Saturday Morning Extra: UnitedHealthcare
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Last fall, millions of Americans made choices about their Medicare coverage. But being proactive about your coverage and care doesn't end after enrollment. Dr. Luke Hansen, chief medical officer with UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement in Illinois, joined Ryan Chiaverini to share the many ways that you can - and should - get more from your Medicare benefits. Now is the time to get to know your Medicare plan, take advantage of all it has to offer, and take proactive steps to stay healthy and save money in 2022.
First, be proactive with preventive services. Everyone enrolled in Medicare has coverage for many preventive services, such as certain cancer screenings and an annual wellness visit. Taking advantage of these preventive benefits - including vital services like colonoscopies or mammograms - can help catch problems early, before they become potentially more serious - and costly. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you may have extra benefits and features not offered through Original Medicare. Some of these benefits may include: dental, hearing and vision coverage; fitness memberships - including access to your local gyms and fitness classes - through UnitedHealthcare's Renew Active; a full annual routine physical exam; and 24/7 access to registered nurses by phone
Second, learn about how to bring down your overall costs by saving money on prescriptions. Home-delivery pharmacy benefits can be a great way to save money and a trip to the pharmacy. Some mail-order pharmacies offer the convenience of ordering up to a three-month supply of drugs delivered to your home for less than purchasing the same at a retail pharmacy. Switching to generic drugs or drugs on a lower tier in your plan's list of covered drugs, is another step to save. And If you like to go to the pharmacy, see if your plan has a preferred pharmacy network. However, Original Medicare doesn't generally cover prescription drugs. You may have a standalone prescription drug plan if you have Original Medicare or Medicare Supplement or, perhaps you have a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage - an "all-in-one" way to help keep prescription costs in check.
Lastly, don't forget about dental, vision and other benefits and make sure to check out the wellness programs and other plan features that can support you in living a healthy life. Now is the time to get to know your plan benefits, so you can take advantage of all it has to offer and take steps to stay healthy and save money in 2022!
For more information about UnitedHealthcare plans, visit UHCMedicareHealthPlans.com or call 1-800-220-6808 (TTY 711). You can also find more information about Medicare at GetToKnowMedicare.com.
