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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2022)
Page 4 August 17, 2022 Turning 65: What to Consider When Selecting a Medicare Plan Approaching age 65 can be an overwhelming time for many newly eligible Medicare benefi- ciaries. When can you begin to enroll? Which plans should you consider? What do you need to know? Here’s some information that can help. You have a seven-month win- dow called the Initial Enroll- ment Period (IEP) to sign up for Medicare benefits, which begins three months prior to the month you’ll turn 65. You are first eli- gible to receive Medicare cover- age at the start of your birthday month. If your current benefits end once you turn 65, it’s im- portant to begin researching and comparing your Medicare op- tions early to make sure there’s no gap in your coverage. There are several different types of Medicare plans avail- able:* Medicare Part A (hospital) and Medicare Part B (medical)o Administered by the federal gov- ernment, Original Medicare in- cludes Parts A and B that provide hospital and medical coverage. For most people, Part A is free, so it’s important to evaluate your op- tions as soon as you become eligi- ble for Medicare.* Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage)o Offered by Medicare-approved private insurance companies and can be considered an “all in one” alterna- tive to Original Medicare. These There are plenty Medicare options to choose from to fit a varitey of needs, and resources are avail- able to help with choices plans include all the coverage pro- vided by Medicare Part A and B, and some may include addition- al benefits like prescription drug coverage, routine dental, vision and hearing care, and innovative offerings such fitness programs, healthy food debit cards for those who qualify and transportation benefits to help you get to doc- tor’s appointments.* Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Plans)o Original Medicare doesn’t cover most prescription drugs, so you’ll need to sign-up for a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) if enrolled in Original Medicare. These Part D plans are offered by Medicare-approved private in- surers, like Humana.* Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medi- gap)o Like Medicare Advantage, these plans are offered by private insurance companies and may help pay some of the healthcare costs that Medicare Parts A and B don’t, like coinsurance, copay- ments or deductibles. When selecting a prescription drug plan, you’ll want to make sure the medications you’re cur- rently taking are covered and compare their costs across differ- ent plans. Some plans also take steps to help save you money, like Humana for example. They sug- gest generic or lower-cost equiva- lent drugs to their members when they’re available. And when it comes to costs, look beyond the monthly premium and consider the additional out-of-pocket costs. Always evaluate the full cost of the plan, including co-payments or co-insurance, and the deduct- ible as well as which pharmacies are in network. While the many plan options can seem overwhelming, there are resources available to help you choose Medicare coverage that best suits your needs. The Medicare Plan Finder on Medi- care.gov allows you to easily compare the benefits and costs of different plans. Other resourc- es on sites such as Humana.com include helpful information to consider in shopping for plans like Physician and Pharmacy finders to help you see if your providers are in a plan’s net- work. While planning ahead is helpful, rest assured that, as your needs change, you can change your plan during the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Annual Enrollment Period, which goes from Octo- ber 15th to December 7th each year. Medicare-eligible individ- uals can visit www.Medicare. gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Welcome back to care Preventive care for youth is more important than ever Get the vaccines, checkups and dental care your children need. Regular physical and dental checkups and keeping vaccines current can help prevent problems before they arise. See the chart below for to see what vaccines kids ages 7-18 need. Date of birth: Child name: 7-8 years Vaccine Flu (influenza) 9-10 years 11-12 years 13-15 years 16-18 years yearly HPV (human papillomavirus) Meningococcal MenACWY 2 doses 1 dose (at least five months between doses) booster Meningococcal MenB Pneumococcal TdaP (tetanus, diptheria, pertussis) Call your child’s physical and dental providers and schedule a checkup today. Or contact CareOregon Customer Service if you have questions. Reach us 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 503-416-4100, 800-224-4840 or TTY 711. 1 dose Hepatitis A Hepatitis B MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) Polio Chickenpox (varicella) Recommended at age requirement careoregon.org/connect-to-care Recommended for high-risk adolescents Catch up on missed connect to care
