TARCOG advises during Open Enrollment for Social Security from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7
MADISON – Medicare Open Enrollment officially begins on Oct. 15 and continues through Dec. 7. TARCOG and regional Councils on Aging will serve as a trusted resource for counseling and support to help older adults make informed choices about their 2027 coverage.
TARCOG abbreviates “Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments.”
TARCOG’s office in Huntsville recently hosted 21 counselors from around the region for training and certification with the Alabama State Health Insurance Assistance Program or SHIP. This training certified all participants and prepared them to assist during Open Enrollment.
Social Security recipients in Madison County can receive advice from SHIP Resource Coordinator Teresa Hazzard at TARCOG. TARCOG serves as a trusted resource for counseling and support to help senior citizens make an informed choice about coverage.
This year, 2,672 people in northeast Alabama collectively have been saving more than $1.5 million throughout 2026, thanks to SHIP. The Area Agency on Aging group with TARCOG administers this service.
Hazzard said the Open Enrollment ‘season’ for 2026 will occur from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. SHIP counselors and volunteers in DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison and Marshall counties are dedicated to helping participants navigate the world of health insurance benefits, which is often confusing.
The changes that a person completes during Open Enrollment are effective Jan. 1 of the following year with one requirement – the individual must file the enrollment request by Dec. 7.
An important point about the Alabama SHIP program through TARCOG: counselors are not affiliated with an insurance company and will not attempt to sell insurance to Medicare beneficiaries. This procedure differs from companies that use TV commercials featuring celebrities who urge consumers to call in for a policy.
Michelle Gilliam Jordan, Executive Director of TARCOG, said SHIP is an important program because change is inevitable in people’s lives. Having an objective advocate to review plans and find the most cost-efficient coverage for needed medications can make a difference in household budgets.
Hazzard said many plans are always out there, and the plans all offer different coverage. Each company’s plan usually changes each year, and checking prescription coverage every year is important for individuals because SHIP counselors in the region can compare a client’s medication list with the different plans and find the most cost-effective option to share with the client.
“These days, we know every penny counts,” Hazzard said. “So being able to help people find plans that are within their budgets is important.”
Accessing help is easy. SHIP provides free, confidential and objective information about Medicare, health insurance and low-income resources for senior citizens. To schedule an appointment, call Teresa Hazzard with TARCOG for Madison County at 256-830-0818.
Other contacts are Veronica Woodall, Jackson County Council on Aging, 256-259-9911; Lynn Hixon, DeKalb County Council on Aging, 256-845-8590, Ext. 2; Tammy McElroy or Sandy Bishop, Marshall County Council Aging, 256-571-7805; and Carla Sims, Limestone County Council on Aging, at 256-233-6412.
For more information, visit tarcog.us.
