Sorting out Medicare Open Enrollment

Every year, Oct. 15  marks the beginning of Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment season. That means everyone enrolled in Medicare has from that date until Dec. 7 to make changes to their Medicare Advantage health and Part D prescription drug plans for 2024.

Chances are you’ve been seeing plenty of ads about open enrollment already—in your mailbox, on TV, in your email. It’s no fun trying to separate the junk mail from the important communications from Medicare, Social Security, and any other insurer you may have this year. The Office for the Aging can help you sort things out.

What you can do during Open Enrollment

During the Open Enrollment period, you can make changes to various aspects of your coverage.

These are the most significant opportunities:

• You can switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, or vice versa.

• You can switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, or from one Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan to another.

• If you didn’t enroll in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan when you were first eligible, you can do so during the Open Enrollment period. Find out more by contacting OFA.

Check your mailbox 

If your current health insurance or prescription plan has made changes to your co-pays, premiums, and/or drug formularies, you should receive a “notice of change” letter from the company this month.

The plan is required to notify you of these changes. Read the entire notice of change and contact your plan administrator with any questions.

You may also receive letters concerning actions you need to take about your eligibility for state and federal assistance programs relating to your health or prescription drug plans or coverage.

If you’ve gotten this far into the article and are thinking “I’m so confused,” you’re not alone.

With Medicare regulations running to hundreds of thousands of pages, even experts can get bogged down. OFA can help you get some clarity as you make your choices for 2024.

We offer free phone and in-person counseling to people with questions about their Medicare plans. This counseling, presented as part of HIICAP (Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program), is unique in that it’s non-sales-oriented. HIICAP provides unbiased information.

You can make an appointment by contacting us during business hours at 845-486-2555, or by emailing ofa@dutchessny.gov. Counseling appointments fill up quickly. If we are unable to book an appointment for you, we can put you in touch with other local Medicare counseling alternatives who may have space.

You can prepare for your appointment and learn more about Medicare by looking over OFA’s new Medicare Spotlight for the 2023-24 season, available at www.dutchessny.gov/THRIVE60 and at libraries throughout Dutchess County.

 

Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, Todd N. Tancredi, director. Email him at ofa@dutchessny.gov.

Latest News

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

The borrowed Pine Plains cruiser parked on Main Street in front of the Millerton Inn during the Millerton Street Fair on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissy

MILLERTON — After receiving substantial state grant funding in July 2024 and beginning to roll out new equipment that fall, the Millerton Police Department suffered a setback when the February fire at the Village Water and Highway Department building destroyed much of its newly acquired gear — including patrol vehicles outfitted with cutting-edge technology.

Thanks to full-value insurance coverage and swift support from the Town of Pine Plains — which loaned the department a vehicle — Millerton officers were able to remain active in the community. Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik said two custom-built, four-wheel-drive Ford Interceptor cruisers are now in production and are expected to arrive by the end of the summer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Groundbreaking of the new pool planned for Eddie Collins Park has been delayed after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation intervened to determine the status of wetlands in the proposed building site.

Archive photo

MILLERTON — The long-awaited groundbreaking for a new community pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park — once expected this past April — now faces significant delays with no definitive timeline in sight, Mayor Jenn Najdek said.

The primary setback stems from a still-pending permitting process, as the village awaits final approvals from the Dutchess County Board of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding septic placement and wetland buffers. A patch of wetlands on the site — roughly five feet by five feet, Najdek said — requires a protective buffer, which could range anywhere from 5 to 100 feet. That determination will dictate whether the current pool design needs to be altered or moved altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less
North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Nora Garcia, 6, of Millerton, bottom right, gets a face painting treatment from Maddy Rowe, a Webutuck High School senior. Nora’s sister, Juliana, 8, top right, is decorated by Giana Kall, a Webutuck senior. The program was sponsored by the Webutuck PTA.

Photo by John Coston

Locals and visitors packed into downtown Millerton Saturday, June 28, for the first ever Millerton Street Fair hosted by the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and Townscape. Representatives from local nonprofits, businesses along Main Street, Bee Bee the Clown and face painters from Webutuck High School drew in crowds all afternoon.

Festivities officially opened at 10 a.m., and a steady stream of visitors soon followed. Volunteer firefighters hosted a bouncy castle, a duck pool, a “put out the fire” ring toss game, and the “touch a truck” event at the fire department’s garage.

Keep ReadingShow less