When we acquire something new, especially something with many moving parts, we will very likely turn to its quick-start guide. Medicare, by contrast, doesn’t come with one.

Here, then, are steps one might take in approaching Medicare for the first time, unwinding what for some are its mysteries.

Beyond these basics, a Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) volunteer counselor could assist. For detail about making a SHIBA appointment, please seen the end of this column.

• To enroll: One enrolls in Medicare through the Social Security Administration. This may be done online at the SSA website (ssa.gov) or by calling Social Security to enroll. SSA phone numbers are 866-593-1559 (Salem) and 800-772-1213 (national). 
• Insurance: Get to know the three types of Medicare insurance – Original Medicare (that is, Medicare only), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement (Medigap) policies. 
• Medicare.gov: This helpful website will provide most of what you need to know about premiums and benefits of Medicare Advantage plans, Medigap policies and Prescription Drug Plans. To enable yourself to use it whenever you want to review plans or policies, learn how to navigate the website. If you don’t find it intuitive, a SHIBA Medicare counselor could show you in minutes. 
• Handbook: Oregon has a state-specific Medicare handbook, the 100-page Oregon Guide to Medicare Insurance Plans. You can find a copy by clicking on the link or by asking for a free one at the Northwest Senior and Disability Services office in Salem (3410 Cherry Ave. N.E.) or Dallas (260 NE Kings Valley Hwy.) during weekday business hours. 
• Medicare counseling: Free counseling is available through the SHIBA program, whose volunteers have nothing to sell. Some people approaching Medicare make a SHIBA appointment just to ask questions. Insurance brokers who handle Medicare insurance are also available, including state-certified brokers.

Medicare is an excellent system that can also be surprisingly complicated compared with what most people had before – that is, employer insurance or Medicaid. 

It’s worthwhile to learn about Medicare to avoid surprises.

You have written that people with Medigap Plan F policies can save substantial money by switching to Medigap Plan G. I checked this out, and couldn’t see that what you said was true.

You are right on two counts.

First, you did read here that switching from Medicare supplement (Medigap) Plan F to Plan G could save several hundred dollars a year, more than offsetting that with Plan G one must pay the Medicare Part B annual deductible of $257. 

Second, you are right that those savings appear to have gone away. Checking current monthly premiums for beneficiaries in three age groups reflects your experience. That said, it’s still worthwhile for an individual to review rates and to use Oregon’s Medigap birthday rule if changing companies or plan type is desired. Using Oregon’s birthday rule protects one from paying a premium surcharge for a pre-existing health condition. 

Jim Sellers of Salem is a certified Medicare counselor with the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) program. To ask a question to be answered in this column, e-mail [email protected]. To schedule a free SHIBA phone, Zoom or in-person appointment with a volunteer Medicare counselor, please call 800-722-4134.

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By Jim Sellers – Special to Salem Reporter