Here are some resources to help you better understand whether a Part D plan is good for you:

Medicare has experts available to answer questions over the phone at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Or you can get information from the agency's Web site, www.medicare.gov.

Pennsylvania offers a free health insurance counseling service called Apprise. Medicare beneficiaries can contact the state Apprise program at 1-800-783-7067 or, in Allegheny County, 412-734-9330.

For information about qualifying for low-income subsidies in the Part D program, contact the Social Security Administration 1-800-772-1213/1-800-325-0778 (TTY) or www.socialsecurity.gov.

For information about how Part D works for those who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare, contact the Pennsylvania Health Law Project at 1-800-274-3258 or www.phlp.org.

The Medicare Rights Center has a hot line for people who have questions about the drug benefit and can help with complaints. Go to www.medicarerights.org or call 1-212-869-3850.

Medicare Access for Patients RX, a coalition that helps beneficiaries with special needs, has launched a Web site with information on the government's drug plan. Go to www.maprx.info.

Medicare Rx Education Network, which was created by public health organizations hoping to help seniors sift through their options, has an informational Web site. Go to www. MedicareRxEducation.org.

The Kaiser Family Foundation, a health-care policy group based in Menlo Park, Calif., offers information about the Medicare drug plan on its Web site. Go to www.kff.org/medicare.

If you have questions about whether the person or business trying to sell you a Part D policy is a licensed insurance professional, you may call the Pennsylvania Insurance Department at 717-787-2317 for confirmation.

If you think someone is misusing your personal information, call the fraud hot line of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services -- Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-447-8477.