It’s that time of year again, when seniors need to review their Medicare Part D coverage and determine which prescription plan is right.

“We encourage people to read the fine print and make sure they get the coverage they deserve,” said Alan Palmer, marketing director for Greenview Regional Hospital. “Don’t just take it at face value … because when you need the service, you may find out it doesn’t cover that.”

Last week, a Walmart/Humana plan took some heat over its claims that it was providing the cheapest plan out there at $14.80 a month.

Some reviewers of the plan were quick to say “you get what you pay for.”

Participants who are unable to visit a Walmart store might have to purchase costly medicines at other pharmacies, costing as much as a 50 percent co-payment.

“We encourage people to be careful when going over the details of a plan,” Palmer said. “If they have a younger family member, they should let them help go over the package and make sure it’s the best one to suit a patient’s needs.”

For patients at Greenview, Palmer said caseworkers are available to help them through the sometimes disconcerting process.

With nearly 60 percent of Greenview patients paying with Medicare, Palmer said the hospital wants to make sure as many people as possible take the time to go through the open enrollment period, which ends Dec. 31.

Community Action of Southern Kentucky is partnering with benefits counselors at Kentucky Legal Aid to help seniors sign up for the program, as well as for the “Extra Benefits” program for income-qualified participants. That extra help can be used to help with co-pays on prescriptions. The groups have various workshops scheduled through the end of the year.

Residents can sign up for prescription coverage when they first become eligible for Medicare (three months before the month of turning 65 until three months after turning 65). Medicare disability patients can join from three months before to three months after the 25th month of cash disability payments. If residents don’t sign up then, signup is now through Dec. 31, the same time period to review current coverage for existing participants.

The following workshops are set:

• Russellville Senior Center, 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Dec. 1.

• Logan County Public Library, 10:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 1.

• Allen County Senior Center, 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 3.

• Edmonson County Public Library, 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 7.

• Adairville Senior Center, 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 8.

• Logan County Public Library, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 8.

• Glasgow Senior Center, 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 14.

• Metcalfe County Senior Center, 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 15.

• Edmonson County Public Library, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 15.

• Butler County Senior Center, 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 17.

• Morgantown Library, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 17.

• Simpson County Senior Center, 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 21.

• Goodnight Memorial Library, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 21.

The Associated Press contributed information for this article.

— For more information about the workshops, call 782-3162 or visit www.casoky.org. For more information about plans, go to http://www.kylawhelp.org/node/1179.