What do these scenarios have in common?</p><p>February and March 1945: Soldiers return home from the Europe, weary from war, but eager to restart their lives as civilians.</p><p>November and December 2009: People approach a milestone birthday, gleeful in their good health, but deep in denial.</p><p>The answer is the Baby Boom. Once those discharged Nazi fighters with enough points to keep them from being sent to the Pacific arrived home, they promptly began begetting. And now the begot are turning 65.</p><p>Oh, sorry, my bad: Apparently, many of them do not like to be reminded of their age by references to things they associate with seniors, such as making decisions about Medicare and the various insurance plans that fill gaps in its coverage.</p><p> So they avoid acknowledging their age, according to some advocates.</p><p>Take the experiences of Gretchen Wilhelm-McCabe, who sells supplemental insurance to Medicare.</p><p> This isn’t an advertisement, so there’s no need to mention her company. Besides, her insistent tone is more a matter of family influence than career.</p><p> Her dad, who toiled at the Social Security Administration for 35 years, had a habit of dwelling on the dilemma of more recipients versus fewer funds, the same quandary that Medicare faces now.</p><p>I realize this message, coming from someone who is decades away from 65, may offend those at its doorstep.</p><p>But demands on Medicare will increase exponentially soon; Congress seems intent in holding costs down. My choices when I retire may be paltry by comparison to today.</p><p>No avoiding it. As Wilhelm-McCabe says: “Your health is not going to improve the older you get.”</p><p>Yet she consistently runs into people overwhelmed by mailings they let stack up, but don’t read. So they likely will miss the best opportunity to make good choices about Medicare and Medigap insurance.</p><p>The six-month period at one’s 65th birthday, called open enrollment, is crucial.</p><p>During that time, companies can’t refuse to sell you extra coverage, make you wait for coverage to begin, or charge you more because of existing health problems. Miss it, and you might face higher premiums or health screenings for problems that develop later.</p><p>I’m grateful to the Baby Boomers for many new attitudes toward aging: 40 as the new 30, 50 as the new 40, and so on. They can laugh at the black balloons, black cake frosting and morbid jokes.</p><p>But the one thing they cannot change is the march of time.</p><p>So, “Happy Birthday” to everyone turning 65! But, please, act your age in regard to informed choices with Medicare.