Medicare Guide 2025: Multnomah County resources help seniors navigate their choices

Medicare Open Enrollment benefits for 2025 are valid from October 15 to December 7. Help with this sometimes difficult process is available free of charge in Oregon.

The Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program, known as SHIBA, provides free assistance. Counselors are trained to help seniors navigate the maze of Medicare options to help them make the best choice based on their individual circumstances.

Before you start

Before asking for help, there are a few important things you should collect:

• Medical assistance card
• MyMedicare.gov login information if you have an account
• Pharmacy name and address
• A list of all prescription medications with strength and dosage.
• List of medical questions or problems you would like covered

Medicare Resources Online

There is a lot of information on the Internet. Visit Medicare.gov and its comparison tool, medicare.gov/plan-compare. This tool allows you to compare costs for a wide range of health care services across multiple drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans available in your area. It also has performance and quality ratings for each plan. Most importantly, it allows you to enter your prescription drugs to see which plans cover them and at what price.

Medicare has expanded its Medigap search engine to include cost ranges based on age, sex, and smoking status. Access it via bit.ly/MedigapPlanSearch.

Visit the Medicare Rights Center’s interactive website (Medicareinteractive.org) to help you find answers about your Medicare benefits.

Read our previous report (search.oregonlive.com/medicare) when choosing a Medicare plan.

Help with Medicare Open Enrollment by phone

For Social Security inquiries, call 800-772-1213 (8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday). To find your local branch, visit ssa.gov/locator for Medicare Part A and Part B questions.

Call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) if you have questions about Part D (drug plan).

Call the nonprofit Medicare Rights Center’s national helpline at 800-333-4114, Monday through Friday.

Help with Medicare Open Enrollment in Multnomah County

Call 503-988-3646 and press option 3 to schedule an appointment. Virtual appointments with consultants are available, with limited in-person consultations. Residents living in ZIP codes near the sites will receive postcard reminders, according to John Henry Crippen, Multnomah County’s SHIBA program manager. However, he said appointments must be scheduled in advance.

In-person consultation, all by appointment:

• Charles Jordan Community Center, 9009 N. Foss Ave., Portland: Nov. 22.
• Eastern District, MCE, 600 NE Eighth St., Gresham, (Chinook Room, 1st Floor): October 25, November 15.
• Holgate Library, 7905 SE Holgate Blvd., Portland: November 8 and 21.
• Hillsdale Library, 1525 SW Sunset Blvd., Portland: Oct. 18, Oct. 28, Nov. 13.
• Hollywood Library, 4040 NE Tillamook St., Portland: November 1, November 25, December 2.
• Neighborhood House Senior Center, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland: Oct. 23, Nov. 5.

Help with Medicare Open Enrollment in Oregon

Senior Health Insurance Assistance (SHIBA) advisors are available to answer questions by phone from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some are also planning virtual conferences. Call 800-722-4134 (toll free) to schedule a consultation or visit. shiba.oregon.gov.

Check the website for upcoming online presentations. As for meeting in person, don’t delay – appointments are scheduled quickly.

Other resources

Health insurance brokers are often knowledgeable about choices and can help you select and purchase a plan. It is probably best to deal with licensed independent brokers. They are covered by the plans of several different insurance companies, undergo annual training on those plans, and are supervised by state and federal regulators. Consumers do not pay directly for this assistance. Instead, brokers receive sales commissions directly from the plans. You can find local Medicare brokers in your area at OregonHealthCare.govwebsite: bit.ly/ORAgentSearch. Be sure to scroll down to “Find Local Help” and select “Medicare Agents” when searching.

Check the agent’s license online on the website bit.ly/or_broker_licenses or call the Oregon Insurance Department’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-888-877-4894.

Insurance company websites and customer service phone lines can be a good place to check coverage details, but only for their plans. This information can be found in the Benefit Plan and Part D tables in this publication.