The all-important fall Medicare Open Enrollment period begins on October 15th, but you don’t have to wait until then to receive answers to your Medicare questions. Family & Children’s Service offers free, impartial and confidential counseling to Monmouth County residents all year long.

As the county provider for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program or SHIP, we deploy 18 specially-trained staff and volunteers to 16 different locations throughout the county to help you understand your Medicare choices. We don’t provide legal advice. We don’t recommend any specific insurance product or provider. We simply work with you to identify your Medicare and Medicare Part D coverage options and allow you to choose the plan that best suits your needs.

This year, Open Enrollment runs from Wednesday, October 15th to Sunday, December 7th. With few exceptions, this is the ONLY time of year you can make changes to your Medicare plan. During this period, you can:

  • Change from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan.
  • Change from a Medicare Advantage Plan back to Original Medicare.
  • Switch from one Medicare Advantage Plan to another Medicare Advantage Plan.
  • Switch from a Medicare Advantage Plan that doesn’t offer drug coverage to a Medicare Advantage Plan that offers drug coverage.
  • Switch from a Medicare Advantage Plan that offers drug coverage to a Medicare Advantage Plan that doesn’t offer drug coverage.
  • Join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.
  • Switch from one Medicare Prescription Drug Plan to another
  • Drop your Medicare prescription drug coverage completely.

iStock_000014764171MediumI always encourage Medicare beneficiaries to re-evaluate their insurance annually because coverage can change. Shopping around for the best plans can save you money, and who doesn’t want to save money? Our SHIP counselors can also help determine if you may qualify for Medicare’s “Extra Help” program to assist with prescription drug costs. Nationwide, it’s estimated that more than 2 million beneficiaries are eligible for the program, but are not currently enrolled.

Want to learn more? We will be offering a number of Medicare Open Enrollment informational sessions for the public in the coming weeks. These include:

Finally, Open Enrollment is our busiest season, but we are here all year long. Last year, we helped more than 1,400 residents with their Medicare questions. Perhaps we can assist you? Whether you’re considering changes to your current plans, or signing up for Medicare for the very first time, we are here to help! Call us today at 732-728-1331 to make your free, confidential appointment.

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— Samantha White is FCS Manager of Volunteer Services and Monmouth County Coordinator for the Statewide Health Insurance Assistance Program.