Submitted by Pegi Groundwater.

Is this your year to go on Medicare? If so, there’s a lot of new information for you to learn. Medicare has its own vocabulary, rules and deadlines. There are deadlines to meet and penalties (some lasting a lifetime) for not doing things at the right time.

Volunteer Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors are here to make the transition easier for you. Join us in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Public Library on Tuesday, July 23, at 10 a.m. to learn how Medicare works, what your coverage options are in San Juan County and when you must act to avoid penalties.

This is a free presentation made by trained volunteers from the SHIBA program overseen by the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner to provide free, unbiased and confidential counseling assistance on Orcas Island. There are many new terms for you to understand and several options to choose among. Resources are available to help people with very low income and limited assets pay their Medicare premiums, copays and deductibles.

Call the local SHIBA office at 360-376-5892 to schedule your free personal, confidential, unbiased counseling session. Island Hospital has been the local sponsor of the SHIBA volunteers in San Juan County for the past 25 years.