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Medicare Open Enrollment Period is ongoing. We chose several questions about this subject and want to share the information in this month’s column. We added one question to address the areas where many people are confused about the COVID-19 vaccine more clearly. If you have additional questions on Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace, Social Security Retirement Benefit, Supplemental Security Income, or COVID/Flu vaccination, there are 3 ways you can reach us today:

  • Call: (English) 1-800-336-2722, (Chinese Mandarin) 1-800-683-742,
          (Chinese Cantonese) 1-800-582-4218, (Korean) 1-800-582-4259, (Vietnamese) 1-800-582-4336
  • Email: askNAPCA@napca.org
  • Mail: NAPCA Senior Assistance Center, 1511 3rd Avenue, Suite 914, Seattle, WA 98101

 

<Q1> Why do I need to check my Medicare plan every year during the Open Enrollment Period and how do I check my plan?

 

If you don’t take any action, your existing plan will be renewed for 2024. But that could come with cost and benefit changes. Your plans’ coverage may change, and your health care needs may have changed, too. This is why it's important to check-up on your current plan during the period even if you're happy with your current plan. Your plan will send you a "Plan Annual Notice of Change" (ANOC) each fall. If you don't get this important document, contact your plan. The ANOC includes any changes in coverage, costs, and more that will be effective in January. Review any coverage changes including drug formulary. Think about any changes to your healthcare and/or prescription drug needs, and healthcare expenses to decide whether the plan will continue to meet your needs in the next year. Just remember to do so before Medicare Open Enrollment ends on December 7.

 

<Q2> I signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan during my Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) this year, but I would like to change it to Original Medicare because I plan to travel to different states throughout the next year. How can I switch from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare?

 

You should contact your current plan to cancel your enrollment and call MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) during the Medicare Open Enrollment period. The change will take effect on January 1 of the following year. Original Medicare does not provide any additional benefits such as drug coverage, dental, or vision you may have with your Medicare Advantage plan. If you make this switch and you want drug coverage, be sure to sign up for a Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP). If you do not, and you decide to sign up for Part D coverage later, you may need to wait for another year until the next Open Enrollment Period and face a penalty for late enrollment. You may also want to consider purchasing a Medicare supplemental insurance policy, known as Medigap, that helps to pay your cost-sharing requirements under Original Medicare. You also can switch from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31). 

 

<Q3> If I make a mistake when I change my coverage during the Medicare Open Enrollment Period, what can I do to fix it?

 

If the Medicare OEP is ongoing: you can simply pick a different plan instead (by the December 7 deadline) and the new choice will take effect on January 1.
If the Medicare OEP has ended: you can use the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MAOEP, Jan 1~Mar 31) to pick a different Advantage plan or switch to Original Medicare and a Part D plan. If you’ve enrolled in a stand-alone Part D plan that doesn’t fit your needs, your options are more limited. Changes to these plans can generally only be made during the fall Medicare OEP.

 

<Q4> I have already received COVID-19 vaccines and the last vaccination was in January 2023. Do I still need to get another COVID-19 vaccine?

 

Like Flu virus, the virus that causes COVID-19 has changed over time. A new vaccine has been developed and was approved by the FDA on September 11, 2023. The new vaccine provides better protection against the currently prevalent COVID-19 variant and is available for administration starting from late September 2023. If your last vaccine was before September 2023, please get this new vaccine. You can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a Flu vaccine, at the same visit. Possible side effects after getting vaccinated are generally the same when given alone or with other vaccines.

 

National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of AANHPI older adults and their families.  We operate a NAPCA Senior Assistance Center for Older Adults and Caregivers and is available in 5 different languages.   

 


 

My Long and Winding Road to Here

Contributed by Marissa Bañez

 

SAN DIEGO,CA -    How did I get here?

    From an early childhood in the 1960s spent in a small house literally built by my grandfather in Baguio City, to the immigrant neighborhoods of downtown Los Angeles, to the idyllic rarefied setting of Princeton University, to the highly-charged environment of a large international law firm as a litigator, and, finally, to being an award-winning children’s author currently developing a children’s musical based on my book in my “golden years”. . . as I reach my 65th year, I laugh, shake my head, give thanks, and repeatedly ask myself, “how did I get here?”

    Luck?  Divine intervention? Coincidences?  

    Absolutely.  

    One example:  After taking five years off from work until my daughter started kindergarten, someone suggested I first try working with a placement office to ease my way back into legal practice. The day after I emailed my resume, I was told that a well-regarded firm was looking for an attorney with my exact qualifications.  I later learned that while I was typing my resume, the firm’s hiring partner was about to hire someone who didn’t meet all the criteria.  Then, for some reason, he felt compelled to make one last effort to get the right person.  On the same day that I submitted my resume, he sent in his request to the placement office. The universe did its thing and eighteen years later, I’m still at the firm.

    Hard work?  Of course.  

    I took three separate bar exams (California, New Jersey, and New York) and passed each one the first time around.

    As a litigator, working until 3 or 4 a.m. and being ready only 4 or 5 hours later to start the next day is not unusual, especially when there is a trial.

    As a mom of a little girl, I wrote original stories and created puppet shows for my daughter and her friends. Now, I write my stories, work closely with my illustrator, do a lot of book promotional work, and create dialogue and lyrics for the musical.  This labor of love often takes me into the wee hours too.  

    Connections?  Definitely.

    A former colleague, fellow author, and friend introduced me to our mutual publisher.

    My childhood friend’s talented musician husband wrote a beautiful song about my book.

    A colleague who also happens to own a stage theater production company spoke about my book to actors and other associates, all of whom are excited about a children’s musical.

    Support from family and friends?  Unquestionably.
    Without going into details that would fill volumes, I can categorically say that I am blessed with the best and most supportive family and friends, without whom I couldn’t have accomplished half as much and certainly not with as much fun.

    My book, Hope and Fortune, tells of a little girl who has lost her way and encounters 12 multicultural, multiracial, and multigenerational fairies of different shapes and sizes who give her life advice to get her back on her path.  Each fairy represents a principle or ideal.  The first is the Fortune Fairy of Hope, drawn to look like my late Filipina mother and, by her dress, represents the Filipino culture.  Her advice: “Give yourself permission to cry.  Just know that things will get better as time goes by.”  The guidance given by all the fairies constitutes a distillation of principles I have lived by or aspire to live by.  I HOPE the book inspires young children and leads them to a path in life filled with good FORTUNE.  After all, they are principles that have gotten me here.  

    Marissa Bañez is Angelica’s mom, a litigator with a large international firm, an award-winning children’s author and, hopefully, a soon-to-be playwright.  Her second book, Hues And Harmony (How the Rainbow Butterfly Got Her Colors), which deals with multiraciality, belonging, and, ultimately, love, will be published by Black Rose Writing on July 20, 2023.  Visit www.marissabanez.com to learn more.


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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