The government sent my wife a publication entitled "Medicare & You" about a week ago. It was from the federal department of health and human services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and is called "the Official U.S. Government Medicare Handbook." I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Medicare. The first 110 pages explain the federal Medicare program; it's readable a written for ordinary people. The last 30 or more pages list the resources available to Medicare recipients in Virginia, where we live. It is a state specific handbook.

The Medicare Advantage, the Medicare Supplemental (medi-gap) insurance carriers, the Part D Drug providers, and the PACE programs available in Virginia are all listed. They also list the monthly premiums, the deductibles, and the co-pays under each of the insurance policies or programs. It also provides a number for the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program on the back cover. There is a wealth of information that is not readily available elsewhere.

We've received these handbooks every year for the last 12 years. I have ignored them, because my former employer provides medi-gap insurance.

There is probably one of these handbooks for each state. Give you social security office a call and see what you have to do to get one.