Medicare is an alphabet of choices seniors struggle to understand.
Parts A covers hospitalization.
Part B covers medically-necessary services like doctors’ services, outpatient care, home health services.
Part C are Medicare Advantage plans, health plans offered by private companies approved by Medicare.
Part D is prescription drug coverage.
There are also Medigap (Medicare Supplemental Insurance) polices for people with original Medicare who want help paying co-pays and deductibles.
Open enrollment for next year’s Medicare choices kicks off Nov. 15 and continues through Dec. 31.

Seniors will be receiving the Medicare & You 2011 handbook in the mail soon if it hasn’t arrived already.
They need to look through it and select the health plan and drug plans best for them.
Some may decide to stick with the plans they have and not make any changes.
Other don’t have that option as some Medicare Advantage health plans and Part D plans are not being renewed, meaning enrollees have to make new choices (or have choices made for them).

Weldon Hazlewood and David Blanset, volunteer insurance counselors with Senior Connections—The Capital Area Agency on Aging, answered questions about Medicare last week at a program at Corinth United Methodist Church in Sandston.
One thing they emphasized is that folks should sign up for Medicare when they become eligible, around their 65th birthday.
If they miss the initial enrollment period, perhaps because they are healthy and don’t want to pay the premiums for Part B, bear in mind there are penalties when signing up later.

Here are some other tips from the federal Medicare program.

8 Things to Consider When Choosing or Changing Your Coverage
1. Coverage - Are the services you need covered?
2. Your other coverage - If you have other types of health or prescription drug coverage, make sure you understand how that coverage works with Medicare. If you have employment-related coverage, or get your health care from an Indian Health or Tribal Health Program, talk to your benefits administrator, insurer, or plan before making any changes.
3. Costs - How much are your premiums, deductibles, and other costs? How much do you pay for services like hospital stays or doctor visits? Is there a yearly limit on what you could pay out of pocket for medical services? Make sure you understand any coverage rules that may affect your costs.
4. Doctor and hospital choice - Do your doctors accept the coverage? Are the doctors you want to see accepting new patients? Do you have to choose your hospital and health care providers from a network? Do you need to get referrals?
5. Prescription drugs - What are your drug needs? Do you need to join a Medicare drug plan? Do you already have creditable prescription drug coverage? Will you pay a penalty if you join a drug plan later? What will your prescription drugs cost under each plan? Are your drugs covered under the plan’s formulary (drug list)?
6. Quality of care - The quality of care and services given by plans and other health care providers can vary.
7. Convenience - Does the plan include the doctors you see and the pharmacies you use? Can you get your prescriptions by mail? Do the doctors use electronic health records or E-prescribe? 
8. Travel - Will the plan cover you if you travel to another state?