New Jersey Medicare
New Jersey Medicare has a full set of options for its recipients. It is composed of all of the standard Medicare options of Parts A, B, and D, as well as managed care programs and the ten standardized MediGap supplemental plans. Medicare in New Jersey is also supplemented by Senior Gold and PAAD.
Medicare in NJ has Part A as the automatic and usually premium free basic hospital coverage, which means New Jersey Medicare participants have the option to take out Part B outpatient insurance and Part D for prescription coverage for some or all medications.
In addition, participants in N.J. can choose from all ten of the standardized Medicare supplements, or MediGap Plans A through J, with H, I, and J also including prescription benefits. Consumers will need to compare MediGap plans to see if it is more economical to take one of these plans or another letter selection plus a Part D plan.
Some MediGap plans in New Jersey are group plans where the member must also belong to a specific company or group and others are open to everyone. Most people have the option of joining several groups to allow MediGap plan participation.
N.J. Medicare Managed Care
Another option is to choose one of the N.J. Medicare managed care plans, called Medicare Advantage plans. These plans operate just like a regular HMO type of insurance and often offer much more coverage than standard Medicare, covering some of the coinsurance for certain charges. The drawback to a managed care program is that you are bound to the carrier's network of providers. If you decide to receive care outside of the network, then you may encounter high costs or penalties.
Low income N.J. Medicare users can also get assistance with drug costs through PAAD or the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled through the state. Another Senior Gold program managed by the state helps get discounts for prescription medications. The state also maintains a toll free number for the elderly and disabled for help with Medicare and other problems and has the NJ EASE program to help find the proper information.
*You may be able to get extra help to pay for your prescription drug premiums and costs. To see if you qualify for getting extra help, call:
- 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY/TDD users should call 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day/7 days a week;
OR
- The Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. TTY/TDD users should call, 1-800-325-0778; or Your State Medicaid Office.