By Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services

With the holiday season upon us, it’s easy to get busy this time of year. Some pretty important tasks can get left to the last minute. One of those important tasks is ensuring you are in the right health insurance plan in Medicare. Selecting the right plan is a personal choice, and a lot of thoughtful consideration goes into finding the right match. But just like the holidays, those key dates come whether or not you are ready.

If you haven’t made up your mind yet about a health or drug plan, now is the time to make your selection. Medicare Open Enrollment ends on December 7. To help you sort through your choices, try using the Medicare Plan Finder to review the options in your area. It can help you decide the best mix of benefits and costs that meet your needs and budget.

If you find yourself in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage gap (“donut hole”), you will continue to save money in 2013 with big discounts on brand-name prescription drugs. More than 5.6 million people have saved over $5 billion on prescription drugs in the donut hole since 2010.

In these last few days of Medicare Open Enrollment, take a second to review your options. If you like your current health care coverage, you don’t need to do anything. But if you’re thinking about making any changes, now is the time to act and cross another item off your to-do list.

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