Coronavirus cancels Medicare forums in Stanislaus County. Where can seniors get help?
Coronavirus precautions have eliminated popular forums normally held in October to help seniors in Stanislaus County make changes to Medicare coverage for the coming year.
The Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program has held the fall informational meetings in senior centers around the county. But holding the indoor gatherings this fall would pose a serious risk for spreading the COVID-19 illness. Program officials hope the informational forums will return in fall 2021.
HICAP will use social media and appointments with counselors to help Medicare recipients with the open enrollment period running from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.
Medicare’s open enrollment allows people to make changes to Medicare Advantage coverage or other plans for 2021.
“With the COVID crisis, there is nowhere to hold those forums,” said Jill Erickson, manager for county Aging & Veterans Services. “We are trying create more social media and alternate technologies to get information out there.”
Seniors can make appointments for free counseling by phone or they can make an appointment for counseling, with safe distancing, at the HICAP office in Modesto. The office is at the Stanislaus County Veterans Center, 3500 Coffee Road.
Erickson said the HICAP office is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for distancing, partitions and cleaning.
The program offers unbiased information to help with making decisions about Medicare coverage and prescription drug plans.
To help with navigating the process, a comparison chart of Medicare Advantage plans and information about Medicare basics is available at www.agingservices.info under “Medicare help (HICAP).”
Ten organizations are offering 18 different Medicare managed-care plans next year in this county. The comparison chart lists the benefits of each plan along with the premiums and co-payments. Aging services is also posting a video on how to compare Medicare Advantage plans.
In a significant change for next year, all of the Medicare Advantage plans in this county will have coverage for end-stage renal disease, HICAP said.
To make a free appointment for the Stanislaus County HICAP, call (209) 558-4540.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 8:59 AM.
