Medicare Open Enrollment period approaching
October 15 through Dec.7 is the time for all Medicare Part D participants to evaluate their Part D plans for 2026. It is very important every year Part D plans are reviewed and compared. Many plans change their benefits and costs. Also, many times the prescriptions people take change. It is important to know that each plan covers different prescriptions at different levels, so the cheapest premium isn’t always the best.
The only way to know for sure is to make a personalized comparison using the medicare.gov website’s plan finder. Once the information is personalized then a decision can be made based on individual needs and wants. To complete a personalized comparison a list of current medications complete with dose and frequency and a Medicare card are needed. The option of using your Medicare account for your personalized comparison is available and is recommended for the best personalized review. If you don’t have a Medicare account, it is very simple to set one up on the www.medicare.gov website. It’s important for everyone to take time to review and compare.
Again this year, the Nebraska Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) and Nebraska Extension in Southwest Nebraska have teamed up to provide free, unbiased counseling information and enrollment for people who are receiving Medicare. Nancy Frecks will be providing personalized comparisons using www.medicare.gov this year as a trained Nebraska SHIP volunteer. She will be offering in person reviews in the following locations during the open enrollment period:
Oct.23 and Nov. 19-Imperial call 308 882 4731
Oct. 29-Trenton call 308 334 5666
Nov. 4-Benkelman 308 423 2021
Nov. 5-Grant call 308 352 4340
Nov. 12-Hayes Center 308 286 3312
Personalized telephone reviews are available several other days during the open enrollment period.
To make an appointment either in person or via telephone please call one of the numbers listed above.
Medicare and Nebraska SHIP provide free, unbiased counseling. To get in person help from the Nebraska State Health Insurance Information Program (SHIP) at other locations, call the SHIP toll-free hotline at 800-234-7119 to make an appointment in your area, visit www.medicare.gov to compare your current coverage with all of the available options in your area and enroll in a new plan if you decide to make a change, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 24-hours a day/7 days a week to find out more about your coverage options. TTY users should call 877-486-2048.