by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Time is running out for seniors to switch Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and lock in a lower premium, which is available to nearly all plan subscribers.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has revealed that 99.06 percent of people on Medicare Prescription Drug Plans are eligible to switch plans and secure a lower premium in 2009. Time is running out, though. Open enrollment is available through Dec. 31.
“Now is the time for seniors to review their plans with their doctors to see if it still suits their needs,” said Clayton Vandiver, regional Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders (SHINE) Liaison. “They may need different drugs next year that aren’t on their current plan, so they need to check with their doctors to find out the best plan.”
Evaluating the plans can be difficult for seniors because all 54 plans are listed on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov.
“The problem is some seniors don’t use computers,” said Joe Meux, SHINE Coordinator for Duval County. “SHINE helps by providing a volunteer that will answer questions, take a caller’s information and going through plans on the Internet with them to find the best options.”
Meux, 80, has filled his life with service to a variety of large groups. He has been in Tallahassee and other areas of Florida for 50 years, recently receiving his 50-year pin in Florida. He has continued to practice law through his “retirement” by working with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid on elder care issues and “whatever needs to be done.”
He has been an advocate for elder care since 1991 after attending a Mandarin Rotary Club breakfast meeting. A female legislator was the guest speaker and she spoke about elder care issues. Meux asked how he could volunteer and was told about a program that, later, became SHINE in 1992.
“We do a lot of outreach,” said Meux. “We send people to health fairs and visit senior centers and retirement communities.”
After nearly 20 years of helping the senior community, Meux has found that one thing has remained constant during his involvement.”The service we provide is free, but we have a hard time convincing seniors of that,” said Meux with a chuckle. “They don’t believe anything is free.”
SHINE is a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for Florida and its mission is “to provide free and unbiased health insurance counseling through a dedicated network of volunteers, empowering Florida seniors to make informed health care choices.”
Counseling services include: Medicare eligibility, enrollment and coverage issues; Medicare health plan choices; Medicare appeal rights; Medigap policies; long-term care options; prescription assistance resources and Medicaid (for dual eligibles).
The counseling is available for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and their caregivers.
“It’s a very good program,” said Meux. “I’m sure there are a lot more people we could help out there that don’t know about us.”
For more information on SHINE call 391-6699 or (888) 242-4464.
356-2466