Medicare Plans and Help in Georgetown, TX

Georgetown has a hospital close to home. St. David's Georgetown Hospital on Scenic Drive runs a 24-hour emergency room with a Level IV Trauma Center. It is a certified stroke center, with intensive care, robot-assisted surgery, joint replacement and inpatient rehab on the same campus. For a Level II trauma center or heart surgery, the Round Rock hospitals sit a short trip south. Baylor Scott & White Urgent Care+ on North Austin Avenue takes walk-ins seven days a week, with X-rays and lab tests on site.

Sun City Texas is a large 55+ community. Del Webb opened this 55+ community in 1996, and it has grown to thousands of homes on the northwest side of town, off Williams Drive. If you live there and see a specialist in Round Rock or Austin, your plan has to cover both places. A Medicare Advantage HMO usually keeps you inside one network, except for emergencies. A Medicare Supplement works another way. Plan G or Plan N lets you see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, with no referrals. You pay a monthly premium for that freedom. Most Advantage plans include Part D. With a Supplement, you buy a separate Part D plan, so check that your drugs and pharmacy are on its list.

Getting to appointments takes some planning. GoGeo Limited Paratransit gives curb-to-curb rides inside Georgetown, run by CARTS. Georgetown residents 65 and older can sign up by phone, with no disability screening. Rides cost $2 each way and run weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Book by 4 p.m. the day before at 512-478-7433. For trips to Austin, the CARTS Interurban bus runs between Georgetown and Austin.

Local help is close by. Georgetown Parks and Recreation runs programs for adults 55 and older, from fitness and tech classes to day travel. Call the senior program office at 512-930-1367. The Georgetown Public Library is at 402 W. 8th St. Opportunities for Williamson and Burnet Counties runs Meals on Wheels from 604 High Tech Drive. Call 512-763-1400. For free one-on-one Medicare counseling, call the Area Agency on Aging of the Capital Area at 512-916-6178, or the Texas HICAP line at 1-800-252-9240.

Want a second set of eyes on your coverage? Call us for a free plan review. We check your doctors, your drugs and your budget against the plans we offer in Georgetown, all over the phone. Annual Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. That is the time to recheck whether your doctors stay in network next year.

Next steps: compare Medicare Advantage with Medicare Supplement plans, check your Part D drug costs, or map your turning-65 timeline.