Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 26, 2022 THE SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 13 because of the fires.” We’ll keep you posted on whether the event can be rescheduled this year and related details. This event is proudly cosponsored by the nonprofit, all-volunteer Friends of Breakheart Reservation and the state Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR). We have a winner! Congratulations to Linda Pogson for making the right identification in last week’s “Guess Who Got Sketched!” contest. Linda was one of several readers answering correctly, but she was the only one to have her name picked in a drawing from the green Boston Red Sox cap. Here’s the correct answer, offered by the person who goes by the name of The Sketch Artist: “This sketch of the week was a tough sketch to complete without giving into cravings of ice cream and frozen yogurts! Five pounds later… “The sketch is of the generous Ms. Sharon Cacciola “Sharon and her husband Paul and son Stephen became owners of Soc’s Ice-cream in 2014. “Stephen, their son, is an experienced ice cream maker. “The Cacciola’s kept the Soc’s name, which was named after the previous owner Socrates. “Soc’s hand crafts and churns out ice cream daily. Soc’s ice cream has a delicious unique creamy, yet thick texture. Soc’s was recognized for being one of the distinguished ice cream places in Massachusetts by WBZ Boston! “The Cacciolas’ Soc’s ice cream was featured in The Saugus Advocate Aug. 5 edition, Front cover “A Great Saugus Scoop” & “Here’s the Real Scoop” article & photos by Mark E. Vogler & page 10; and Savvy Senior BY JIM MILLER What is an Annual Notice of Change? Dear Savvy Senior, Last year I received a “notice of change” letter from my Medicare provider. Should I expect another one this year, and what should I do with it? Medicare Rookie Dear Rookie, The letter you’re asking about is actually referred to as the Annual Notice of Change (or ANOC), which is a letter you receive from your Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan in late September. (People with only a Medigap plan don’t receive these because Medigap plans do not have benefit changes from year to year). So yes, you should expect to receive another letter next month. The ANOC gives a summary of any changes in your plan’s costs and coverage that will take effect Jan. 1 of the next year. The ANOC is typically mailed with the plan’s “evidence of coverage,” which is a more comprehensive list of the plan’s costs and benefits for the upcoming year. You should review these notices to see if your plan will continue to meet your health care needs in 2023. If you are dissatisfied with any upcoming changes, you can make changes to your coverage during fall open enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. Here are three types of changes to look for: Costs: If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, find out what you can expect to pay for services in 2023. Costs such as deductibles and copayments can change each year. For example, your plan may not have had a deductible in 2022, but it could have one in 2023. A deductible is the amount of money you owe out-of-pocket before your plan begins to cover your care. Another example is that your plan may increase the copayments you owe for visits to your primary care provider or specialists. Coverage: If you have an Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage check to see if your doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers and pharmacies will still be in network for 2023. You have the lowest out-of-pocket costs if you go to providers and pharmacies that are in your plan’s network. If you see an outof-network provider, your plan may not cover any of the cost of your care, leaving you to pay the cost outof-pocket. You should also contact your providers directly to confirm that they will still be accepting your plan in the coming year. Drugs: If you have prescription drug coverage, look through the plan’s formulary, which is the list of drugs the plan covers. Formulary changes can happen from year to year, so make sure the medications you’re taking will be covered next year, and that they’re not moved to a higher tier which will affect your copay. If you see any changes that will increase your costs, you may want to select a different drug plan that covers all of your medications. If the formulary is incomplete, or you do not see your drug(s) on the list, contact the plan directly to learn more. If you have not received an ANOC by the end of September, you should contact your Medicare Advantage Plan or Part D plan to request it. This notice can be very helpful in determining whether you should make any changes to your coverage during the fall open enrollment. Reading your ANOC can also prevent any surprises about your coverage in the new year. Shopping, comparing and enrolling in a new Medicare Advantage or Part D plan during the open enrollment period can easily be done online at Medicare’s Plan Finder Tool at Medicare.gov/ find-a-plan. Or, if you don’t have a computer or Internet access, you can also call Medicare at 800-633-4227 and they can help you out over the phone. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which provides free Medicare counseling, is also a great resource to help you make any changes. To find a local SHIP counselor, visit ShipHelp.org or call 877839-2675. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Aug.12 edition, pg 8 “A Delicious Day” by Mark E. Vogler. “Sharon provided Saugus Youth and Recreation Dept. Summer Camp children and staff with over 100 ice creams and toppings at the outdoor pavilion at the World Series Park hosted by WBZ Boston! Sharon’s Ice Cream palace Soc’s includes many flavors of ice cream; soft and hard styles as well as slushes, sundaes and other sweet & non sweet treats. Sharon found an old ice-cream cart and restored it to a Soc’s lovely old fashioned Ice-cream cart. “Soc’s is a wonderful relaxing place for an ice cream! It’s a place you see many friends and families gather! Soc’s is located at 67 Lynn Fells Parkway. They are open every day from Noon to 10 p.m. 1-781233-0009. On their website you can sign up on “Soc’s “get the scoop stay in the loop” email. “Soc’s patio is lit for a pleasurable evening nested right up against nature! Sitting out back amidst views of nature, birds and crickets chirp filling the air with a euphony of surround sound. “Back in June at Soc’s, a friend and I enjoyed a visit from a little brown baby rabbit who stayed close by my side till he scampered off into the brush. Such an enjoyable place and fabulous tasting ice creams! “Keep creating fabulous slurrys for wonderful tasting ice cream flavors! What amazing artistic decor & talent! “Thank you “P.S. At Soc’s, it’s a misty Monday night 7:45 p.m. and a friend and I stood in line to get a kiddie coffee ice cream cone to enjoy and view the outdoor patio cafe; Rejoicing it’s raining to ease the efforts of the firefighters at Breakheart! “Yours Truly, “The Sketch Artist” A Shout Out to firefighters We didn’t receive any nominations from readers this week on folks who should be recognized publicly for contributions to the betterment of Saugus, good deeds or heroic acts. So, as I usually do when I don’t receive reader nominations for “Shout Outs,” I will recommend some worthy candidates to shower with praise. And this week is easy. How about a thousand “Shout Outs!” for the men and women who stepped up – as paid firefighters and volunteers – for pitching in to help out as firefighters battled the fires at Breakheart Reservation. Many of these firefighters are in harm’s way, along with folks from various agencies that are working alongside them. “Shout Outs” for any citizen volunteers and local officials for their good deeds to provide backup support, whether it be food, water and/or provisional supplies, to the folks out there who have been battling the fires over the past week. Shout Outs to the men and women from fire departments in surrounding communities who contributed in the way of mutual aid to Saugus, covering the Central Fire Station and responding to fires and emergencies while Saugus firefighters have been at Breakheart. Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Summer Concert Series concludes Wednesday The National Park Service and Saugus Public Library have been cosponsoring a free Summer Concert Series that concludes next Wednesday (Aug. 31) at 6 p.m. with the final performance of the season at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, which is located at 244 Central St. in Saugus. Decades of Rock Band – which features Classic Rock of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s – was supposed to perform on Aug. 17 but was forced to reschedule because of bad weather. Come to the park and enjoy Marina & Bernardo: Acoustic Folk. The concert will be held outdoors, weather permitting (see SaugusPublicLibrary.org for updates/cancellations). Bring your own chair or blanket. Picnics welcome! Enjoy the grand finale of what has been a successful outdoor concert season “in the park.” “Zoom” Book Study The Rev. John Beach of St. John’s Episcopal Church wants to get the word out to Saugonians who might be interested in participating in a THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 15
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