Get Medicare and Health Insurance Marketplace Questions Answered

If you need help understanding the basics of Medicare Part D AARP Wyoming volunteer Nancy Drummond can help. At 1 p.m. on Oct. 18, Drummond will host a free webinar on Medicare Part D. 

The webinar is free, but does require you register online at:  events.aarp.org, or for this specific webinar at Medicare here.

Drummond is a Healthcare Navigator for Enroll Wyoming, which, as of the start of 2022, had helped more than 33,000 people in Wyoming complete work to sign-up for new health insurance plans or renew policies, according to a release from Enroll Wyoming. The Navigator program is a free service to help Wyomingites identify health insurance options that are right for them and sold on the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace, at healthcare.gov.

Drummond also understands the basics of Medicare and is happy to share that experience. She points out Medicare has four parts:

• Medicare A - covers hospitalization. If you have worked 10 years or 40 quarters, you qualify for Medicare A with no premium.
• Medicare B – covers Doctors, Labs, Outpatient surgery and durable equipment (i.e. Shower chairs, wheelchairs and other items) Medicare B costs $170.10 a month with a yearly deductible of $233.
• Medicare C or Medicare Advantage which are advertised on television, Medicare C is private insurance. The premium from Medicare is paid to an insurance company that offers Medicare Advantage – you no longer have Traditional Medicare A and B but insurance instead. 
• Medicare D is prescription drug coverage – premiums  start at $6.80 a month with a $480 yearly deductible if you are taking brand name drugs. This year there is no longer a Donut Hole. The Donut Hole is when you get to a point where Medicare D doesn’t help with your drug costs. Open enrollment for Medicare D is every year from Oct 15 - Dec 7.  

For more information on the webinar series, contact Jenn Baier at:  jbaier@aarp.org.