COLUMN: How to shop for Medicare coverage during open enrollment

You’ve heard people say it, and you’ve undoubtedly said it yourself. Given a lot of choices, we might say, “iIt’s almost like Christmas!”

Medicare open enrollment might be a bit like that, with dozens of options for how Medicare beneficiaries may insure themselves for medical and prescription drug costs.

You could accuse this column of “getting into the weeds,” so let’s break it down into bite-sized pieces from which you may pick and choose.

Open enrollment’s what and when : Known officially as the annual election period, this is the time that a Medicare beneficiary may review Medicare Advantage and prescription drug insurance plans against what they already have. Open enrollment runs each year from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. If one enrolls in new insurance during that time, the new cover