Press Republican: In My Opinion: Rep. Stefanik on Medicare

Op-Ed

"Upstate New York and the North Country are home to one of the largest constituencies of older Americans in the nation. Over 21% of the population in New York's 21st Congressional District are over the age of 65.

I am honored to represent over 160,000 seniors in Congress. Their valuable contributions are part of the fabric of our community, and I am committed to delivering the resources necessary to protect our elderly population -- this includes protecting and preserving Medicare and Social Security.

I will always fight to protect and strengthen Medicare and Social Security so that our seniors receive the benefits they have worked so hard to earn over their lifetime.

One of my most rewarding duties as a Member of Congress is helping my constituents on an individual, case-by-case basis. That is why my top priority as the Representative for New York's 21st Congressional District is to ensure that every citizen across the region has unparalleled access to high-quality constituent services.

Since having the honor of being elected to this office in 2015, I held thousands of in-district events, returned over $775,085,834 in tax-payer dollars to the district, and closed out over 14,637 open constituent casework requests.

One of my office's most frequent constituent requests comes from our seniors asking about the benefits available to them during the Medicare Open Enrollment period. As you may know, the annual open enrollment period for Medicare began on Oct. 15, and runs through Dec. 7.

This period is the only time each year that you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan or Prescription Drug Plan, make any necessary changes to your current Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, or switch between original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans.

Choosing the Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Prescription Drug Plan that is right for you can be an overwhelming task which is why I am committed to offering support to our seniors in any way that I can.

Following through on that commitment, I am pleased to announce that today from 4:30 p.m. -- 5:30 p.m., I will be hosting a live telephone town hall with an official from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Region 2 office to answer questions from those interested in participating in the Medicare Open Enrollment period.

The CMS representative will be available to help seniors with any specific policy questions and provide assistance so that they can choose the best plan for their unique situation while also offering counseling and information regarding benefits and plan options.

If you are unable to join the telephone town hall today from 4:30 p.m. -- 5:30 p.m., but are eligible to receive Medicare benefits and have questions regarding your options during the Open Enrollment period, please do not hesitate to contact my office by visiting my website: Stefanik.house.gov.

You can also contact Medicare directly by calling toll free to 1-800-MEDICARE or by visiting their website at www.medicare.gov.

As your Representative in Congress, I remain steadfast in my commitment to providing the best possible constituent services for our NY-21 families and seniors and will always fight on their behalf to protect and preserve their Medicare benefits."

Source