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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Aging agency has free advisers to go over Medicare open enrollment

A local agency offers free counseling for people who have questions about Medicare choices or changes during the open enrollment period that runs through Dec. 7.

Through Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington, the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors program is a no-cost service of the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. About 1.3 million people in Washington have Medicare.

The local advisers are doing group education events and one-on-one counseling sessions in upcoming weeks, according to a news release from the Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington. People can call to schedule a separate counseling session if they can’t make the calendar events.

During Medicare’s open enrollment period, those on Medicare:

• Can switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan – and vice-versa.

• With Original Medicare, they can join, drop or switch a Part D prescription drug plan.

• With a Medicare Advantage plan, they can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan.

The program’s trained volunteers can counsel people of all ages, adults living with disabilities and people getting ready to retire about their Medicare choices. Those advisers can help people understand their Medicare rights and options, answer questions, make referrals, and help evaluate and compare health insurance policies.

Before making a final decision, the aging agency suggests these tips:

• Consider that costs and coverage can change every year, so review and keep all letters and notices that a current plan sends.

• List all current prescription drugs, the doses and how often they’re taken. Then, use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare Part D plans.

• Review the “Medicare & You” handbook, typically received by mid-October.

For questions or to schedule a session, call the SHIBA office at (509) 625-4801. SHIBA volunteers will be available for phone counseling, Monday through Friday.

People also can attend one of SHIBA’s free Medicare Open Enrollment sessions or visit: altcew.org/news-events/event-calendar.