Medicare Open Enrollment is just around the corner. Get ready for a flurry of commercials and mail — all promoting the “best plan for you!” If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Our Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors gears up every year at this time to help people consider their options and sort through their choices.

Some people are eager to get started and others are too overwhelmed to take the first step. Our SHIBA team takes a lot of pride in the work they do but Open Enrollment only runs for a short time (Oct. 15 to Dec. 7). We know we can’t help everyone, so we’re trying something new this year!

We’ve created new tools to help you get started and take action if you want or need to make a change. It’s called the Medicare Jumpstart Toolkit: Seven easy steps you can take to get ready for Open Enrollment.

First, we started with what we’ve learned from helping people every year:

• Many are unsure of the type of plan they currently have.
• They can’t find the important piece of mail they were sent that details what’s changing for next year.
• They’re unsure of what’s changing or what’s really important to them about their current coverage, like premiums, providers, or prescription choices.
• They have not created an online Medicare account.
• They don’t know how to use Medicare’s Plan Finder tool or why they should.

We spend a lot of time helping people with these “get ready” steps before we can help them make the critical step of picking a new plan.

The Medicare Jumpstart Toolkit is designed to help you walk through the first steps you need to take before you can compare plans and get enrolled. It includes:

• A big envelope to save all your important mail — so you have the details of how your plan is changing.
• A menu of the different types of health plan cards — similar to a diner menu — so you can see the different cards and match yours! Your options will depend on the type of plan you have.

• A chart to help you map out how your plan is changing and what matters to you.

• A simple overview of your options depending on the type of plan you have today.

• Details on how to create an online Medicare account.
• The benefits of using Medicare’s Plan Finder tool.
• And final steps to get ready to talk with a SHIBA volunteer and get enrolled in your new plan!

Order your free Medicare Jumpstart Toolkit today or pick up a copy at most local libraries and senior centers.

And if you’re not on Medicare yet but have a family member, friend, or neighbor who is, pick up a copy or order one and help them walk through the seven steps! If we get everyone ready, we can help even more people get the coverage they need.

Learn more about the SHIBA program and find Medicare counseling and events in your area.