Medicare open enrollment, which runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, can pose intimidating and complicated choices. That’s one reason why Congress spends nearly $45 million each year on State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs). The advisory programs train volunteers to help seniors navigate the Medicare maze.
Last year, most in-person counseling and workshops were canceled because of COVID-19. This year, the surge of cases from the delta variant has prompted many counseling sessions to go online again.
Seniors can still call insurance hotlines staffed by volunteers trained in the ins and outs of Medicare. They can also schedule online video-conference meetings with volunteers and insurance brokers using Zoom, Skype or FaceTime. Independent insurance brokers typically sell more than one carrier’s plans.
What to gather before seeking help
- Medicare card
- MyMedicare.gov login information, if you have an account
- Pharmacy name and address
- List of all prescription drugs, strength and dosages
- A list of medical issues or concerns you’d like to cover
Where to find help:
Online
- Visit Medicare.gov and its Plan Finder. The federal government’s site remains the most authoritative guide around. It allows you to compare costs for a wide range of health services across multiple drug and Medicare Advantage plans available in your area. It also has ratings on each plan’s performance and quality. Most importantly, it allows you to enter your prescription drugs to find out which plans cover them and at what cost.
- Medicare recently expanded its Medigap search engine on the Plan Finder to include cost ranges depending on age, gender and smoking status. Access it via bit.ly/MedigapPlanSearch.
- Check Medicare Rights Center’s Medicare Interactive site (Medicareinteractive.org) to help you find answers about Medicare benefits.
- Read our past coverage (search.oregonlive.com/medicare) on picking a Medicare plan.
By phone
- Call Medicare itself at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).
- Call the nonprofit Medicare Rights Center’s national helpline at 800-333-4114, Monday through Friday.
- Locate a SHIP office near you by visiting www.shiphelp.org or calling 877-839-2675.
- In Oregon, volunteers from the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) program can answer questions by phone 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some are also scheduling virtual conferences via online video. Call 800-722-4134 to schedule a consultation or visit www.shiba.oregon.gov.
- Watch Oregon SHIBA’s prerecorded online webinar at any time at bit.ly/Medicare-101-info
- In Multnomah County, call 503-988-3646 to schedule appointments with counselors.
- In Clackamas County, call 503-655-8269 and press option 4. Schedule counseling appointments Monday through Thursday.
- In Washington County, call 503-846-3094.
- In Washington state, call the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors at 800-562-6900 or visit bit.ly/wa_shiba.
Other resources
- Health insurance brokers are often knowledgeable about choices and can help you choose and purchase a plan. It’s probably best to deal with licensed independent brokers. They cover plans from several different insurance companies, receive training each year on the plans and are overseen by state and federal regulators. Consumers don’t pay directly for this help. Instead, brokers earn sales commissions directly from the plans. In Oregon, those commissions are as high as $539 per new enrollee and $270 every year that a consumer renews, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
You can search for Medicare agents at OregonHealthCare.gov’s website: bit.ly/ORAgentSearch. Check an agent’s license online at bit.ly/or_broker_licenses or call the Oregon Insurance Commissioner’s Consumer Advocacy Unit at 1-888-877-4894.
- Insurance carrier websites and customer-service phone lines can be good places to verify coverage details, but only for their plans.
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October 11, 2021 at 12:19AM
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Medicare Guide 2022: Here’s where to find help - OregonLive
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