It is the time of year when people eligible for Medicare can shop around and make sure they are signed up for the health coverage that makes the most sense for them.
Open enrollment for Medicare lasts through Dec. 7, an important date for more than 900,000 enrolled Oregonians.
Rodney Schroeder, community services and support manager for the Oregon Department of Human Services, which oversees the State Health Insurance Benefits Advisors program helping people with enrollment questions, said people should take their time with the process and read closely through the annual notice of change for their plan, if they received one.
If their plan is either not meeting their needs or not meeting their budget or the plan is changing and they received notice in the mail the plan is going to change, there are different venues they can reach out and get some help identifying a different plan to help them.
Schroeder noted the program has more than 150 counselors around the state who can help people with the enrollment process. Oregonians can contact the program at 800-722-4134.
Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer and executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, said Medicare enrollees should also consider advantage plans.
“Things like dental, vision and hearing,” Randall outlined. “Many Medicare beneficiaries might be surprised to know that original Medicare doesn’t cover most of those things, but many Medicare advantage plans do. I also recommend people to check for mental health coverage.”
More than half of Oregonians on Medicare have advantage plans. UnitedHealthcare also offers an online guide for navigating Medicare.
