Boswell Briefing: Open Enrollment Deadline Reminder

Statement

Dear Fellow Iowan,

With just a week remaining in the Medicare open enrollment season (deadline is December 7th), I wanted to send a friendly reminder to my constituents and share information about an important resource for Medicare beneficiaries.

I understand many seniors can be overwhelmed with the sometimes complex process of navigating their Medicare options. Thankfully, there is a department here in Iowa that hundreds of thousands of people have benefitted from. The State of Iowa Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) stands ready to assist seniors with their questions. These federally funded programs provide free and individualized information and counseling, essentially serving as a local access point to the Medicare system for beneficiaries.

Last year, Iowa's SHIIP received over 44,000 calls for information. With a staff of just nine individuals, these folks are very busy but are dedicated to serving Iowans. Dozens of volunteers also assist the program by providing counseling service, especially this time of year. Nationwide, over 12,000 counselors served nearly 4.8 million beneficiaries in all 50 states in 2008.

I encourage people to take advantage of these programs. A Medicare participant simply calls into a state-run helpline, provides their address and they are connected to their local office. There, the individual is provided individualized counseling to help simplify the process and assist them in choosing the right coverage plan.

Enrollees may call Iowa SHIIP toll free at (800) 351-4664 or visit their website at www.shiip.state.ia.us.

Sincerely,

Leonard L. Boswell
Member of Congress

Source