| Every October, millions of Americans shop for Medicare plans. The US health program covers 66 million older or disabled people. It's bewildering and mistakes can be costly. Every January, some seniors discover their drugs or doctors are no longer covered by their plans, or that their costs have gone up unexpectedly, says Emily Whicheloe, director of education at the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit that helps consumers. "We don't want people to suddenly find that their prescription is much more expensive because it's been put on a higher tier or it's no longer covered," she says. The group advises Medicare beneficiaries to closely scrutinize any materials they get from their plans. Changes happen every year, and this one may be more confusing than usual as new government policies and actions by health insurance companies affect benefits. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats' signature legislative achievement, people with Medicare prescription drug plans will have their out-of-pocket costs capped at $2,000 a year. They'll also have the option to smooth out what they owe for drugs over 12 months — so if they take an expensive medication, they don't have to foot the entire bill in January or February. Those changes threatened to increase premiums for seniors right before the election. So the Biden administration stepped in with controversial, multibillion-dollar plan to blunt the impact. On top of that, the US has been tightening payments to private Medicare Advantage plans that now enroll about half of all people in the government program. Those plans drove profits at big insurance companies for years. Just three companies — UnitedHealth Group, Humana and CVS Health — have almost 60% of the market for the private plans. But since the government set new payment rates lower than the companies expected, they're ratcheting back some benefits and closing down some plans. About 2 million people are in plans that are closing, meaning they'll have to find new coverage, according to data from research firm ATI Advisory. The Better Medicare Alliance, an industry group, also says out-of-pocket costs in the plans are going up. Medicare enrollees have through Dec. 7 to choose plans or make changes for coverage that starts in January. Whicheloe advises people seek out guidance from neutral, authoritative sources, including Medicare's plan finder website or the federal 1-800-Medicare phone line. Each state also has a local entity designated to help people navigate coverage. Insurance companies and brokers will blanket seniors with pitches. (I lose count of how many vans marketing Medicare I see set up in my neighborhood this time of year.) Whicheloe advises people shopping for plans not to sign up on the spot, but take information about the plans and compare them to other options. She also says people should get promises in writing and ask for the "evidence of coverage" document that explains what a plan covers. "All the plans naturally want to make themselves sound attractive to the consumer," she says, "so it's on the consumer to know where to find independent information." — John Tozzi | 
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