A funny thing has happened since the last time I co-moderated MLive’s event “The Guide to Medicare & Golden Retirement” – I got a year older and a lot closer to eligibility.

This year’s event, sponsored by Priority Health, is planned for Tuesday, Oct. 22, beginning at 4:30 p.m. It’s free and virtual – just register at https://events.mlive.com/medicare and log onto your computer that afternoon.

Medicare is the federal health insurance for people 65 and older. Our annual session is presented at this time of year to give you lots of information, and the ability to ask questions of experts, with ample time before the Medicare general enrollment period. That starts Jan. 1 and runs through March 31.

And although this will mark my third successive year co-moderating with MLive’s director of marketing, Eric Hultgren, I’m far still in “learning mode” about what my responsibilities and choices will be when I turn 65.

There are lots of options and the optimal Medicare plan selections by people’s various circumstances and preferences. That’s why I’m glad we have these speakers and panelists:

Lauren Glover, Medicare territory manager, Priority Health
Bob Callery, Michigan Medicare Assistance Program
regional coordinator, Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan
Abby Katabaro, director of Medicare product, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Margaret Anderson, senior vice president, chief sales and marketing officer, Health Alliance Plan (HAP)
Brittney Beeler, clinical pharmacist, Priority Health

In addition to general information given in an overview format, there will be a panel discussion focused on selecting the right plan for your needs. Questions can be entered into a chat channel, and I will select as many as I can to ask of our panelists.

Here’s an example of an actual participant question and expert answer from last year’s session:

Q: If I am under 65 and on disability, am I required to be enrolled in my spouse’s employer’s insurance? Is it better to be in the employer plan or go with just the Medicare and Medicare Advantage?

A: You would have the choice to do whichever is better coverage and premium for your situation. Typically, out of pocket costs are lower on Medicare than Group Insurance.

Because the event is virtual, there’s no limit on how many people can register. Here’s some feedback from some of the people who attended last year:

“I am so glad I attended this! Thank you! I just turned 65 this month. I know I have to take action, but now I’m much clearer on how to proceed and which advertising I can disregard.”

“This event exceeded my expectations. Really, really appreciated that presentations were short and that so many viewer questions were answered.”

Sorting through Medicare options can be complex but this program does an excellent job of covering a broad array of common information and specific, detailed situations. And each year that I help moderate it, I pay a little more attention and keep more detailed notes. After all, time is not slowing down.

If you’re in my demographic, I hope to see you Oct. 22. Again, registration is fast and easy at this link – https://events.mlive.com/medicare – or by capturing the QR code below.

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