KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Open enrollment for Medicare runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 every year.
The AARP recommends comparing plans, signing up at the right time, and fully understanding your options when enrolling, so your health and wallet don't take a big hit.
Seniors will have to pay more for their Medicare Part B coverage in 2025.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said both the monthly premiums and deductibles are increasing. The monthly premium will climb to $185 in 2025, which is about a 6% increase from 2024.
The CMS said the increase is mostly due to price changes and usage increases.
The Social Security COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments) was recently set at 2.5% for 2025. This means Medicare Part B premiums are again rising faster than COLA.
Signing up for Medicare is like crossing off a to-do list. Medicare recipient Tammy Akers came to her enrollment appointment at the KC Shepherd’s Center prepared.
The first step for Akers was seeing what changes she’ll need to make from last year’s plan.
“You have to look and see, whoever you pick, do they cover the drugs that you're taking? And if they don't, then what?” Akers said.
She double-checked her drug prices and that her providers were in-network. She’s a diabetic and has hyperthyroidism, which means she has lots of prescriptions.
“There's so much that you need to know when you're doing it, but it just seems like it's a better idea, at least for me right now, to come in and have some help,” she said.
That’s where Sarah Albin, KC Shepherd’s Center Medicare Program Manager, helped.
“I think for a lot of older adults, it just really feels like a little bit of a labyrinth,” Albin said.
Albin said the center’s counselors have helped some enrollees save hundreds to thousands just by applying for relief programs they qualify for.
“It's so hard for, especially low-income, older adults to manage their costs anymore, and especially just with inflation overall in these last two years, they're just really continuing to have to make those decisions between affording groceries and affording their prescriptions,” she said.
Because if Akers’s to-do list isn’t crossed off by the end of enrollment, it’s her health that could suffer.
“It's always nice to see if there's ways to get that covered, but if there's not, then you're just you're stuck,” Akers said.
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