Springs Memorial Hospital to host educational fair

A free fair designed to educate retirees on new options of Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans will be hosted by Springs Memorial Hospital on Tuesday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on the hospital's second floor.

"On Nov. 1, retirees will be offered new programs," said Carolyn Swanson, director of patient financial services at the hospital. "There are many important questions that you need to have answers to before you make your decision about these new programs."

Swanson said some of these questions include, but are not limited to:

– Should I keep Medicare as my carrier?

– Should I change to a Medicare Advantage Program?

– What programs are out there?

– Will these programs save me money?

– Do I need to keep a secondary insurance with Medicare Advantage?

– What does Medicare Part D do for me and what choices do I have?

Representatives will be available to answer questions and provide advice on possible directions you may want to explore where these new plans are concerned. Appointments will not be taken, but several representatives will be on hand to assist as many people as possible.

–We ask those planning to attend to please be patient on Tuesday, as there may be some wait time involved because this is very timely and important information for our retired community," said Angela Marchi, chief executive officer at Springs Memorial. "As your community hospital, we are very happy to provide valuable education and to be able to provide this education at no cost.

"We desire to meet many of the needs of our community," Marchi added. "We want to be there for you when you and your family may be ill, but there are also other roles we can fill within this community. This is one of them."