AARP Community Ambassadors Shannon Abell and his wife Kit volunteer some of their time in
retirement to educating other seniors and their caregivers about the changes to Medicare each
year. They visited the Mount Pleasant Lions Club for a “Medicare 101” session in November and
Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church as well.
“Medicare 101” session. (photo by Debbie Adams)
The presentation offered an in-depth look at what’s coming for Medicare beneficiaries in 2026,
including Part D drug plans, Advantage Plans, vaccines, and original Medicare A and B.
Shannon was employed by the Local Office on Aging (LOA) for over 30 years and knows all the
ins and outs of the Medicare system. Medicare recipients have until December 7, 2025, to make
changes to their enrollment plan, as you well know if you have turned on the television in the
past four months.
He devoted a substantial amount of time during his presentation to the topic of vaccines available
to seniors—the flu vaccine (free at a doctor’s office or pharmacy once a year), the COVID 19
Booster (free at pharmacies), and the pneumonia Prevnar 20 and Pneumovax 23 vaccines (also
available at doctor’s offices and pharmacies).
Covered at no cost under Medicare Part D are vaccines for RSV, Shingles, Tetanus, and
Hepatitis A at “preferred pharmacies” and the Measles vaccine.
These are available at no cost due to the “Inflation Reduction Act Benefits for Seniors” which
eliminated cost sharing for vaccines covered by Part D (either your Medicare Supplement Plan or
Medicare Advantage Plan) and limit the cost of insulin to $35/30 day prescription. The Act also
eliminates the 5% catastrophic co-insurance cost, and limits plan premiums to increases of no
more than 6%. The Act sets the maximum at $2100 out-of-pocket expenses for drugs and
negotiates the price of 10 high-cost medications in 2026. That increases to 15 high-cost
medications in 2027.
Abell discussed and answered numerous questions from the audience about Medigap and
Medicare Advantage plans available. He also emphasized the desirability of preventing fraud by
freezing your credit with the three credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. He noted
that when it comes to fraud, “vigilance is our number one weapon.”
He suggested calling the local LOA for assistance in reviewing your current drug plan at 540-
345-0451 before making decisions.
Abell graduated in 1976 from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Finance (an insurance major). He
joined the Local Office on Aging in 1984 and was Director of Senior Services and coordinator of
the (VICAP) Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program and the (SMP) Senior
Medicare Patrol program. He retired from LOA in December 2020 after 37 years of service. He
became a volunteer AARP Community Ambassador and a Community Educator for Virginia
Senior Medicare Patrol in 2021.
