Losing your Medicare insurance plan? Don’t panic!

||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER, SHIBA VOLUNTEER |||

Did you receive a letter saying your Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Part D prescription plan is not available for 2025?

While that news can be distressing, you do have options. Your local SHIBA volunteers are happy to help you figure out which option is best for you.

If you have the Premera Medicare Advantage plan, you’ll have some other new advantage plans to choose from, but they are generally not as attractive as the Premera plans were. Some are HMOs, which restrict you to doctors and hospitals that are in their network. Others are PPOs, which permit you to see any doctor or go to any hospital provided they accept Medicare; you will pay more for your visit, however, if the doctor or hospital is not “preferred”.

You also have an option to buy a Medicare Supplement without having to go through medical underwriting, and a Part D drug plan. There are several different supplements available from a number of companies. They permit you to use any doctor or facility that accepts Medicare anywhere in the country. That option is often quite attractive for people dealing with health issues.

If you’re losing your Medicare drug plan, there are also a number of other plans to choose from. All of the available plans work with the pharmacies on our three major islands. Three of these plans have a $0 premium.

There are a lot of options and your local SHIBA (Statewide Health Insurance Beneficiary Advisors) volunteers can help you sort through the possibilities so you can select the plan that works best for you. SHIBA is a free, unbiased and confidential informational service offered through the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Trained SHIBA volunteer counselors provide counseling in-person or by phone or Zoom, whichever you prefer. Call 360-376-5892 to schedule your free personal, counseling session on Orcas Island. The Orcas Senior Center sponsors the San Juan County SHIBA volunteers.