Enrollment still open for Medicare

Posted on November 20, 2017
stethescope
The Medicare enrollment period ends on Dec. 7. (Photo courtesy Pixabay)

By RFD Radio/WFMB

SPRINGFIELD – There is still time left to sign up or enroll for Medicare.

The process can be a bit daunting at times for seniors so the Illinois Department on Aging has more than 300 sites around Illinois offering free trained counselors to help in the process.

The department’s Sandy Leith said to start online at www.medicare.gov then sit down with a counselor if you still have questions on what plan is best for you.

“They have been trained, they are not gong to sell you or tell you what plan to take,” Leith said.

The senior helpline number is 1-800-252-8966. Leith said the state will provide contact information for a counselor in your area.

Seniors looking for a list of the sites where they can meet with someone should start at www.illinois.gov/aging. The sign up period closes on Dec. 7.

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…