Medicare's annual open enrollment period ends Dec. 7, so if you're one of the 2.8 million Pennsylvanians eligible for Medicare, decisions need to be made now for the coming year.

Joanne Grossi, Pennsylvania state president emeritus for AARP, stressed it is important for anyone on Medicare to review their coverage options, and make sure their plan still meets their health care needs, because the coverage can change from year to year.

She added picking a plan can be complicated, but help is available.

"So please know that here in Pennsylvania, there's an organization called PA MEDI that's funded by the federal government," Grossi pointed out. "It's free counseling available to you. And these counselors will go over all the different Medicare options available, and help you make the choice that's best for you."

Many insurers offer Medicare Advantage plans, which typically cost more than the basic Medicare supplement plan because of their added benefits. People who enroll in Medicare choose a supplement or an Advantage plan to help cover the expenses Medicare does not cover. Grossi added some of the Medicare Advantage plans include vision, hearing, and dental coverage, plus meals and caregiving services if needed.

Grossi noted Medicare will soon be able to negotiate some prices with drug companies, as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to lower prescription costs for people on Medicare and reduce federal spending.

"What's really important for anybody on Medicare to know is that they won't be paying more than $35 a month for insulin if they're taking it," Grossi emphasized. "Also, what happens starting in 2023, is drug companies get penalized if they increase the price of drugs faster than the rate of inflation."

She added the $35 monthly insulin price begins in 2023 and will be in place even if a person has met not their Medicare deductible. She noted every Medicare plan includes Part A for hospitalization and Part B for doctor's visits. If drug coverage isn't included, there are separate plans, known as Part D, to cover prescriptions.

Family caregivers provide valuable work to Washington state - even if they don't get paid. A new report puts a value to the unpaid work they do.

In 2021, the state had 820,000 family caregivers, according to a new AARP analysis. They provided an estimated $16.8 billion in economic value that year.

Cathy MacCaul, advocacy director for AARP Washington, said this report quantifies how important family caregivers are to the state.

"It really calls out and sings the praises of an unrecognized workforce that is so pivotal to our overall long-term care system," she said.

The report found that the value of that care provided to family members increased by $4.8 billion between 2019 and 2021 in Washington state.

Dana Allard-Webb manages Washington's Family Caregiver Support program, which offers services to help caregivers with their duties and to cope with the stress of the job, such as through respite care. She said it's hard for many to ask for help, but support from the program can be good for everyone involved.

"The calmer, more mentally and physically healthy a caregiver is, and the more educated they are," she said, "the better they're going to be able to care for that care receiver, and they'll be able to hopefully care for them longer."

According to the report, people age 65 and up will outnumber those younger than age 18 by 2034. MacCaul said it's important for policymakers to recognize the state's population is aging rapidly.

"There's really no way," she said, "that Washington state or the federal government would be able to compensate people or provide this level of care that unpaid family caregivers currently provide."

Every Missourian knows property values and property taxes have risen dramatically in the past 15 years, as well as the cost of rent.

State lawmakers are now looking at increasing what's known as the "circuit breaker" as well. The Missouri Property Tax Credit has not changed since 2008. It was designed to help low-income seniors and Missourians with disabilities, both homeowners and renters, stay in their homes longer.

House Bill 1351 would raise both the amount of tax credit and the income eligibility limit.

Juli Jordan, director of marketing and community engagement/wellness for the SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging, says the update is long overdue.

"The very people that this credit was designed for are being left out now, with inflation and rates going up; housing rates and renters' rates going up," Jordan contended. "It's leaving out those people who need it the most."

The maximum tax credit has been $750 for renters and $1,100 for homeowners since 2008. The bill would raise the maximum tax credit for renters to $1,055, and for homeowners to $1,550 in 2024, and includes an annual adjustment based on inflation. The income eligibility level would also increase and be adjusted annually based on inflation.

Jordan noted in 2021, the average credit was $602, and only Missourians earning less than $14,300 a year qualified for the full credit. She pointed to the challenges many seniors and people living with disabilities are facing, especially in light of inflation.

"Some seniors, they have to decide, 'Can I buy groceries, or am I going to pay my utility bill?' " Jordan observed. "Or even having to decide, 'Can I get my life-altering medications this month?' "

Jordan stressed increasing the "circuit breaker" limits would not impact the amount of tax money available for schools or other tax-dependent services. The bill is not currently on the Missouri House legislative calendar. It was introduced by Rep. Marlene Terry, D-St. Louis County.

Many Nebraskans know how crucial a family caregiver is to one of their family members. Now AARP research has put a dollar value on that unpaid care - $2.8 billion dollars in 2021. Nearly 180,000 Nebraskans provided family caregiving that year. The organization has calculated the value on a state-by-state basis in the latest report of their "Valuing the Invaluable" series.

Todd Stubbendieck AARP Nebraska director said these caregivers are often making it possible for their family members to "age in place."

"Because without the support of those family caregivers, many people would be forced to go into a long-term care or an assisted-living situation," he said. "In addition, not being able to live more independently - which we know is what people want - many of the costs of that care would then get shifted to taxpayers. "

Stubbendieck added it is important for Nebraska family caregivers to learn about the support programs available to them, including the statewide Aging and Disability Resource Center. Since 2021, Nebraskans who leave work to care for a family member are eligible to collect unemployment insurance if they meet certain requirements.

This session, state Senator Machaela Cavanaugh (D-Omaha) introduced The Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act, LB-57, which would provide paid leave to Nebraskans who must leave work to care for themselves or a family member.

Stubbendieck said often people do not consider themselves a family caregiver.

"They're supporting a grandparent or a parent or even a child because that's what we do. And because they don't know that they are a family caregiver, sometimes they don't access the support and help they need," he said.

AARP estimates the value of family caregivers nationwide in 2021 was more than $600-billion dollars - up more than $200 billion in just five years.

The report's recommendations include implementing more of the 350 actions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.

It also highlights the need to strengthen the Family Medical Leave Act and make sick leave more widely available for workers who need to take family members to medical appointments and procedures.