Questions are answered by experts at OHA, other state agencies or community partners.
Q: As you know, Summit is no longer providing Medicare Advantage coverage for Umatilla County Medicare residents. I'm having difficulty finding an alternative plan. Which insurance companies offer Medicare Advantage or Supplement coverage to Umatilla County residents please? – Cynthia, Milton-Freewater
A: Cynthia, this is a perfect job for SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance), and you should call your local Umatilla County SHIBA office at 541-667-3509 for free, personalized and unbiased counseling.
Since there is no Medicare Advantage Plan option in your county, a SHIBA counselor can discuss with you other options, such as a supplemental (Medigap) plan. Normally, it is not advised to purchase a Medigap plan during Medicare open enrollment, because you would likely be subject to “medical underwriting” (a fancy term for examining your medical records for preexisting conditions, which could limit your benefits, increase the cost of the plan or disqualify you altogether). However, because Summit pulled out of your county, leaving you with no Advantage Plan options, this means you have a special opportunity to purchase a Medigap policy without worrying about the medical underwriting process.
Outside of such special opportunities (including the loss of Oregon Health Plan), the most common time to purchase a Medigap policy without being subject to medical underwriting is within 63 days of the start of your Original Medicare benefits. Learn more about Medigap policies and rules here.
Q: I’ve had both Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines and boosters. All have made me ill enough to stay in bed for 24 hours afterward. Will that ever change if I continue? – Gayle, Happy Valley
A: Gayle, we recommend you continue to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you are not up to date. Side effects such as soreness where the shot is given, fatigue, and malaise are common and usually short-lived. It sounds like yours were a bit worse than most. Unfortunately, we can’t predict whether your reaction to the next shot will be similarly severe. On the positive side, your symptoms indicate that your immune system is responding so as to fight the virus if and when you encounter it again.
You may find this article informative, published by the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) in Boston: It’s Good to Feel Bad After Your COVID Shot.
Have you considered trying the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine? It will protect you against severe illness as well as the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines do, and you may respond differently to its non-mRNA technology. That said, we cannot promise you won’t respond similarly to the Novavax vaccine, nor can we promise it won’t be worse.
If you have questions about health topics in Oregon, submit your question here. Although we are unable to answer every question, we try to address those of interest to a broad audience. Please understand that we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.
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