The month of October marks the beginning of spooky season, NBA basketball and most importantly, the start of Medicare Open Enrollment that occurs each year from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.

At this time, those turning 65 or older may have a new item on their to-do list and Vickie Bouffard, a Farmers Insurance agency owner and Medicare health plan advisor wants to break down the facts vs. fiction of Medicare and answer questions that participants may have about enrolling and obtaining federal health insurance benefits.

That’s why on Monday, Sept. 18, Bouffard will host a free presentation at the Fountain Hills Library entitled, “Take Time to MediCARE about Your Health,” and invites the community to join.

A resident of Rio Verde and expert in all things Medicare, Bouffard said she has a lot of empathy for anyone who is 65 and older.

“It can be pretty overwhelming when you look at it,” she said. “It makes you wonder why the government didn’t make it more simple.”

Bouffard describes Medicare as a network of computers; some old, some new, all joined together to make a product that works but is pretty clunky.

“You got new products, new rules, old rules…it just kind of makes your head spin. So hopefully I can simplify it and make it easy and digestible,” she added.

In her upcoming presentation, Bouffard explains the various parts of Medicare and the differences between Medicare supplement plans, Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug plans. She’ll discuss eligibility requirements and more nuanced items like requirements for those who move to Arizona from different states.

She will cover how to enroll, where to enroll and where to find reliable resources on the web. For anything not covered during the hour-long presentation, Bouffard invites those looking for more information to visit her weekly help-desk Zoom webinar.

“Anybody that’s turning 65 will be interested because they’re going to have to make some decisions soon to avoid some penalties,” Bouffard said.

“Take Time to MediCARE about Your Health,” is on Monday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. in the library conference room. Registration is on the events page at mcldaz.org/fountain-hills/. For participants who cannot make this event, don’t fret. Bouffard plans to host the same presentation two more times at the Fountain Hills Library on Oct. 17 and Nov. 13.

“This is a good place to come and get answers,” Bouffard said. “If I don’t know the answer, I will get answers.”

Bouffard hosts her weekly webinar beginning Tuesday, Sept 26, at 2 p.m., and will continue every Tuesday through Nov. 21. For more information about Vickie Bouffard or to get a link to her weekly webinar, call 602-922-3501 or send an email to vickie@rioverdehealthinsurance.com.

The Fountain Hills Library is located at 12901 N. La Montana Dr. It is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and closes at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit mcldaz.org/fountain-hills/.