QUESTION: If I remember correctly it is about this time of year that Medicare has its Annual Open Enrollment. Can you provide the dates and any information that would be helpful?
ANSWER: Medicare Annual Open Enrollment will start on Tuesday October 15th and run through Saturday December 7th.
During this period you can change the coverage you have from Medicare-Fee-For-Service to a Senior Advantage Plan or from Senior Advantage Plan to Medicare-Fee-For-Service or from one Senior Advantage Plan to another Senior Advantage Plan.
This is the time when you should also review your Medicare Part D – Prescription Drug Coverage. Each year insurance companies change, formularies change and co-pays, deductibles and monthly premiums change and your needs may also change. This annual open enrollment period is the time to review the coverage you currently have and compare it to what will be available in the coming year.
The review should be done every year to ensure you have the best coverage for the least amount of money.
Starting now and through the entire six weeks of open enrollment there will be seminars and one-stop-shops scheduled throughout the county.
The seminars will review Medicare coverage in general and answer any questions attendees may have. These seminars will also provide information about any changes that will take place in 2020.
Attendees at these seminars who want assistance with comparing their Part D plans with those that will be available in 2020 should come to the seminars with a complete list of their prescription drugs, the size of the dosage of those drugs and how often those drugs are taken.
At the one-stop shops individual counseling will be available to review the Part D computer printouts and assist with enrollment in those plans. Other questions about health care coverage and basic benefits will also be answered.
Seminars and one-stop shops are open to the public and are usually held at Senior Centers or the Area Agency on Aging offices in Ventura.
In the weeks to come I will try to provide information on these events about a week or two in advance of their scheduled dates. Reservations at any of these meetings are highly recommended.
Watch here for a seminar and a one-stop-shop near you.
###
HAPPENINGS:
FRIDAY – September 27 – 6:30 pm – FRIDAY NIGHT BINGO – at Goebel Adult Community Center, 1385 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks. Papers Only – Minimum Buy-in (1 set of all papers) -$18; 4 ons -$5, 6 ons – $10, single blackout – $1. All games – 80/20 split to max of $250. Doors open at 4:00 pm. Food will be available for purchase.
SATURDAY – October 5 – 6z;30 to 10:00 pm –Ballroom Dance – at Goebel Adult Community Center, 1385 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks. Dance Lesson – 6:30 to 7:20 (American Tango) – dance 7:30 to 10:00 – tickets are $10 cash or check. Doors open at 6:00 pm.
SATURDAY – October 12 – 5:00 pm – Goebel Center’s Annual “Brads and Beer Octoberfest” – at Goebel Center in Thousand Oaks – dinner, dancing – friends and beer – $10 per person.
###
Betty Berry is a senior advocate for Senior Concerns. The advocates are located at the Goebel Adult Community Center, 1385 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 or call (805) 495-6250 – or e-mail bberry@seniorconcerns.org (please include your telephone number. You are invited to submit questions on senior issues.
###
