October - 2021

Your monthly news & updates

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Healthy Living for ME (HL4ME) is conducting a statewide Community Health Needs Assessment which includes collecting responses to a 29 question survey, as well as in-person and virtual community Listening Sessions.

HL4ME has already reached over 690 people through online responses and strives to reach even more. By completing our survey and/or attending a Listening Session, it allows HL4ME and its partners obtain the information needed to best serve and support all Mainers!

HL4ME seeks to gain information on the following:

1. The type of support adults in Maine need

2. The preferences they have (as it relates to #1)

3. Their access (as it relates to #1 and #2)

Join us to take part in facilitated discussion and support this project; HL4ME wants to hear from you and your experiences!

Below are following virtual sessions which will be held on Zoom.

1. Tuesday, October 5 from 3:00-4:30pm

2. Thursday, October 7 from 10:00-11:30am

3. Friday, October 15 from 2:00-3:30pm

4. Wednesday, October 20 from 9:00-10:30am

Email info@healthylivingfor.org to register for a virtual session and receive the Zoom meeting invitation.

Dear Marci,

I just enrolled in Medicare a few months ago, and now I am hearing about Fall Open Enrollment coming up. What is Fall Open Enrollment, and what should do I do during this time?

-Anne (Encinitas, CA)

Dear Anne,

What an important question! Fall Open Enrollment begins October 15 and ends December 7 each year. During this time, you can make changes to your health insurance coverage, including adding, dropping, or changing your Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage for next year. Even if you are happy with your current health and drug coverage, Fall Open Enrollment is the time to review what you have, compare it with other options, and make sure that your current coverage will meet your needs for the coming year.

You can make as many changes as you need to your Medicare coverage during Fall Open Enrollment. The changes you can make include:

Joining a new Medicare Advantage Plan
Joining a new Part D prescription drug plan
Switching from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan
Switching from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare (with or without a Part D plan)

You should consider:

Your access to health care providers you want to see
Your access to preferred pharmacies
Your access to benefits and services you need
The total costs for insurance premiums, deductibles, and cost-sharing amounts

If you have Original Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov or read the 2022 Medicare & You handbook to learn about Medicare’s benefits for the upcoming year. You should review any increases to Original Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance charges.

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or a stand-alone Part D plan, read your plan’s Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and/or Evidence of Coverage (EOC). If you do not receive these notices by the end of September, contact your plan to request them. Review these notices for any changes in:

The plan’s costs
The plan’s benefits and coverage rules
The plan’s formulary (list of drugs your plan covers)

Additionally, make sure that your drugs will still be covered next year and that your providers and pharmacies are still in the plan’s network. If you are unhappy with any of your plan’s changes, you can enroll in a new plan. If you want assistance reviewing your options, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for unbiased counseling. To contact your SHIP, visit www.shiphelp.org or call 877-839-2675.

Even if you are happy with your current Medicare coverage, consider other Medicare health and drug plan options in your area. For example, even if you do not plan to change your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, you should check to see if there is another plan in your area that will offer you better health and/or drug coverage at a more affordable price. Research shows that people with Medicare prescription drug coverage could lower their costs by shopping among plans each year; there could be another Part D plan in your area that covers the drugs you take with fewer restrictions and/or lower prices.

Best of luck to you this Fall Open Enrollment Period! Following the advice above, you can make sure your health coverage will meet your needs in 2022.

-Marci

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Need to send us a referral?

Eastern Area Agency on Aging now has an easy, secure way for providers to send us referrals for clients or patients who need to access our services. The electronic link below is a HIPAA compliant form that any provider can use to request assistance from EAAA for any of our programs. EAAA staff will follow-up with you after receiving the referral to ensure effective and accurate communication about the needs of the person you are referring.

REFERRAL FORM HERE