The fact that private insurers contracting to run alternative health plans have begun to clip their offerings means, thousands of Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas seniors will be forced to choose new Medicare coverage next year.

The 2-million or so Pennsylvanians qualifying for Medicare are currently covered by the traditional plan, however, about 661,000 of them are now covered through so-called Medicare Advantage plans i.e. privately run programmes offering more benefits and lower co-pays than the government plan, even while they come with more restrictions.

According to a spokeswoman for the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Service's regional office, almost 53,000 are now covered by Medicare Advantage plans, which will not be offered by 2010.

Enrollments for Medicare prescription drug and health coverage are scheduled to begin Sunday, running through end-year. As a general rule, it is around this time of year that Medicare beneficiaries are typically urged to shop around for more cost-effective plans or those that offer better services.

Seniors will receive help from local agencies for navigating through various Medicare offerings and who are bound to be swamped with questions, as insurers cut plans.

Meanwhile, most Medicare beneficiaries will see an increase in cost of services next year, with the average monthly premium for standard prescription drug coverage rising from $28 to $30, with other cost increases varying widely by plan.