Medicare 2026

Medicare Help in Ewa Beach: SHIP and Local Agencies

If you live in Ewa Beach and feel stuck on Medicare, you are not alone. Between mailers, TV ads, and phone calls, it can be hard to know who is actually looking out for you. The good news: there are places right here in Hawaii where you can get honest, one-on-one help — often at no cost.

Start with Hawaii SHIP (your unbiased option)

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program — known as SHIP — is a federally funded program that gives free Medicare counseling. Counselors do not sell insurance and do not earn commissions. Their only job is to help you understand your choices.

In Hawaii, SHIP is called Hawaii SHIP and is run through the Executive Office on Aging. Ewa Beach residents can call the statewide line at 1-888-875-9229 to be connected with a trained counselor. Counselors can help you:

• Understand Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Part D
• Compare plans available in Honolulu County
• Review your prescription costs
• Check if you qualify for programs that help pay premiums or drug costs
• Sort out billing or coverage problems

Because SHIP is not tied to any insurance company, you can ask questions without feeling pressured.

When a licensed agent makes sense

Licensed agents and brokers can also walk you through your options, and many are helpful and knowledgeable. The key difference: agents are paid by insurance companies when you enroll. That does not make them bad — but it does mean you should ask a few questions before you sit down:

• Which carriers are you contracted with? (Some only sell for one company.)
• Will you show me every plan available in my area, or only the ones you sell?
• How are you paid?
• Will you be my point of contact after I enroll?

A good agent will answer all of these plainly. If someone pushes you to sign the same day or will not put things in writing, walk away.

What's available around Ewa Beach

Ewa Beach is in Honolulu County, where 26 Medicare Advantage plans are offered for 2027 through 7 carriers — 21 continuing, 5 new, 4 not returning, and 3 renamed, with 10 continuing plans changing something in their terms (check your ANOC). Hawaii has 8 stand-alone Part D plans for 2027, sold statewide, and anyone in Honolulu County with Original Medicare can join one of them — though much of the Part D coverage here comes bundled inside Medicare Advantage plans (MA-PD). A SHIP counselor or licensed agent can explain how that affects your choices, especially if you want to keep Original Medicare.

With about 195,878 people age 65 and older on Oahu, demand for help during enrollment season is high. Book early.

Key numbers to know for 2027

Whether you talk to SHIP or an agent, these program-wide figures apply to everyone:

• $2,400 — the annual out-of-pocket cap on Part D drug costs in 2027
• $700 — the maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge in 2027
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025; Part D now has three phases
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly payments
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D start above $109,000 in income for single filers in 2026

Important dates

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Annual Enrollment Period. Switch, join, or drop Medicare Advantage or Part D plans.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch once or return to Original Medicare.

Missing these windows can lock you out until the next year, so mark your calendar.

Other trusted resources

• medicare.gov — the official site to compare plans in your ZIP code
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — 24/7 help from Medicare directly
• Hawaii SHIP: 1-888-875-9229 — free local counseling
• Social Security Administration — for enrolling in Medicare and questions about premiums