(Spirit Lake)– Lakes Regional Healthcare will hold an informational meeting next month for those who are about to become eligible for Medicare. Jennifer Gustafson of Lakes Regional Healthcare tells KUOO news the “Welcome to Medicare” event will be held Tuesday, June 14th at 6:30 pm in the Big Spirit Conference Room at LRH…
“They’re going to be talking about Medicare part A and part B benefits; the prescription drug benefit which is also known as part B; and also the Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement insurance. It can be really, really, confusing for many of us, for many people who are going through enrolling in Medicare and how to navigate the whole thing and our SHIIP counselors do a tremendous job of helping people do just that and figure out what are the best plans for them so they’re not paying more than they really need to and also helping them understand, okay, what steps do I need to take before I am eligible for Medicare so that when the time comes I am prepared. And that’s what this event will do. It will prepare them for it and they’ll really benefit a lot from the information that will be provided.”
SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, is a service of the state of Iowa…
“They have a bunch of SHIIP counselors throughout the state that provide this counseling service basically, or advice, in communities across the state. And we are pretty fortunate because we have four SHIIP counselors and Betsy Tonsfeldt is the one who’s going to be giving the Welcome to Medicare presentation answering questions and she’s been doing it for a number of years. They’re available to help people who are about to be eligible for Medicare or who are now eligible for Medicare all year around, and their busiest during open enrollment period which is in October through early December.”
Gustafson adds SHIIP counselors are trained by the state and do not sell or promote any insurance companies, policies or agents.
The June 14th event is free of charge however those planning to attend need to sign up by June 6th. You can do that by calling 336-6698.
