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SHIP/Medi$mart
Help is Here!! Medication Prescription Drug Coverage & SenioRx
Prescription Drug Program Information and Enrollment Fair
Established in 1992 as a result of an Insurance Counseling and
Assistance grant, SHIP's
mission is to provide older Alabamians with consumer education and
counseling, enabling them to understand Medicare, Medicaid, Long-Term
Care Insurance, and Medigap policies, as well as other health insurance
options, including *Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan.
Open enrollment for Medicare Part D Drug Plan ended May 15, 2006. If
you were eligible and failed to join by May 15, 2006 you will be subject
to a 1% penalty for each month you did not sign up, unless you had
credible coverage from another provider, VA, Tricare, State or Federal
Health Insurance. If you are eligible for the LIS, you can sign up
when you become eligible, without paying a penalty. If you are new
to Medicare, you can join during the period that starts three months
before the month you get Medicare and ends three months after you get
Medicare.
The next enrollment period will be November 15, 2006
through December 31, 2006. In general, you can join or change drug
plans once a year between November 15 and December 21.
For
additional information call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or the age
line 1-800-243-5463. You can visit the website at
www.medicare.gov
and view the plan finder for prescription drug coverage.
Each of the 13
Area Agencies on Aging within the State have designated a
SHIP coordinator. This coordinator recruits and trains volunteers that will
in turn, provide guidance to senior citizens within their community, allowing
them to make sound decisions about their health insurance needs. Both the
coordinator and volunteers counsel individuals or their caregivers on a
one-on-one basis via telephone, site visits and home visits.
SHIP
Counselors are committed volunteers, and many of them face the same issues you
do as Medicare Beneficiaries. They are not affiliated with any insurance
company and will not attempt to sell you insurance. They will, however,
give you the necessary information you need to make informed choices for
yourself. All counseling records are confidential.
Another new program will work simultaneously with
SHIP. It is known as the Senior Medicare Patrol Project or Medi$mart. The
purpose of this program is to assist seniors in identifying and reporting
suspected Medicare and Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse. Specifically, seniors
will learn to recognize incorrect or improper billings, as well as fraudulent or
inflated claims. Again, both the coordinator and volunteers work together in
educating the public.
Department Contact:
Linda Newkirk, 256-389-0538 |
