The new year brings many changes, and Medicare and Medicare insurance are both part of that. For 2025, these are among significant changes as well as some elements that may be just nice to know. Most Medicare beneficiaries pay the Medicare Part B monthly premium, which was $174.70 in 2024. This year it is pegged at $185 a month.  Many beneficiaries are also subject to the Medicare Part B annual deductible, which was $240 in 2024. This year it is $257. This applies to beneficiaries who have original Medicare (Parts A and B) or a Medicare supplement (Medigap) insurance policy.  Medicare beneficiaries in Marion and Polk counties continue to have a sizable number of zero-premium Medicare Advantage plans available, although Aetna this year pulled out of the Polk County market. However, the growth of zero-premium Medicare Advantage plans – more than tripling since 2020 – stalled this year. As is by now well known, Medicare beneficiaries this year will enjoy a $2,000 annual limit on their out-of-pocket cost for prescription drugs. Related, beginning this year Medicare beneficiaries have access to a prescription payment plan that will enable them to spread costs across the year if they would like to do so. The right of Medicare beneficiaries with income-related benefits to change Medicare Advantage insurance plans outside of autumn open enrollment has been eliminated. Meanwhile, in any month they now may revert to original Medicare with a prescription drug plan or beneficiaries may change from one drug plan to another. Income-related benefits are those such as extra help with prescription costs. As in 2024, none of the available Medicare Advantage plans in the two counties has a five-star rating. Plans with a five-star rating enable a beneficiary to enroll at any time of the year, which can be helpful to people who wish to change plans outside of autumn open enrollment. Among Medicare supplement (Medigap) insurance policies, Plan G is the strongest. However, Plan N can be an attractive alternative with a significantly lower premium. Perhaps surprising, Plan N’s co-pays to see a physician (up to $20) or to visit the hospital ER ($50) have remained unchanged for at least 10 years. If you would like to make a Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance appointment for assistance with Medicare or its insurance, please see the end of this column. My spouse and I have had PERS Moda insurance since retiring, and we have been happy with it. However, for personal reasons we want to investigate Medicare supplement insurance on the open market. Both of us have medical conditions. Are we too late to do that? No, it isn’t too late to change from Public Employee Retirement System Moda insurance even if you have preexisting medical conditions. As you know, your PERS Moda insurance is Medicare supplement, or Medigap, insurance. You can use Oregon’s Medigap birthday rule to change from PERS’ Medigap insurance to a Medigap policy on the open market. Although the fact sheet hasn’t been updated to say so, the birthday rule now applies to changing from PERS insurance to a Medigap policy on the open market. If you do that, remember that you will also need to enroll in a separate prescription drug plan. Medigap policies on the open market cover medical costs only. By contrast, the PERS Moda insurance is a hybrid that also includes drug coverage. The ability to change from the PERS Moda policy to a Medigap policy on the open market is relatively new. (In confirming this, a representative of the state Division of Financial Regulation said the fact sheet will be updated to reflect this change.) Using the birthday rule, you would have guaranteed issue to enroll in a policy on the open market; that means you cannot be charged a higher premium because of a preexisting medical condition.  Do keep in mind, though, that if you were to leave your PERS insurance, you would not be permitted to enroll later in it or in any PERS Medicare insurance plan or policy. Jim Sellers of Salem is a certified Medicare counselor with the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) program. To ask a question to be answered in this column, e-mail [email protected]. To schedule a free SHIBA phone, Zoom or in-person appointment with a volunteer Medicare counselor, call 800-722-4134. STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: [email protected]. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post COLUMN: What to know about Medicare changes in 2025 appeared first on Salem Reporter.