Medicare Monday Highlights 2024 Changes

By Eileen Doherty, MS ~

Denver, Colo. – Every year, Medicare beneficiaries are encouraged to review coverage, especially drug coverage.  Premiums and co-pays, health plans and prescription drugs, as well as new benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), will be the subject of Medicare Monday.

Medicare open enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7.  The Colorado Gerontological Society will be offering a combination of in-person events and virtual programs.  

Kick-off events will begin Monday, October 16 with both in-person events in the metro Denver area, as well as a virtual event.  The Society will also be offering a series of virtual Wednesday Lunch and Learn on topics such as enrollment in a Part D plan and the difference between Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Supplement Plans.

New MA companies will be entering the market.  These plans will compete with companies already in the market with low to zero premiums, limited co-pays, and lots of additional benefits such as dental care, hearing aids, meals following a hospitalization, and product catalogs for over-the-counter drugs and other devices.

Similarly, expect changes to the Prescription Drug Plans (PDP).  As MA and PDP companies prepare for changes in how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid negotiates drug costs in 2025 with pharmaceutical companies directly to bring down the cost of the ten most frequently used prescriptions, expect the MA and PDP companies to make changes of their own.

Individuals who attend in person will be able to do comparison shopping by visiting with insurance companies to learn more about their products. Information will be available upon request for virtual attendees.

Check our ad for locations, visit senioranswers.org, or call 303-333-3482 or 1-855-293-6911 (toll-free) or 1-866-880-4777 (Spanish).  

Eileen Doherty

Eileen Doherty, MS is the Executive Director of the Colorado Gerontological Society.