This isn’t your typical October-to-December edition.
You won’t find a lot of end-of-the-year information, though you will find a reminder about the Medicare Open Enrollment period — Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 — in this edition’s Six Things You Need to Know.
It’s your annual opportunity to change your health insurance plan, from Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare, or even to change Medicare Advantage plans.
But before you make any changes — or decide to stay with your current plan — be sure to do your homework. Make sure the doctors and specialists you need and want to see are still covered by your plan. Check the formulary to make sure your medications are still covered, and at what co-pay tier.
Review any additional perks in that Medicare Advantage plan, as they seem to change annually now. And check important points such as hospitalization coverage and emergency room care.
One good thing — if you live in Massachusetts and you choose to swap from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare, you can still purchase the all-important supplemental insurance to make sure your needs are covered, without a penalty or restriction.
Any changes you choose to make in your health insurance will go into effect Jan. 1, 2027. You can compare plans and options online at Medicare.gov or get help by calling 800-MEDICARE. Your local Senior Center may also have help through SHINE.
What you will find in this issue is a bit of an eclectic mix of stories.
The only Northeast stop on 1980s heavy metal band Twisted Sister’s 50th Anniversary Reunion tour — at this year’s Big E — prompted a question in my office. Who knows Twisted Sister? When everyone from our youngest reporters to our country-music-loving 70-plus bookkeeper knew the band’s name, and some of their songs, I knew there was a story to tell.
The result was a conversation with founding guitarist and band manager Jay Jay French about Twisted Sister’s impact on music, how they almost didn’t tour this year, and what it’s like to keep a legendary band alive.
But Prime’s conversation with French wasn’t the only story that’s got a reflective focus. Renowned local author Suzann Strempek Shea just released a memoir reflecting on the lessons she learned as an eight-year-old attending Catholic school in the heavily Polish enclave of Three Rivers, MA. Her latest book, “Compositions,” debuted in her hometown Palmer Public Library on Sept. 1. You’ll find our interview with her in our new feature “A Conversation With...”
In this edition you’ll also find a review of the documents you need for a basic estate plan, a primer on how to keep your bones strong until 80, advice on planning a successful multi-generational gathering this holiday season, and an armchair trip to St. Louis with our travel writer, Sandra Marsian.
Check out our three-month calendar for interesting things to do in the months ahead, and our Six Things for a variety of must-know info. There’s even a heads-up in Six Things about a local scrapbook fundraising event on Nov. 14 for all you scrapbook fans.
However you round out the end of 2026, please make the most of it.
And as always, thanks for reading,