Nebraska SHIP offers support during Medicare open enrollment

If you have a Medicare prescription or advantage plan, now is your annual opportunity to make sure your plan is the best for you next year.

During Medicare open enrollment you can compare your plan against any of the others and make changes that will take effect Jan. 1, 2027, according to Mary Loftis, Nebraska State Health Insurance Assistance Program for Burt, Dodge & Washington counties.

Nebraska SHIP offers free, confidential and unbiased help to compare these plans with the plan you are on now, so you get the best deal at the pharmacy you prefer.

Call Loftis at 402-380-9554 to make an appointment for the date and location that works best for you. Please leave a message if the call is not answered.

Upcoming opportunities include Nov. 16-18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dodge County Extension Office, 1206 W. 23rd St. in Fremont; Oct. 28 and Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hooper Senior Center, 208 N Main St.; and Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Scribner Library, 530 Main St.

Only nine Medicare drug plans will be offered, according to a news release. Three plans — HealthSpring Assurance Rx, HealthSpring Extra Rx and SilverScript Choice — aren't being continued next year, and premiums range from $5.30 per month to $222.90 per month, with deductibles from $300 to $700 per year.

Loftis said people who don't take prescriptions should manage their premiums, while those who do take them should be careful to make sure their plan covers their prescriptions best at their preferred pharmacy.

"Just because your current plan has worked well for you this year, that doesn't mean it's your best value for next year," Loftis said in a news release. "Now is the time to make those appointments. Nobody wants to pay more than they need to for their prescriptions next year, so call now!"

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