Medicare: Welcome and welcome back

In recent weeks, I’ve had a few spontaneous conversations about Medicare with folks from two different age-groups: over 65 and already on Medicare, and those under 65 but getting ready to sign up for Medicare. This column is primarily for you who are not quite 65 but need to start thinking about Medicare.


According to 2023 U.S. Census Bureau's population projections, about 12,000 people will turn 65 every day in the next year. That's about 4.4 million in 2024. I have no clue how many persons in Bonner County will turn 65 in the next year. 


But “many” is a good guess. Among other things, that means that Medicare will be a front-and-center topic for more people this year than were eligible last year. 


That’s why the Geezer Forum holds an annual Medicare Enrollment forum every October, just before the enrollment period begins. We want Medicare “newbies” to learn as much as they can about the maze we label Medicare. Full disclosure: our yearly forum also reminds Medicare veterans of the coverage changes that invariably come along each year. 


We are hosting our annual Medicare enrollment forum next Tuesday, Oct. 19, in the Community Room at Umpqua Bank, 2:30-4 p.m. So I say “welcome” to 1st-time Medicare folks and “welcome back” to Medicare veterans.


The actual Medicare Enrollment period is Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. Insurance agents who deal with Medicare cannot technically sell Medicare policies before Oct. 15, but information can be obtained. And that’s what this Geezer Forum hopes to provide. Insurance agents can fine-tune the answers to your questions. 


Janine Wilson, from SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors) will be with us again to introduce us to the basics of Medicare, and to the 2024 changes that we need to be aware of. SHIBA is a division of the Idaho State Dept. of Insurance. Janine and her colleagues work exclusively on sharing Medicare information with current and potential Medicare recipients. We’re fortunate to have SHIBA as a resource.


One of the important — if secondary — pieces of information we’ll discuss on Tuesday concerns prescription discount programs. Prescriptions are covered by “Part D” of the Medicare program. But occasionally, we will discover certain prescription discount programs offered through some pharmacies that reduce our prescription costs more than Medicare charges us. I personally look forward to hearing more about those programs. Perhaps you do, too. 


Whether you join us or not Oct. 10, I encourage you to contact a local insurance agent who specializes on Medicare. She, or he, can help you customize your insurance needs to your own life circumstances. 


So whether you are newly entering the Medicare Maze, or are a veteran Medicare “maze-walker”, please join us next Tuesday, 2:30-4 p.m., in the Community Room at Umpqua Bank. I expect to learn something about Medicare I didn’t know about. Perhaps you will too. We’ll all benefit.

Paul Graves, M.Div., is lead geezer-in-training for Elder Advocates, a consulting ministry focused on aging issues. Contact Paul at 208-610-4971 or elderadvocates@nctv.com.