Margaret Reilly manages the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program.

She says it gets hundreds of Medicare questions at this time of year.

REILLY: "If you use medicines that are costly that land you in the donut hole where you're paying the full price for your medicine, you want to know if you can avoid that."

Reilly says her organization gives free, unbiased information to Medicare beneficiaries from Stockton to Tahoe.

People may ask about switching to managed care, about new health plans in San Joaquin County, or the federal health law.

REILLY: "Certain elderly people are afraid of the Affordable Care Act, or curious. You know, what's going to happen, what did happen. And, one thing I'll say is that, we don't speculate, we only talk about what is."

She says the federal law is closing a coverage gap in prescription drug plans so consumers pay less.

HICAP volunteers answer Medicare questions at counseling sites in nine counties during this open enrollment period and beyond.