Important Enrollment Information for Dialysis Patients with Medicare

By Kimberly Rusu and Valerie Jackson, DaVita Insurance Management Team

Medicare Part D (prescription) plan open enrollment is October 15 through December 7 and Medicare General Enrollment is January 1st through March 31. Medicare plans, including Part D, can be complicated, and not paying attention to the different open enrollment periods could have a substantial effect on a patient’s dialysis coverage.

DaVita^® has a dedicated insurance resource team for its kidney disease patients and their caregivers. Please contact a DaVita facility social worker, who can put you in contact with one of our DaVita insurance management specialists, or fill out the insurance support form.

Here are some general guidelines and tips:

• If you have health insurance through an employer, you may not need Medicare. Learn more about insurance and financial support.
• If you currently have prescription drug coverage through an employer, you may not need a Medicare Part D plan. Check with your employer to find out whether your current coverage is as good as what is being offered by Medicare Part D.
• If you already have a Medicare Part D (prescription) plan, October 15 through December 7 is your time to review your current plan as well as other plans available in 2012.
• If you lost your Part B coverage because of nonpayment in 2011, you will need to reenroll for Part B coverage during the general open enrollment period which runs January 1 through March 31. Once enrolled, your Medicare Part B coverage will become effective on July 1 of that year.
• If you are currently enrolled in Medicare Part A only, you may need to elect Medicare Part B during the Medicare General Enrollment. This general enrollment period occurs between January 1 and March 31 of each year. Once enrolled, your Medicare Part B coverage will become effective on July 1 of that year. Learn more about Medicare for people with chronic kidney disease.

Related articles on DaVita.com

• Dialysis Bills: When You Have Multiple Insurance Plans
• Healthcare Reform: 6 Things Kidney Patients Should Know
• Open Enrollment — Is It That Time Again?

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