Thursday, November 06, 2008
LOA Area Agency on Aging: Finding a match
Advocates will be available to help senior citizens navigate the Medicare waters.
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Medicare open enrollment season kicks off soon, and for Shannon Abell that means a lot of confused senior citizens.
As director of senior resources for the LOA Area Agency on Aging, Abell counsels senior citizens about Medicare, which provides health insurance coverage to people 65 and older who meet certain criteria.
Since January, Abell has done 24 presentations to senior citizen groups and will be speaking at Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church in Vinton on Nov. 13.
Abell said he tries to explain Medicare in layman's terms. The program became significantly more confusing in January 2006 with the introduction of Medicare C, or Medicare Advantage, and Medicare D, which provides for prescription drug plans, he said.
The government allows people to make a change with their Medicare C and D plans during open enrollment season, which lasts from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. After Jan. 1, they are stuck with their plans.
"Be very careful during this open enrollment season," Abell warned. "There are a lot of slick ads out there, and a lot of seniors fall into their trap."
In 2006, Abell averaged more than a presentation a week, explaining the changes to Medicare C and D.
"Seniors used to not have many choices. But then in 2006, they were thrown all these choices," Abell said.
Abell said senior citizens and caregivers need to remain vigilant, especially with the wide range of plans and the changes that happen with plans annually. This year, for instance, there are 48 plans for Medicare C that are sold by 21 insurance companies.
"That's a lot of options, that's very confusing for a senior to wade through," Abell said.
For instance, a person's doctor may not accept a specific Medicare C plan, Abell said. Making a wrong choice also could cost a senior money with higher co-payments than expected, he said.
During the past two years, LOA employees have spent a lot of time and energy trying to unenroll senior citizens from certain Medicare C plans, Abell said.
He reminds people that there are never free lunches in life. Senior citizens should be wary if they hear of a seminar about Medicare that comes with a free restaurant lunch, Abell said.
LOA employees are also available to counsel seniors about Medicare and prescription drug coverage. Staffers will sit down with people and a list of their medications and help them determine which drug cards would be most beneficial.
Abell said that senior citizens should also be aware of the Low Income Subsidy, a program through the Social Security Administration that is also called Extra Help. The program helps low-income seniors get reduced-cost prescriptions for as little as $3 to $6.
"You could spend a full day going [through] all the information in Medicare," Abell said. "If I can get them information and let them understand it clearly, it's far easier for them to make a proper decision."
