You may be spending too much money to get the health coverage you need.

The Medicare coverage choices you made in the past may not be your best choice for 2019. Your health may have changed or you may have new prescription drugs. The drug plans change every year, so the plan that fits you this year may not be the wisest choice for you in 2019.

Join the Orcas SHIBA volunteers at the Orcas Public Library on Monday, Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. to learn what your 2019 coverage options are in San Juan County. They will explain what is different in 2019 and why the insurance you have now may not be the best choice for next year.

Each year, Medicare beneficiaries are given seven weeks, between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7, to review their Medicare choices and make adjustments that take effect in January of the following year. Understanding how all of these changes affect you and whether you should make changes can be very difficult, and SHIBA volunteers are here to help you figure that out.

SHIBA volunteers operate through the offices of the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner and provide free, unbiased, confidential counseling assistance on Orcas Island. You can arrange an appointment to meet with one of them by calling their phone at 360-376-5892. Island Hospital has sponsored the SHIBA volunteers in San Juan County for more than 25 years, and the University of Washington Orcas Medical Center provides office space for SHIBA volunteers to provide confidential counseling sessions on Orcas Island.

You can call 360-376-5892 to set up a free, confidential and unbiased counseling session with one of our SHIBA volunteers.