Medicare forum on Wednesday in Lihue

LIHUE — AARP Hawaii and the Hawaii State Health Insurance Assistance Program will host a forum in Lihue on Wednesday to help people review their benefits and choose appropriate plans during the Medicare Open Enrollment that runs from Oct. 15. to Dec. 7.

The in-person forum will take place at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall on Oct. 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

For people who are not able to attend, a Zoom webinar will be held on Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Space is limited. People can register for the in-person and virtual events at aarp.org/local or on the events tab at the AARP Hawaii Facebook page.

Medicare beneficiaries will likely see insurance plan changes starting next year when key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act take effect, said the AARP Hawaii. The forum is designed to explain some of the changes and help kupuna select the appropriate plans.

The biggest change to Medicare is a cap on out-of-pocket expenses for Part D drug plans to $2,000. The change means a savings of about $1,500 annually on prescription drug copays for more than 10 percent of people with a drug insurance plan who do not receive subsidies.

“The Medicare prescription drug cap could mean changes to Medicare drug insurance plan fees and coverage so it is especially important that people review and compare their Medicare supplement insurance plans this year to make sure they have access to the drugs they need at the best prices,” said Kealii Lopez, the AARP Hawaii State Director.

“The Hawaii State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or Hawaii SHIP, provides help to consumers using trained volunteers so that you can get information on Medicare insurance without a sales pitch.”

AARP Hawaii is part of the nonprofit side of AARP and does not sell insurance.