Medicare Special Needs Plans in Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana Special Needs Plans are Organized Locally
While Louisiana Medicare Part D plans are the same throughout the state, the complexity of Medicare Special Needs Plans (SNPs) requires them to be localized. The primary reason for this is that each county has different healthcare providers, and the residents have different needs, so localized plans offer the best care. SNPs are similar to Medicare Advantage plans in Saint Landry Parish, LA, but they have different enrollment requirements.
How-To Join a Medicare Special Needs Plan in Saint Landry Parish
Not everyone qualifies to join a SNP plan. To qualify as a person with special needs you must meet one or more of the following criteria:
- An institutionalized individual,
- A dual-eligible (Medicare and MedicaidMedicaid is a public health insurance program that provides health care coverage to low-income families and individuals in the United States....) person, or
- An individual with a severe or disabling chronic condition.
If you qualify, you can join or switch plans during a Medicare Election Period. For most people, the Annual Election Period (AEP), which starts on 15 October and ends 7 December, is the time they update their enrollment.
You also have an Individual Election Period (IEP). Your IEP begins the month before your 65th birthday, includes your birth month, and continues the month after your birth month.
In addition to the periods outlined above, you may be able to join a SNP with a Special Election Period in certain situations. Situations that may qualify you for a Special Election Period include:
- You are diagnosed with a severe or disabling condition: You can enroll in a Chronic-Condition Special Needs Plan (C-SNP) for beneficiaries with your illness at any time.
- You move into a nursing home or require skilled nursing care at home: You can enroll in an Institution Special Needs Plan (I-SNP) or switch plans at any time.
- You qualify for Medicaid: If you have Medicaid or are newly eligible for Medicaid, you can enroll in a Dual-Eligible Medicare Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) at any time.
- You move outside of your existing Special Needs Plan’s service area: You'll qualify for a Special Election Period to switch to a new plan.
- Your Special Needs Plan leaves the Medicare program: You'll qualify for a Special Election Period to switch plans.
There are three ways to enroll in an SNP:
- Call our Trusted Partner at 1-855-728-0510 (TTY 711). This toll-free number is staffed by HealthCompare, the outsourced partner of choice for some of the nation’s largest health plans.
- Call a plan directly. If you know the plan you want, this way is quick and easy. All of our plan pages provide contact information.
- Go to www.Medicare.gov and enroll through the government website. From there you can look up your medications, compare plans, and get your application started online.
NOTE: People often ask are Medicare Advantage plans are bad? The disadvantages of these private health plans — primarily the copaysA copayment, also known as a copay, is a set dollar amount you are required to pay for a medical service.... and other point of service costs — generally do not apply to Special Needs Plans.
Citations & References
- https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/types-of-medicare-health-plans/special-needs-plans-snp
- https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Health-Plans/SpecialNeedsPlans/I-SNPs
- https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Health-Plans/SpecialNeedsPlans/D-SNPs
- https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Health-Plans/SpecialNeedsPlans/C-SNPs
The Medicare AdvantageMedicare Advantage (MA), also known as Medicare Part C, are health plans from private insurance companies that are available to people eligible for Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B).... Special Needs Plan (SNP) information in this directory originates from CMS Landscape Source Files, is maintained by David Bynon and was last updated on .