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Medicare open enrollment -- make sure your current coverage is what you need

Increasingly, companies are contracting with Medicare exchanges to try to ease the transition for their former employees.
Michael McCloskey
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iStockphoto.com
File: Medicare beneficiaries in North Carolina are reminded to compare and evaluate their current plans and make necessary changes during the upcoming annual open enrollment period.

Medicare beneficiaries in North Carolina are reminded to compare and evaluate their current plans and make necessary changes during the upcoming annual open enrollment period.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said Medicare plans and prices change, and people should get in touch with their local Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program counselors to save money, improve your coverage or both.

SHIIP is a division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance and offers free, unbiased information about Medicare, Medicare prescription drug coverage, Medicare Advantage, long-term care insurance and other health insurance issues. SHIIP counselors can also help people find out if they are eligible for Medicare cost savings programs.

Open enrollment begins on Oct. 15 and runs for eight weeks, and Causey said changes must be made by Dec. 7 to guarantee coverage will begin without interruption on the first of the year.

Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. She has been involved in the media industry in eastern North Carolina for more than three years. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to ENC to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of toddler and baby cuddling, reading, designing costumes for children’s theater and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.