Free meetings planned in Yakima about Medicare open enrollment

Oct. 6—With annual Medicare enrollment underway, the Community Health Plan of Washington is organizing free events in Yakima County to ensure people can enroll before the Dec. 7 deadline.

While enrolling for Medicare can be fairly simple, oftentimes there can be special instructions or exceptions depending on the type of health care enrollees are seeking. The meetings will help people navigate the federal insurance enrollment process and get a full grasp of the benefits they can access. People can sign up for or change plans during the enrollment period.

"The enrollment process can honestly be really confusing and it can sometimes be burdensome to many seniors," said Brisa Guajardo, a manager of business development with CHPW. "That leads to the most vulnerable senior population not enrolling for the care they actually need because they get so overwhelmed with TV ads, phone calls, fliers in the mail. This just kind of creates stress and they just kind of stop there."

The enrollment period is for people who are 65 years old or older, and some younger people living with a disability or living with end-stage renal disease.

Being able to cut through the noise is important when enrolling for Medicare given the plethora of options available to enrollees and the requirements necessary to enroll for these options. One's age, past employment and medical history down to the specific disease all play a part in determining enrollment.

It's important to understand the difference between traditional Medicare, which covers only hospital care and medically necessary services, and Medicare Advantage plans, which cover additional services like drug coverage, vision and dental, Guajardo said.

"We have to look at the needs of each individual and then also the different plans if they have premiums and others things like that. There are a lot of things to really look at," Guajardo said.

Three sessions are planned at OIC Henry Beauchamp Community Center, 1211 S. Seventh St., Yakima. They will be from 10-11 a.m.Oct. 20, Nov. 3 and Nov. 17.

Santiago Ochoa's reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and community members through the . For information on republishing, email news@yakimaherald.com.

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