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Photo: @ginakirschenheiter

Originally posted at: Gina Kirschenheiter’s Light Blue Blazer

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is the time for Medicare beneficiaries to take charge of their healthcare coverage and make crucial decisions that will impact their well-being in the upcoming year.

If you’re a Medicare beneficiary or helping someone who is, read on to unravel the mystery of the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period and learn how to maximize its potential to your advantage.

Understanding the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, also known as the Medicare Open Enrollment Period, is a critical window of opportunity for Medicare beneficiaries. Running from October 15th to December 7th, this period allows enrollees to:

• Review and make changes to their current Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans;
• Compare different plans and coverage options;
• Enroll in a new plan or switch to a different plan;
• Add or drop prescription drug coverage.

Changes made during the Annual Enrollment Period become effective on January 1st of the following year.

It’s essential to understand your current Medicare plan coverage and evaluate how well it meets your healthcare needs. Missing the opportunity to review and adjust your plan during the Annual Enrollment Period could result in unexpected costs or inadequate coverage. Don’t let that happen to you – make the most of this time to ensure your Medicare coverage is tailored to your unique needs.

Key Changes You Can Make During the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period

During the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, beneficiaries can make significant changes to their Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans to better suit their needs. Two crucial areas to focus on are adjusting your Medicare Advantage Plan and updating your Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.

Let’s dive deeper into these areas to understand how they can impact your healthcare experience.

Adjusting Your Medicare Advantage Plan

A Medicare Advantage Plan, or Part C, is an alternative to Original Medicare, offered by private insurance companies approved by Medicare. Original Medicare offers a range of benefits to those enrolled in it. Medicare Advantage plans expand on these by providing all the same benefits, and often more. Examples of additional coverage can include:

• Prescription drugs
• Vision
• Dental
• Hearing
• Wellness programs

Adjusting your Medicare Advantage Plan during the Annual Enrollment Period can help manage healthcare expenses and ensure appropriate coverage. It’s vital to compare the costs of each Medicare Advantage plan, like the monthly premiums and any out-of-pocket expenses, to make sure you’re getting the most value for your healthcare needs.

Also, consider the plan’s provider network and any additional benefits it might offer, as switching to a plan with a broader network of healthcare providers can help you save on out-of-network charges.

Updating Your Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

Prescription drug coverage, or Medicare Part D, is an essential component of Medicare plans that helps beneficiaries save on medication costs and access necessary medications. It’s important to check your prescription drug coverage during the Annual Enrollment Period. Plans may alter their formularies, cost-sharing structures and coverage restrictions every year, thus it is vital to review them regularly.

To ensure that you have the most suitable prescription drug coverage, consider checking out a prescription drug plan that:

• Covers your particular medications
• Has reasonable premiums
• Provides favorable cost-sharing
• Has an accessible network of pharmacies

By updating your Medicare prescription drug coverage during the Annual Enrollment Period, you can save on medication costs and maintain access to the medications you need.

Tips for a Smooth Medicare Annual Enrollment Process

To ensure a smooth Medicare Annual Enrollment process, follow these practical tips:

1. Review your current plan and evaluate your healthcare needs.
2. Compare available options, considering factors such as premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and provider networks.
3. Make any necessary changes within the designated timeframe of the Annual Enrollment Period, from October 15th to December 7th.
4. Stay informed about your Medicare plan and any changes in coverage or costs.
5. Familiarize yourself with other Medicare enrollment periods, such as the General Enrollment Period, Special Enrollment Period, and Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period.

By following these tips, you can successfully navigate the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period and make informed decisions about your healthcare coverage.

In Summary

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is a critical time for beneficiaries to review and adjust their healthcare coverage. By understanding the different parts of Medicare, evaluating your healthcare needs, comparing available options, and staying informed about your plan and any changes, you can make the most of this important period.

Don’t let the opportunity to optimize your Medicare coverage pass you by – take charge of your healthcare future and make the most of the Annual Enrollment Period.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you currently have a Medicare Advantage plan? If so, what is your favorite benefit? If not, what turned you off to the idea?

In my eighth year of sobriety, I’ve gained enough perspective to see how alcohol had kept me trapped… and to realise that now I am free!

Free at last!

Here are 7 ways sobriety will set you free too.

Freedom from Cognitive Dissonance

For many years, I’d had a nagging voice in my head which said things like, “You’re drinking too much,” “You have to cut down,” etc. etc.

The problem was that it was competing with another voice which said, “But how will I socialise, how will I relax and deal with stress without wine?”

It was pretty noisy in my head, so I took to drinking (more) wine to drown out the voices.

Only when I discovered and overturned the limiting beliefs I had around alcohol did I change my thinking about drinking and find peace.

Only when I realised alcohol added nothing (but trouble) to my life did I find freedom.

Freedom from Guilt

No more waking up in the morning wondering what on earth happened last night and why my husband/best friend/son isn’t speaking to me today.

No more losing stuff – jackets, phones… and memory.

No more feeling guilty because, unlike so many people I knew, I was incapable of having “just one.”

No more feeling guilty because I’d gone over the top, again.

Freedom from Failure

I was stuck in the “moderation trap” for a decade. Trying (and failing) to cut down over and over again — and feeling like a failure every time I crashed.

Once I accepted that I could never drink again everything changed.

Yes, it took six months of hard work to make the change – but then I was done, then I was finally free.

Freedom from Anxiety and Depression

I used to drink to cope with “social anxiety.” If I felt a bit down, I would have a glass of bubbly to “perk me up.”

Now I understand that alcohol is a depressant and that:

Six months into sobriety I realised that the knot of anxiety that had resided in my stomach for years had simply melted away.

That felt a lot like freedom.

Freedom from Dieting

I spent my 20s on a diet of “white wine and cigarettes” in a permanent quest to get thinner. As I got older and (slightly) more sensible, I began to eat more, eat organic, drink green juices, exercise, and do yoga but my daily wine habit persisted.

Unsurprisingly, I never got thinner so concluded I had a “slow metabolism.”

Then I ditched the booze.

Six months into sobriety those extra pounds that I’d spent decades trying to shift, simply melted away.

These days I eat what I want and never gain weight.

All I needed to do was ditch the drink and my metabolism began to work properly – who knew?

Freedom to Enjoy Restaurants

During a meal out, I would always engage the waiter in a debate about which wine to order and then keep my eye on him.

After all, he was the most interesting person in the room, he was the source of more wine.

I would also keep an eye on the glasses of the other people at the table so as to see whether they were drinking more than me (unlikely) or were still on their first glass (incredible)!

More importantly, were they getting through our wine supply and when could we order more?

These days, I can actually relax and enjoy the conversation.

That feels like freedom.

Freedom to Find Meaning and Purpose

A lot of us drinkers are hedonists. We get addicted to the buzz and convince ourselves that we are “very social” when in fact we just want to create and attend more events so we can drink!

I felt a bit lost in early sobriety; so much time on my hands and no idea what to do with it. It was a void and felt a lot like depression.

After a couple of months, it passed, and my energy and creativity returned. Then I created tribesober.com and never looked back.

Sobriety gives us the time and mental space to discover more meaning and purpose in our lives.

Are you ready to take the first step on the road to Freedom? Sixty and me readers can get a 20% discount on Annual Tribe Sober Membership by using the coupon “sixty” when they sign up.

Tribe Sober also has a weekly podcast on Apple & Spotify.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you drink a glass or two of wine most days? Do you ever wonder what your life would be like without alcohol in it? Do you worry about the effect drinking has on your health as you get older? Did you know that alcohol is linked to 7 types of cancer? Are you sober curious and looking to connect with others on the same path? Do you feel you are living your best life? Do you simply want to be healthier… and happier?

My mantra when I was a manager at an internet company was: Embrace constant positive change. I used to relay that to my staff all the time. It came from a tech guru I admired, and considering the fast pace of the work we were doing, it helped in learning to deal with the firehose of demands, deadlines and deliverables required of us.

Now, my lifestyle is more suitable to taking time with things, but I find myself thinking back to that advice. The pace of my life may have become more manageable but that’s the issue, how do I navigate the blank space on my calendar while fostering positive change?

Those who have not yet reached retirement age may not equate open time with anything unwanted. Too much free time? Give me a break.

It’s Hard Work to Relax

But research shows that humans have difficulty with this.

In Deep Work, Cal Newport notes, for example, that an important study on the flow state reveals that people are happier at work and less happy relaxing than they expected, indicating we are most gratified when immersed in challenging activities. I would add that includes those that help us grow and change.

Overall, I’m happy with my schedule these days, but it’s taken awhile to find that balance. When I do feel adrift, I harken back to a lifelong habit of signing up to show up.

I thought I had discovered this notion on my own, but, of course, I hadn’t. Lots of motivational and productivity books and articles espouse this simple concept of accomplishing a task or goal through the act of committing to it in writing, which is close to a sacred oath for many of us.

It’s the idea of taking action and being accountable for one’s promises, in this case, to oneself. It’s that formal pledge that takes the intention beyond a generalized idea that might be carried out sometime in the undefined future.

It’s a concept that works especially well for rule-followers like me, who were raised by mothers who pounded responsibility into them along with the guilt of the ages if they failed to deliver. Even though I sometimes feel I’m torturing myself and regret signing up, if I’ve got it in my calendar, it’s gospel.

My closest friend always says, “You’re braver than me,” but I don’t see it that way (and she’s plenty brave, just like most women I know who have made it this far). It’s more about setting an intention, as my yoga teacher says, and following through. Sometimes it works out and change happens, but not always.  

Ch-ch-ch Changes, Turn and Face the Strange

On the plus side, here is what I have found myself doing due to my habit of signing up to show up, and what changes were wrought:

• Trekking the pitch-black, one-person-at-a-time Hezekiah’s tunnel in Jerusalem, which helped me become more of a fearless traveler and earned me credit toward a master’s degree.
• Enrolled in a Ph.D. program while four months pregnant with a 1 ½-year-old at home, which helped me launch a new career as an academic at 50 when said children were older.
• Role-playing a singing-and-dancing Tina Turner in front of an improv comedy class, which helped me find my voice as a first-time college teacher who was failing to keep her students’ attention.
• Leading a team of journalists at an internet startup, which launched a third career at the cutting edge of technology in my 60s.

At all these points, I knew I needed a change, so I signed up and showed up for the trip, the program, the class, the interview.

Some things I’ve done more recently include signing up for a makeup course and using my new skill as a volunteer in a fashion show promoting girls’ leadership; joining the non-profit Transition Network, a national group with local chapters for women in life transitions; taking writing classes and workshops, and donating to an academic group to further the cause of women in communication.

The latter got me an invitation to give a talk and revisit my academic life, and I may eventually turn my dissertation into a book as a result. My latest volunteer effort is to be in training to record data in the courtroom in domestic abuse cases to help in local court reform, which may be a new area of writing.

Value Your Values

To my mind, any such commitment is part of a yearning to create the shifts or transitions you want in your life based on your values.

Doing it at this age can also be about battling emotional rigidity, taking creative risks and perhaps going inward in a healthy way. Small steps count and rethinking and backtracking are all just part of the process, which is ongoing, agree cohorts I interviewed on this topic.

There’s always room for “new potential,” as one in my women’s group put it during a recent meeting on “change.”

For her, a core value was being a valued member of a group. For others it might be volunteering with children, seniors or animals, furthering other causes or travel.

What I don’t want to do is engage in reinvention overload. This is more like an internal review. The idea is to take a leap, sign up and then show up and see what happens, keeping expectations generally in check. We’re old enough now to know we can catch ourselves, and we’re young enough to keep trying.

“We have more time, but less time,” is the way my friend in the meeting so eloquently stated it, as heads nodded all round.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you “signed up to show up” and discovered something new about yourself? Are you looking for change? What values drive you in trying to make transitions in life?