Your One-Stop Resource for Medicare, Health, and Wellness for Seniors

Stay informed with the latest news, articles, key dates, and resources to help you navigate Medicare and improve your well-being.

Choose a section below or scroll down to see all.

LATEST NEWS

MEDICARE & MEDICAID

HEALTH

CDC UPDATES

GENERAL INTEREST

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USEFUL RESOURCES

Legal Help

Legal Services

Local Resources Icon

Local Resources

Want to find a local support group or meal delivery?

Access local resources at connect2affect.org

Enter basic information and what you are looking for (classes, support groups, meals, food delivery) to get a list of local resources that can help you.

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Food & Nutrition

Looking for some help with meals?

Meals on Wheels

Visit Meals on Wheels and enter your zip code to find local organizations that can help you.

Feeding America

The Feeding America network of 200 food banks and 60,000 pantries and meal programs serves nationally. Find your local food bank at Feeding America

Mental Health Icon

Mental Health

Are you stressed?

Meditation has a long history of helping people reduce stress, increase calmness, cope with illness, and enhance overall well-being.

UCLA Health offers free virtual meditation sessions through its Mindful Awareness Research Center. These drop-in sessions are guided by experienced instructors and are suitable for beginners and seasoned meditators alike.

Visit their website for schedules and how to participate.

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Exercise & Fitness

Looking to stay physically fit?

Check out Go4Life

The site is well-organized with articles to help you find exercises tailored to your needs.

MEDICARE KEY DATES

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)

Oct 15, 2024 to Dec 7, 2024

  • You can switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan or vice-versa.
  • If you have a stand-along Prescription Drug Plan (Medicare Part D), you can modify it.

Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)

7-month period:

3 months before and 3 months after your eligibility month.

When you first become eligible to sign-up for Medicare, you have a 7-month window to enroll.

This window starts 3 months before your eligibility month and ends 3 months after your eligibility month.

Example:

  • Let's say, you are eligible for Medicare.
  • Your birth month is August and you are turning 65 this year.
  • Your 7-month sign-up window begins in May and ends in November.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP)

Jan 1, 2025 to Mar 31, 2025

  • You can change to another Medicare Advantage Plan.
  • You can go back to Original Medicare, and sign-up for a Prescription Drug Plan (Medicare Part D).

General Enrollment Period (GEP)

Jan 1, 2025 to Mar 31, 2025

If you missed your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) when first eligible, and do not qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP), you can enroll in Medicare Part A and/or Medicare Part B.

  • Coverage begins the month after enrollment.
  • You may face late enrollment penalties:
    If you must pay a premium for Part A, the penalty is an additional 10% of the monthly premium for twice the number of years you delayed enrollment.
    For Part B, a 10% increase in the monthly premium for every 12-month period you were eligible but did not enroll.

Special Enrollment Periods (SEP)

Sign-up period:

Determined by specific life event affecting you.

You can enroll in Medicare or make changes to your current plans outside of the regular enrollment periods when faced with certain extenuating circumstances that include:

  • You change where you live.
  • You lose your current coverage.
  • You have a chance to get other coverage.
  • Your plan changes its contract with Medicare.
  • Other special situations.

5-Star Special Enrollment Period

Dec 8, 2024 to Nov 30, 2025

  • Medicare annually rates Medicare Advantage Plans and Prescription Drug Plans based on customer surveys and care quality, with a select few earning the top 5-Star rating.
  • If you live in an area served by these plans, you can make a one-time change to a five-star plan during this period.