What They’re Thinking: Wendy Forrester, volunteer SHIIP counselor

Wendy Forrester has worked as a Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) volunteer counselor for five years. SHIIP, started by the Iowa Insurance Division in 1990, helps Iowans age 65 and older make informed decisions about their health care and Medicare plans.

In 2015, the SHIIP program at UnityPoint Health St. Luke's Hospital worked with more than 2,500 people, saving them about $500,000 in prescription drug costs, according to program officials. Counselors work with individuals by appointment only. Call (319) 369-7475 to make an appointment.

Medicare open enrollment, which started Oct. 15, runs until Dec. 7.

Q: How did you become an insurance volunteer? And how do you stay up to date with the constant changes?

A: I'm retired from Rockwell Collins. Really, I wanted to know more about Medicare for myself. I was three years away from eligibility. ... The state office makes us take three or four training courses every year — some are online and you need to get a certain percentage to continue volunteering. We were all just in Coralville last week going over the changes for drug lists.

Q: What kind of help do you offer people?

A: First thing we do is explain to them what Medicare Part A, B, C and D are. They're usually overwhelmed. Lots of people will come see me four or five months before their birthday, which is a little early, but we'll go over everything. Then I'll send them home to make their decisions and they'll come back a month before to finalize things.

Q: For those new to Medicare, what are some things they should know heading into open enrollment?

A: When you turn 65, you can take any plan you want and no one can ask you any health questions. That is your opportunity if you had cancer or Parkinson's or another illness that requires lots of care. You can pick the best plan. If you wait two years and want a better plan, they are able to look at your health.

Q: What are the most common questions you get?

A: When you turn 65, you have to have a drug plan — even if you take zero drugs — and you're penalized if you don't have one. Clients can bring in a list of drugs and we have a plan finder we can use. We'll load the drugs and tell the client approximately how much they'll cost. ...

There are 10 plans and four parts to each plan. It can be very confusing, so we help them sort through what each plan covers. They have to go through an agent to enroll, but we can help them find one. If they're enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan, we can do that here.

Drug plans change every year — pharmaceutical companies will drop a drug — now they have to notify you of that but some people don't realize it and they could be paying the full cost of a drug. Premiums can increase and copays can change. ...

They may also get a claim from Medicare that is confusing and they don't know what it means, so we'll help them understand the bill.