Op-Ed | By David Laguerre
As a Black man in my mid-sixties, I want a health insurance choice explained in words I can use. What will it cost? Can I keep seeing the doctor I trust? What happens when I need a prescription? Those questions deserve patient answers, whether the person asking has a college degree, a full-time job or neither.
Medicare open enrollment is underway. For me, the most important message this season is that asking for help should be ordinary. A system serving older people ought to make room for careful questions, a second look and a conversation that lasts longer than a sales pitch.
The deadline is real, but rushing is not a strategy
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says the current enrollment window runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. People with Medicare can review their coverage and compare options for 2027. CMS also says people keeping their current coverage generally do not have to enroll again.
That last point matters. Reviewing a plan does not mean everyone needs to change it. I would rather see someone make a well-informed decision to stay than switch because an advertisement made staying sound foolish.
Under Medicare’s enrollment rules, this fall window allows eligible people to change Medicare Advantage or prescription drug coverage, including certain moves between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare. Changes generally begin January 1 when the plan receives the request by December 7.
A Queens study puts the information problem in focus
A 2026 study in The Gerontologist by Wiljanda Boatwright examined first-time Black Medicare beneficiaries in Southeast Queens. The publisher dates its accepted manuscript September 2. This was a community-based study, not a national survey.
Of 93 people surveyed, more than half had low scores on a Medicare knowledge measure. Fewer than half felt confident comparing plans, understanding coverage differences and estimating costs they would have to pay themselves. Most received help with their enrollment choices.
The research also included focus groups and interviews with 16 community navigators and enrollment professionals. It identified problems with information overload, insurance language, digital tools and understanding costs. Trusted people and community support mattered.
The small, local sample cannot tell us what every Black older adult knows. It does not measure Utica’s experience. But it provides a reason to examine how information reaches people, rather than placing all responsibility on the person trying to understand it.
Respect starts with a useful explanation
I do not want a reader to hear the words “low literacy” and mistake them for a judgment about intelligence. Insurance has its own language. People can manage a household, do demanding work and make sound decisions without knowing what every insurance term means.
My standard is simple: After an explanation, can the person describe the choice and its consequences? If the answer is no, I want the explanation improved. Repeating the same sentence more loudly will not help. Neither will handing someone another stack of pages and calling the job finished.
This is especially important when the topic is Black health. We should be able to discuss barriers without treating Black people as one group with identical needs. Some people want a website. Others want a telephone call, printed pages or a face-to-face appointment. Good service should make those choices possible.
Begin with the coverage you actually use
Medicare’s Annual Notice of Change guidance says a plan sends this notice each fall, generally in September. It describes changes taking effect in January. If the notice has not arrived, contact the plan.
I would put that document next to a short list of questions. Will next year’s plan meet the needs that matter to me? Which costs are changing? What do I still need someone to explain?
Medicare’s plan-comparison guidance recommends checking prescription coverage, asking doctors and pharmacies about network participation, and comparing premiums, deductibles and estimated yearly drug costs. It also advises people with other insurance to speak with their benefits administrator before making changes.
A monthly premium is only part of the conversation. I want the explanation tied to the care a person expects to use, not just the number printed largest on the page. Nobody should feel embarrassed about asking the same question twice.
Oneida County has a place to start
Oneida County’s Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program, or HIICAP, offers free information and confidential counseling for Medicare beneficiaries and their families. The county lists 315-798-5456 for appointments and questions.
Its page also lists appointment-only counseling at the North Utica Senior Citizens Community Center and the Copper City Community Center in Rome. Call first to confirm the location, available times and what to bring. The service can help explain benefits and coverage and assist with problems such as bills and appeals.
For readers elsewhere in New York, the state HIICAP number is 800-701-0501. A trusted local starting point can make a large task feel manageable.
New to Medicare? Ask about your own enrollment period
There is another distinction worth making clear. The fall plan-review season is not the same as a person’s first chance to enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B.
CMS explains that the usual initial enrollment period around age 65 lasts seven months: three months before the birthday month, the birthday month and three months afterward. Some people qualify earlier, and employment coverage or other circumstances can affect enrollment rules. Missing an applicable deadline can lead to a penalty.
That is a reason to get individual help, not to panic. A column cannot decide which enrollment rule applies to a reader. A qualified counselor can help sort out the facts before a decision is made.
What I want our community to make normal
I would like every community organization serving older adults to keep a current counseling number where people can find it. A church bulletin, a library desk or a neighborhood center can offer a useful starting point without endorsing an insurance company.
I would also like to see more quiet space for questions. A person should be able to discuss a confusing letter without announcing private health information to a room. If a relative or friend helps, the older adult should remain part of the decision, with their preferences heard and their privacy respected.
We can judge our effort by whether people leave with clear next steps. Did they learn whom to call? Do they know which document to review? Can they explain the choice in their own words? Those are practical goals, and they are within reach.
I want growing older in the Mohawk Valley to come with reliable information and respect. During this enrollment season, making trusted help easier to find would be a good place to show both.
This is an opinion column, not an endorsement of an insurance plan or individual medical, insurance or financial advice. Confirm your circumstances with Medicare or a trained counselor. Featured image: fictional people in a symbolic counseling scene, not David Laguerre or actual beneficiaries. AI-generated illustration by OpenAI for the Utica Phoenix.
