Home Assistance Program, a YS Gem

There are over 700 people over the age of 65 in Yellow Springs who are Medicare beneficiaries, and more living in Miami Township. Since I am about to join their ranks this September, I called the Yellow Springs Home Assistance Program (HAP) and asked for an appointment. In addition to making visits to the home bound, HAP provides a range of social services to seniors. One of them is guiding them through the maze that is Medicare Part A, B, supplemental insurance, and the prescription drug plans.

Program Coordinator Amy Crawford and Assistant Coordinator Caroline Mullin, have undergone hundreds of hours of training on their way to becoming experts on Medicare. My appointment in the tiny office at the Senior Center, yesterday afternoon, was with Caroline. I had my copy of "Medicare & You, 2009," a big, fat publication from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in hand, and a long list of questions. There wasn't one question she could not answer. She also provided me with another publication, a Medicare guide from the State of Ohio that goes more into the specifics of the various plans. When I left, I felt I finally had a handle on this Medicare business.

Here's a for instance: In the big, fat book, it said I should receive my Medicare Card about three months before the month of my eligibility. To the best of my knowledge, I never received it. Caroline doubted that I would ever have gotten the big, fat book unless they had first sent me the card. The envelope it comes in looks like junk mail, she warned. Unfortunately, I am very bad about not opening mailings that look even remotely like junk mail. I have received too many official looking yellow envelopes that say "Important - Open Immediately." Fortunately, however, I never throw anything away. I went home and dug through a pile of unopened envelopes and there it was. It hadn't made it through my snail mail spam filter.

So here's the bottom line: I've got my Medicare Card. So, since I opted to take my Social Security Income benefits at 62, I was automatically enrolled in Part A (hospital coverage). As for Part B (doctor visit coverage), all I have to do is not send in the refusal slip that came with the Medicare Card and I am automatically enrolled, and they will deduct the premiums from my Social Security payments. The supplemental insurance and drug prescription programs are a bit trickier. Supplemental requires some research and direct contact with insurance companies. The new book she gave me provides detailed comparisons of rates and coverage. And believe me, there is no way you can do this without that kind of information. The same goes for the drug prescription coverage.

Caroline also advised me on the pitfalls of dealing with the insurance companies - stuff that's not in the book, such as, "When you call an insurance company to inquire about their policy, make note of how long you have to wait on hold and how many numbers you have to punch to get the information you want. That might be an indication of the kind of service you will get later on, if you enroll in their plan."

The Yellow Springs Home Assistance Program is funded in part by revenue from the Greene County Senior Services levy, which will be on the ballot for renewal this fall. It is extremely important, especially with our aging population, to get out and vote for it. HAP is a little gem we cannot afford to lose.