In its second year, the town’s Social Service Department’s Medicare Choices program in 2015 saved more than $20,000 in drug insurance costs for 51 seniors who were enrolled, according to the director of social services.
“The basic program is we have people who are trained to help understand Medicare Part D, Medigap and Medicare savings,” said Tony Phillips, director of social services. “We set up a series of talks at different locations to promote awareness. People sign up for individual or group counseling sessions with one of our trained people. They sit down at a computer, plug in their medications into the medicare.gov website with the counselor and review their options.”
Some coverage plans charge more than others, some cover different medications, and some plans cover pharmacies differently, he said.
The sessions were conducted primarily in the library computer room. With fewer volunteers than the in first year, the program helped more people convert their old Medicare part D plan to a new plan, which saved an average of $393 per person, Phillips said.
“There were also a few people who used the program who were new to Medicare, and there was at least one couple that came to a session and then went home and calculated things on their own,” Phillips said.
In some cases, people who have no coverage have signed up and save thousands of dollars in premiums and out-of-pocket costs over a calendar year. “In particular, someone might be paying $1,000 a month out of pocket, they find coverage that can help them and they can save thousands on the year,” Phillips said.
CHOICES, the Connecticut Health Insurance Assistance, Outreach, Information, Counseling and Eligibility Screening program, is designated as the official state health insurance program for Connecticut. It is funded in large part by the centers for Medicare and Medicaid of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The CHOICES program works in cooperation with the Department of Social Services, Elderly Services Division, and the Center for Medicare Advocacy and is administered by the five Area Agencies on Aging, which are private, not-for-profit organizations that serve the needs of older adults or individuals with disabilities.
The nearest agency for Ridgefield is the Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging in Waterbury, wcaaa.org or 800-994-9422.
Counselors provide the information and assistance necessary for consumers to understand their rights, receive benefits to which they are entitled, and make choices about health insurance concerns.
For more information, call Karen Gaudian at 203-431-2754.
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