It's Medicare enrollment time again
Dear Geezer,
I’m about to turn 65, and have been deluged with invitations to sign up for Medicare supplemental insurance. I’m not sure how to wade through all of the different kinds of Medicare insurance. What do you suggest?
Confused
Dear Confused,
You have plenty of company in the “confused” department! Even folks who have received Medicare for some years find their heads hurting from trying to figure out the changes from year to year. Even as I write this, my wife and I have an appointment to visit a local Medicare insurance agent to review our coverage.
The Medicare Open Enrollment period is earlier this year than in years’ past. It goes Oct. 15 through December 7. And coverage begins January 1, 2018. Those are important dates for you to mark down, especially if your birthday happens in that period.
If you turn 65 after Dec. 7, you should still take advantage of any public Medicare insurance presentations wherever you live.. Do some homework before going to those meetings; then bring along a list of the basic questions you have about your Medicare needs.
Have you received a copy of “Medi-care and You 2012” yet? I’m sure you have. Go through that booklet carefully. It will, for instance, explain the difference between a Medicare Supplement Plan and a Medicare Advantage Plan. That’s an important place for you to begin your search for the best plan for you.
Do you currently take any ongoing medications? If so, I suggest you write those prescriptions down, including dosages, on a slip of paper and take it with you when you go to talk with an insurance agent. Medicare “D” is the prescription plan that may be included in plans you consider, or that plan may “stand alone”.
Either way, it will be important for you to know whether or not your current medications are included in the “formulary” (list of covered meds) that a particular plan uses. Also be aware of whether your medications are brand-name or generic drugs. That, too, makes a cost difference.
If you would like to talk with an impartial “expert” on Medicare issues who doesn’t not sell Medicare insurance, I suggest you contact Angie Mackin or Julie Wilhem at SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisor), an office of the Idaho Dept. of Insurance in Coeur d’Alene. They really knows their stuff and communicate it well.
Their phone number is 1-800-488-5725, ext. 102 or, if you happen to be in Coeur d’Alene, 1-208-666-6847, ext. 102. She can also be reached by email at angie.mackin@idoi.idaho.gov. or julie.wilhelm@idoi.idaho.gov. If you want to check out the whole Medicare program online, check out www.medicare.gov.
OR, if you can come to next Tuesday’s (Oct. 10) Geezer Forum at the Columbia Bank’s Community Room, you can meet both of them as they help us navigate the Medicare enrollment process. The Gezer Forum holds this session every October just before the open enrollment period begins.
We meet 2:30-4 p.m. next Tuesday. Hopefully you can join us!
Paul R. Graves, M.Div., is founder of Elder Advocates, Inc., a consulting ministry on aging issues. He can be reached via email at elderadvocates@nctv.com or by phone at 208-610-4971