Cornell University Resource Education for Medicare Part D

Welcome to Medicare & You 2008

Click on the Official Handbook

A healthy life is a better life. Medicare strives to make sure you can get the health care and prescription coverage you need and the quality of care you deserve. With more Medicare choices than ever, it’s important that you look at your coverage every year. Plan costs and benefits change, and so can your health. The coverage that worked for you this year might still meet your needs in 2008. Or, there might be a better option. This handbook has information on your Medicare health and prescription drug plan choices, tips on what to consider when comparing plans, and resources where you can get detailed information and personalized help. The information in this handbook is good from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008. You will get a new handbook every fall to help you compare plans and learn about new benefits.
Use the information in this handbook to make the most of your Medicare benefits. • Get the Medicare-covered preventive services you need, like cancer screenings (mammogram, colorectal, prostate), cardiovascular screenings, and yearly flu shots. These tests and services are critical to your overall health and can help you prevent diseases or detect them early on, when treatment works best. • Visit www.medicare.gov on the web to help you compare the quality of the health care providers in your area, like health plans, hospitals, and home health care agencies. To promote high-quality care at a lower cost, Medicare works closely with health care providers and Congress to develop reporting and payment systems that support and reward quality. As always, Medicare is here for you anytime, day or night. You can visit www.medicare.gov on the web or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.