Medicare shifts may daunt seniors
Wednesday, March 9, 2005 7:34 AM PST
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articleChanges in Medicare benefits are so sweeping and confusing that seniors are going to need all the help they can get deciphering them, a state worker said Tuesday.
"A lot of seniors are going to experience grief and anxiety and other mental health problems as they struggle to cope with all of the changes," Tim Smolen, with the state insurance commissioner's office, told an audience seniors and advocates in Longview Tuesday.
Smolen spoke at the conference center at the Cowlitz County fairgrounds, in a session organized by the Lower Columbia Community Action Council.
His most frequent response to questions? "It depends."
The changes are part of Congress' 2003 Medicare Modernization Act, designed to save money and make Medicare more like private insurance. Medicare is a federal health insurance program for the elderly and the disabled.
Low-income seniors have until the end of March to receive a $600 credit by enrolling in the Medicare discount prescription card program. Other seniors may purchase the discount card for coupon-like savings, but they need to determine whether the savings will outweigh the cost, Smolen said.
The prescription drug card program ends in January. It will be replaced with an overhaul of the Medicare system. Programs, options and benefits vary depending on income, prescription needs and other factors.
The key, Smolen said, is to get as much information as possible. One good source of advice, Smolen said, is the state's Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors programs.
The local prescription assistance number is 425-3430, ext. 305. The statewide helpline, 1-800-562-6900, also can direct callers to a local volunteer. You can e-mail the helpline at gianan@oic.wa.gov.
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