Free Medicare Open Enrollment Support

What is Medicare?

Medicare is a government health insurance program for:

People 65 or older
People under 65 with certain disabilities
People of any age with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant

If you’re over 65 (or turning 65 in the next three months) and you do not already receive Social Security benefits, you can sign up for Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance). Enrollment is not automatic.

You can contact your local Social Security office or Medicare for enrollment questions or apply online. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Medicare Coverage

Part A – Hospital insurance that helps pay for things like inpatient hospital care, hospice care and some home health care. Most people don’t have to pay for Part A. To find out if you have Part A coverage, look on your red, white, and blue Medicare card. If you have Part A, “HOSPITAL (PART A)” is printed on your card.

Part B – Medical Insurance helps cover medically-necessary services like doctor visits, outpatient care, medical equipment, home health services, and other medical care. Part B also covers some preventive services. Most people pay monthly for Part B.

Part C – Medicare Advantage is like an HMO or PPO. It is offered by private companies approved by Medicare. These plans may offer extra coverage, such as vision, hearing, dental, and/or health and wellness programs. Most include Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D).

Part D – offers prescription drug coverage to everyone with Medicare. To get Medicare prescription drug coverage, you must join a plan run by an insurance company or other private company approved by Medicare. Each plan can vary in cost and drugs covered. Look for a Part D prescription plan.

Medicare open enrollment

Every year, recipients should review their Medicare coverage during the specified open enrollment in the fall. Trained and volunteer counselors offer free support to guide Medicare beneficiaries through open enrollment. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor can help you understand costs and coverage, compare options, enroll or change plans and fix billing errors or issues.

Local SHIP counselors can help with all parts of Medicare: