Kokua Line: When exactly should I enroll in Medicare?

Question: When do I sign up for Medicare? Do I have to wait until I turn 65? I am 64 now. There is so much information on the Medicare website it’s confusing.

Answer: No, you shouldn’t wait until your 65th birthday. Wanda Anae-Onishi, director of Hawaii’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program, explains the ideal timing:

“Individuals turning 65 have their Initial Enrollment Period to look forward to. It starts three months before their birth month and ends three months after, for a total of seven months to sign up for Part A and Part B. It’s best to sign up during the three months before the birth month to avoid a gap in coverage. Their Medicare benefits will start in their birth month. If they continue to work after age 65 and their employer offers creditable medical coverage, they can delay enrollment into Part B until they lose their employer group health insurance. They will be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Part B and avoid late enrollment penalties.”

Anae-Onishi’s program, which is part of Hawaii’s Executive Office on Aging, helps people navigate Medicare enrollment during free, one-on-one sessions held in person, online or over the phone.

A limited number of one-hour, in-person sessions are available Friday, Nov. 9 and Nov. 19 in Nuuanu. Make an appointment at hawaiiship.org or by calling the Hawaii SHIP Helpline at 808-586-7299 or toll-free at 888-875-9229.

Or you can use any of those methods to make an appointment to review your Medicare options over the phone or via Zoom, if you’d prefer to keep your distance.

Appointments are available for kupuna enrolling in the federal health insurance program for the first time, as well as for current participants who want to review their coverage or need updates about original Medicare (Parts A and B), Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Prescription Drug Plans (Part D) for 2022, according to a news release from SHIP.

Medicare is for people 65 years and older, as well as for people with disabilities, end-stage renal disease, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Open enrollment began Oct. 15 and continues through Dec. 7. As noted in the question, there’s lots of information available at medicare.gov.

Q: We’ve held tickets to Hall & Oates for two years now and, after two COVID-19 postponements, the date is fast approaching (Nov. 13). However, we have not heard anything about masks, vaccination proof, crowd size, etc. from Blaisdell, the promoters, nor the city. Any idea how this show will be handled?

A: You can read Blaisdell Center’s COVID-19 mitigation policy on its website, blaisdellcenter.com. See the patron advisory at the top of the homepage. It says that all indoor events require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry (the test must have been taken within the previous 48 hours); face coverings must be worn and contact information must be provided for contact tracers to follow up if any subsequent COVID-19 cases are reported among concertgoers.

The policy also describes facility improvements to deter COVID- 19 transmission, including the installation of MERV 13 air filters in all indoor venues.

Q: I’ve grown a beard since COVID-19 began. I’m planning a trip to Kona soon. Will TSA let me through or will I have to shave it off to match my driver’s license?

A: The Transportation Security Administration said on its AskTSA Twitter feed in 2019 that “appearance changes such as hair color, hairstyle or facial hair won’t generally pose an issue during the ID check.” However, the agency also encourages people to bring a second form of ID, such as a passport, if their appearance differs greatly from the photo on their main ID. If the beard is the only change in your appearance, you should be fine, but you might want to bring a second form of identification just in case.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.