Drastic Cuts to State Health Insurance Assistance Programs

In any City, Municipality or County there are only two vulnerable populations: the very young and the very old. Fortunately, there are sufficient programs nationally to provide for the needs of our precious young children; unfortunately, funding for our senior citizens is being drastically slashed at both the federal and state levels.

Recently, the Senate voted to stop funding the State Health Insurance Assistance Program for senior citizens. Throughout the United States, SHIP provides services to help seniors navigate through the oftentimes difficult social services network that is available to them. Many seniors are completely unaware of these services and when they are made aware of them, many of the forms and procedures associated with these services are difficult and confusing. Since 1992 SHIP services have been available to seniors, disabled individuals, their families and their caregivers. It has been estimated that over 7 MILLION MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES, benefited from this program last year.

Trained personnel have been available to guide them through the Medicare process and assist them in not only choosing the best health care insurance option for themselves, but also in many other services as well, such as abuse, fraud, and appeal procedures. The abolishment of this program would eliminate the ONLY PROGRAM that seniors and persons with disabilities, their family members and caregivers have that offers free, reliable, and unbiased benefits counseling. Due to the advances in medical science, people are living longer. It is estimated that 10,000 Americans are reaching retirement age EACH DAY; consequently, the need for SHIP services will increase each year.

Unfortunately, recently the Senate Appropriations Committee effectively eliminated all funding for SHIP services. The House Appropriations Committee will be in session considering whether to continue funding SHIP services to seniors and persons with disabilities. Shameika Averett is the Georgia Cares SHIP Coordinator for the River Valley Area Agency on Aging and Disability Services. She provides services to a 16 county area. She helps educate seniors and persons with disabilities on the many programs available to them and helps them choose health programs that are beneficial to them and other cost saving measures. In 2013, Shameika helped my 90 years old cousin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who could not afford all of her prescription medications, find a program that allowed her to get all of the medication she vitally needed.

Over the past SFY Shameika and the GeorgiaCares SHIP Program has:

• Provided one on one counseling to over 800 Medicare beneficiaries in our 16 county area
• We have attended over 100 activities, reached over 60,000 persons through group outreach and education, individual interactions and media
• Our volunteers have dedicated over 418 hours of their time educating others about the Medicare program
• The River Valley GeorgiaCares program has saved our Medicare beneficiaries over 8 million dollars in low-income programs such as extra help for their prescription costs, Part D savings and Medicare Saving Programs Shameika mentioned that according to the National Council on Aging:

“Aproximately 10,000 Americans are becoming Medicare eligible each day- significantly increasing the need and demand for SHIP services. Counseling services are provided via telephone and one on one in person sessions in addition to approximately 98,000 public education presentations last year. One on one assistance provided by SHIP has grown from 1.2 million client contacts in 2005 to over 3.5 million contacts in 2014, almost a 300% increase.”

We have a VERY SHORT time frame to contact our Congressional House Representative to let them know that the SHIP program is essential to improving the quality of life for our senior and disabled citizens. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND SENATOR AT THE FOLLOWING LINK: http://cqrcengage.com/ncoa/actioncenter. The following is an example of what you need to say to your elected representative:

“Dear ________, this is my request for you to continue funding for Medicare State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).”

Thank You. I always say that if you are blessed with long life, you will be a senior citizen one day and need to rely on as many senior services as possible to maintain your level of living. Thank You for your support and until my next newsletter, may God continue to richly bless you.

Pops