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Medicare open enrollment has officially begun, and despite the ongoing federal government shutdown, officials say the process will not be impacted.
Dr. Mehmet Oz on Medicare open enrollment
Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s Medicare and Medicaid administrator, confirmed to FOX 5 that open enrollment remains fully operational.
“I’m in the building. Half the people aren’t here because they’re sent home because of a government shutdown,” Dr. Oz said. “The shutdown is a problem for lots of parts of government but not for open enrollment. Medicare is one of those beautiful programs that both Democrats and Republicans love. No one’s touching it.”
SEE ALSO: Government shutdown straining small businesses across Georgia
“Open enrollment is your once-a-year chance to take a fresh look at the programs that you’re in,” Dr. Oz added.
AARP policy expert Leigh Purvis says this is a crucial year to pay attention.
“You can see a lot of really big differences in terms of what sort of coverage you have and what sort of costs you’re facing,” Purvis said.
Major Medicare changes
Roughly 1.97 million Georgians over the age of 65 rely on Medicare. That accounts for about 17 percent of the state’s population.
Major changes this year include a new $2,100 cap on out-of-pocket prescription costs for Medicare Part D recipients. And starting next year, Medicare will be able to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time.
In Georgia, the average monthly cost of Medicare Advantage is expected to drop from $13.76 in 2025 to $6.74 in 2026, even as healthcare costs continue to rise nationwide.
“I think that’s pretty consistent with what we see with our health care generally here in this country,” Purvis said. “You do see some changes in terms of your premiums and your deductibles and how much you have to pay for what you’re getting.”
How to plan to save
Dr. Oz says comparing plans now could lead to real savings.
“You can save yourself hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars by putting a little bit of effort into this,” he said. “And I’m not talking about a lot of time, but you only have till December 7th.”
More information is available at Medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. Longer wait times are possible during the shutdown. The enrollment deadline is December 7.
