when filing your grievance. Plan features and availability may vary by service area. Participating health care providers are independent contractors and are neither agents nor employees of Aetna. The availability of any particular provider cannot be guaranteed, and provider network composition is subject to change.
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