Medicare Part D Enrollment Help Sessions

The North Dakota State Health Insurance Counseling Program (SHIC) will conduct Medicare Part D information and enrollment sessions in 10 North Dakota cities in November and December. The 2009 open enrollment period for the Medicare prescription drug program begins Nov. 15 and ends Dec. 31.

Medicare recipients who attend should bring a list of their prescription drugs, the dosages and their current drug costs to the meeting. Volunteers will be available to help them determine which Medicare drug plan would best meet their needs in 2010 and how the cost would compare to their current spending. Even those currently enrolled in a prescription drug plan should review their options during the open enrollment period.

There is extra help for people with limited income and resources. The extra help pays for almost all of your prescription drug costs, including monthly premiums, deductibles, and drug co-pays. People can apply or get more information about the extra help by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213 or online.

Also available at the enrollment sessions will be AARP’s new Doughnut Hole Calculator. The calculator, available online, guides visitors through their prescription drug options using information about their plan and prescriptions to determine if or when they will fall into the coverage gap. In about 15 minutes, you can view a graph of your out-of-pocket spending by month, look up lower cost drugs for your conditions, create a Personal Medication Record and print out personalized letters to your doctor to help start a conversation about safely switching to lower-cost prescriptions.

This year, an estimated 19,000 North Dakotans in the Medicare prescription drug program will fall into the “doughnut hole”—the coverage gap in Medicare’s prescription drug program that leaves individuals on the hook for all of their own drug costs while still paying premiums.

Here is the SHIC program schedule. All sites are open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.:

Bismarck
Monday, Nov. 16
Doublewood Inn, Heritage Ballroom, 1400 E. Interchange Ave.

Devils Lake
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Lake Region State College, Chautauqua Gallery, 1801 College Dr. N.

Grand Forks
Thursday, Nov. 19
Guest House (formerly the Townhouse), Parlors B and C, 710 1st Ave. N.

Jamestown
Friday, Nov. 20
Jamestown College, Reiland Auditorium 610, 7th Ave. NE

Williston
Monday, Nov. 23
Williston Armory, 10 Main St.

Minot
Tuesday, Nov. 24
Sleep Inn, Celebrations Center, 2400 10th St. SW

Dickinson
Monday, Nov. 30
Dickinson State University, Student Center ballrooms, 291 Campus Drive

Wahpeton
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Eagles Club, 114 Dakota Ave.

Fargo
Thursday, Dec. 3
Doublewood Inn, Birch and Walnut rooms, 3333 13th Ave. S.

Valley City
Friday, Dec. 4
Senior Center, 139 2nd Ave. SE