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1777-A Capitola Road, Santa Cruz 95062 www.seniornetworkservices.org A Nonprofit Community Agency Santa Cruz County's Official Information & Assistance Provider call: 831-462-1433 email: info@seniornetworkservices.org Unbiased, No Cost Medicare Counseling Santa Cruz call: 831-462-5510 San Benito call: 831-637-0630 email: hicap@seniornetworkservices.org Shared Housing I Housing Navigation I Home Help call: 831-462-6788 email: housing@seniornetworkservices.org Respite Registry I Respite Grants call: 831-462-0880 email: respite@seniornetworkservices.org SENIOR NETWORK SERVICES What is Medicare's Annual Enrollment At the Health Insurance Counseling and Advoca- cy Program (HICAP) at Senior Network Services, a local nonprofit agency, we have certified Medi- care Counselors available at no cost, providing unbiased information. Each year Medicare participants have an opportunity to save money. From October 15 through December 7, Medicare participants can enroll in a new Part D or a new Part C plan for the upcoming year. Medicare Part D plans are insurance plans sold through private insurance firms that cover prescrip- tion drug costs and are annual plans. Part C plans also known as Medicare Advantage Plans, are sold through private insur- ance firms and are also annual plans. Part C plans contain prescription drug plans plans as part of their network of services. So folks will have one or the other, but not both. Each year, three things can change giving bene- ficiaries the opportunity to save money. First, people's prescription list can change from year to year. Perhaps a brand name drug comes out in a generic version, or a better medication be- comes available to treat a person's illness. The price for a Part D plan is directly affected by the prescriptions that the plan covers. A change in someone's prescription list can change which plan best covers their list. Second, the insurance company can change the formulary of the Part D plan from year to year which may affect the cost of prescription drugs cov- ered by that plan. Third, the cost of a plan may change from year to year. For instance, this year one plan increased in price from $7.20 per month in 2021 to $7.50 per month for 2022, while a different plan went from $30.30 in 2021 to $71.60 per month in 2022, a 136.3% increase. We hear from people every year who say they did not know their plan was increasing in price. We understand. People receive so much junk mail regarding Medicare insurance they tend to throw a lot of it away without looking at it. We have a solution. Each year, between October 15 and December 7 check to see if you have the least expensive plan for your prescription list for the next year. How do you do that? There are three ways to get unbiased help with new Part D plan pricing. One, someone can call Medicare at 1-800-633- 4227. The challenge with calling Medicare is it can take awhile (hours) to get a live representative. Two, someone can log onto the Medicare.gov website and use the plan finder tool to research plans in their area for themselves. Three, the easiest way is to call HICAP at 831-462-5510 or email us at hicap@se- niornetworkservices.org. Each year HICAP helps about 200 seniors enroll in the least expensive plan for their prescriptions. It is best to call HICAP in August or September if you would like HICAP to research Part D or C plans to help lower your prescription's costs. Part C plans are also subject to change each new year. From October 15 to December 7 people can change or withdraw from their Medicare Ad- vantage Plans. Sometimes people find it challenging to change Part C plans because medical services covered by these plans are networked services and to change a plan generally means changing doctors. However, it is still worth checking to see if future changes to plans still meet someone's medical needs. The Part C plans also contain prescription drug plans that can change. So, it can still be worth checking to see if some- one's current plan is most cost effective for their prescriptions. The ways to research a Part C plan is the same as for a Part D plan. You can call Medicare, or you can log onto Medicare.gov and use the plan finder tool, or you can call HI- CAP in Santa Cruz at 831- 462-5510. We can also be contacted through our Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/se- niornetworkservices. If someone does not contact their Part D plan between October 15 and December 7 then the insurance company will re-enroll someone into the current plan regardless of price changes, changes to someone's prescription list or changes to the plan's formulary. Last month, HICAP had a client call in complaining of the cost of their Part D plan. They were paying $85 a month premium. This person had the same plan for about the last 8 years and had never checked to see if there was a less expensive plan for their prescrip- tions. HICAP compared this person's prescriptions to current Part D plans offered and this person could have been paying $7.50 per month through 2022 with the same copay. This person could have saved $930 in 2022 by switching to a plan that better served their pre- scription needs. HICAP services are free to the public, but we can run out of time, so please contact HICAP in August or Sep- tember if you would like to save money next year on your Part D prescrip- tion plans. You can also visit senior- networkservices.org to see upcoming community education presentations on Medicare, including how to use the plan finder on the Medicare.gov website. Bigstock Photo By Bill Proulx Senior Network Services Surviving Spouses Find Some Peace When your spouse dies, your world is rocked to the core. Grief can leave you stunned, confused, and afraid. You may feel numb. According to the National Institute of Aging, grief can cause physical and emotional pain. You may cry easily, have trouble sleeping, not want to eat, and have difficulties concentrat- ing. Grief is different for everyone. And you don't have to do it alone. Grieving together. While neither Lila Ansell nor Mary Vernier quite remembers when they met, they're crystal clear about the impor- tance of their connec- tion. Lila, Mary, and three other women met through Hospice of Santa Cruz County's grief support program. Four experienced the sudden death of their husbands, and one walked through a drawn- out illness. While each of their stories is unique, they share the grief that comes with the death of a partner, best friend, and love of their life. "We share not just the loss but the love," says Mary. Mary and Paul's life to- gether was an adventure. In 1979, they drove from Michigan to California in a converted school bus. They traveled the world, had tech careers, and built a home replete with an art studio for Paul. "He was funny, a practical joker," Mary laughs through tears. After almost 39 years of marriage, Paul died unexpectedly, leaving a community in mourning. Lila first met Richard, who she affectionately calls Dickie, in 1965 as Peace Corps volunteers in Ghana. After leaving Africa, Richard became a geologist in Australia. Lila led a life of service in building design and carpentry at the Mount Madonna Center. Four decades later, they reconnected, fell in love, and married. Their epic romance was cut short after an advanced cancer diagnosis. Getting help. "I needed a place to work through my emotions and grief—a place to release it all. I didn't want to say too much about my feelings to friends because they were grieving, too," reflected Mary. "The support helped put me back together." After the death of a spouse, it may feel like there's no time or space to grieve. You may feel things like, too many people rely on me, there's no time to fall apart, I just need to push through. But often, people discover the only way through grief is to feel it. Finding your way through the changes and often painful emotions that arise during the days, weeks, and months following a death can be difficult. A caring community of friends and professional help can make a difference. "After my husband died, I spent the first five months in shock and feeling relief for my husband, who'd been so sick. It took a while to think about myself," shares a support group member. "When I started grief counseling, I had no idea what to talk about. My counselor knew how to direct the conversation. I cried every time, but I left feeling better." A sisterhood of support. "We're all so different, but we get each other," says Lila. "When we're together, we don't have to explain. It is under- stood." While they no lon- ger meet as part of an official support group, they continue because they want to be there for one another. Whether a phone call, a joint trip to Costco, or talking about football like they used to do with their honey, they always respond and know someone cares. Moving forward is dif- ferent than moving on. Grieving is not done all at once. Most of us move in and out of grief, feeling the pain and re- ality of our loss and then engaging in "regular" life. It's okay to experi- ence pleasure and focus on other things. There's no clear roadmap for grief, and each person's experience is unique. "There's a hole in my heart that I can't fill but bandage. It will always be there, but there's heal- ing, too," reflected Lila. "We were two peas in a pod. It's not the same, but I'll be okay. It'll be six years this fall, and I still think about my hus- band every day," shared another. Mary relied on her husband Paul's handy nature. The guy could build anything! "I'm quite proud when I can fix something. I say, 'See Paul? I figured it out.' I know I can lean on Lila to help when I can't." When the group gets together now, they mostly talk about daily life. But, when someone needs to talk about their grief, their conversations have a beautiful fluidity. They're there to remem- ber and encourage each other to grow into who they are without their partners. If you or someone you know might benefit from a community who under- stands, Hospice of Santa Cruz County offers grief support groups and work- shops year-round. Visit hospicesantacruz.org for more information. Bigstock Photo By Sally Green

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