Ann Wright describes her experience as a returning MMAP counselor to the Otsego County Commission on Aging. She encourages other retirees to consider becoming a Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program counselor.
Brooke Mainville and Kitty Glomski provide the calendar of events for October/November.
Ann Wright describes her experience as a returning MMAP counselor to the Otsego County Commission on Aging. She encourages other retirees to consider becoming a Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program counselor.
Brooke Mainville and Kitty Glomski provide the calendar of events for October/November.
Good morning. This is Kitty Glomski along with
Brooke:my cohost Brooke Mainville
Kitty Glomski:from Region 9 Area Agency and Aging and another episode of Let's Talk About Aging. This is Kitty Glomski and I have a special guest with me. Ann, would you like to introduce yourself?
Ann Wright:My name is Ann Wright. I work at the Commission on Aging as a volunteer MMAP counselor, and I've been doing this for a number of years. I started in 2014, took the pandemic off, and I'm now back volunteering.
Kitty Glomski:That's wonderful. You volunteer at the Otsego County Commission on Aging. We want to say that because that's a really good group of folks over there. We want people to know how to reach you.
Ann Wright:They are a great group of people. They're friendly and they're all into helping people. And, it's just a nice atmosphere.
Kitty Glomski:I agree. Ann, you are a volunteer there, aren't you?
Ann Wright:Yes, I am. When I retired I was looking for something that I could do and I enjoy people and I wanted to be able to just help them and I found that this was a good match.
Kitty Glomski:So what had you been doing during your career, your work life?
Ann Wright:I was an extension educator. I ran the 4-H program in at Otsego County. And then when I retired from that, I took a couple part-time jobs working for Farm Bureau, working for the Historical Society. When I retired, I was looking for a volunteer job or position and to get involved, and I found this and it really is good.
Kitty Glomski:You had lots of experience working with the public, didn't you?
Ann Wright:Yes. You get to meet so many people. And I've always felt that it would be nice to help seniors, and even though I, of course, am a senior, but so many of them, they're so appreciative of the help. Many are not sure how to access Plan D or to use a computer very well. Many of them need to save money where they can and it's nice to be able to help them do that.
Kitty Glomski:Absolutely. Saving money is always number one on everybody's list. This is the Open Enrollment season for Part D plans, the drug plans and for Medicare Advantage plans. So do you want to talk about that for a little bit?
Ann Wright:From October 15th through December the seventh, many people have made appointments to come and see if their plan is really the best plan for them, and we try to stress that every year they need to review their Plan D because the companies change their premiums, they change the medications that's on their formulary, and we just stress that they need always to look at that because it can change substantially from year to year. Just because they were pleased one year with their plan doesn't mean it's the best fit another year. Then of course we do a just a kind of a rough overview of finances, just asking if. They might qualify for some help, and then we look at it a little bit more and we try to get them the extra help if we can.
Kitty Glomski:So if they're lower income, they may qualify for subsidy help, right?
Ann Wright:Yes. Depending on how their income fits with the federal poverty level depends on how much help they may be able to get.
Kitty Glomski:One thing that we do do is we screen for these programs and they're both state and federal programs. There's all kinds of TV commercials out there going, get the benefits you're entitled to. We're the people that help you get those benefits. Aren't we?
Ann Wright:Yes, you always have to be careful of advertisements. They certainly want to sell you something and you really have to look at it carefully to see that they're getting what they think they're getting.
Kitty Glomski:Right. I agree with you. When you started, were you a Medicare beneficiary when you first started with MMAP?
Ann Wright:Yes, I was.
Kitty Glomski:So you knew a little bit about it because you were using it as your your healthcare and your Part D. We need more counselors and there are other people that are working out there that would be ideal for doing MMAP. What kind of person might think about doing MMAP when they retire or maybe volunteering right now?
Ann Wright:There's that advantage of working with the other personnel to find a good match for the time commitment that you want to make and, and if you like to learn things. New things. This is a nice program because you're always learning new things. I just find it interesting and I think many people would find it interesting.
Kitty Glomski:I agree. And, of course, Medicare doesn't sit still. It changes too. We get to know the latest, greatest information and really help people understand their insurance, don't we?
Ann Wright:Yes, and every person that comes in has a different story, a different background. Most of the people that come in really benefit by sitting down and talking with somebody that has the information at hand and to better understand why they're getting what they're getting. Also to be aware of the possibilities of what's out there for them. So sometimes they ask questions about other programs, and although we don't deal with those other programs, we can tell them where they can find that resource.
Kitty Glomski:With Part D Part everybody thinks that the one plan they have and the one company they have is the only company there is. I have been looking at several of our counties and there's like 24 different Part D plans to choose from. We're trained in using Medicare's databases, and we get to enter your drugs and put those databases in cost order. So bingo, right away we know the cheapest plan based on the pharmacy you want to use and your drugs. and then you get to review it and see if it's going to meet with your lifestyle and we can help you enroll in that plan. you don't have to, use a computer, you don't have to do anything special. We help you do that.
Ann Wright:And the plan is very good. The computerized plan is very good at doing that. And there's nothing like seeing a person's face light up when you tell them they can save$400.
Kitty Glomski:I agree totally. If people have really expensive medications, this is another reason to come in and have your plan evaluated because we track manufacturer programs and we screen folks that might qualify for subsidies and other types of assistance. There's other ways of getting those drugs, even coupon programs or programs through foundations. This year starting 2023 all of the insulins are going to be$35 or less. So that's huge savings.
Ann Wright:It is, and it's wonderful. So kudos to those that made that happen and because the insulin tends to be quite expensive. It can be a real hardship for people.
Kitty Glomski:Yes, it can. When you have to spend hundreds of dollars a month and you don't have hundreds of dollars, then it's really a necessity to look at ways to save money and to get your drugs or your insulin. So, this is a huge help.
Ann Wright:Yes. it is. and the last thing you want to see happen is somebody takes their insulin every other day, which some people have done, and this should make it more affordable so that they can take it as prescribed.
Kitty Glomski:The other thing is that a lot of these plans do cover a sit down with your pharmacist once a year. And I always recommend that you do this. You schedule an appointment, have your pharmacist review all your drugs. If you have more than one doctor prescribing medications, sometimes one doctor doesn't know what the other has prescribed, but your pharmacist would know if there's any conflicts and If a medication is going to fight with another one or cause some issues. They can look at that and help to correct it. They're a good go between to do that because they have a direct line to your doctor. When you go to see your doctor, a lot of times you have to make appointments in advance. You can walk right in and see your pharmacist.
Ann Wright:Yes, that's true. You might have to wait in line for a few minutes, but you can, and they would be glad to pull off the list.
Kitty Glomski:Absolutely. Ann, I really want to thank you for joining us today. Any closing thoughts about, arm twisting a few other volunteers out there that might want to join us.
Ann Wright:Yes. You get to meet so many people. And it's nice to help seniors, and they're so appreciative of the help. Many are not sure how to access Part D or to use a computer very well. Many of them need to save money and it's nice to be able to help them.
Kitty Glomski:If anyone would like more information from the Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program please call us. We have a statewide number 1-800-803-7174, and we'll be happy to talk to you about becoming a MMAP counselor. Thank you, Ann. Thank you for joining us.
Ann Wright:You're welcome. It was a pleasure.
Kitty Glomski:And we'll talk to you next time on Let's Talk About Aging. This is Kitty Glomski and Brooke Mainville, with the Calendar of Events. Brooke, you have a Matter of Balance class in Oscoda, on October 17th running through November 9th. This is from 9:30 to 11:30. Then you also have Personal Action Towards Health-Pain virtual class running from October 7th through November 11th from 1:00 to 3:00. Brooke also has a Diabetes Path class. It's an interactive online workshop that begins November 16th and runs through December 21st. That's six weeks on every Wednesday from one to 3:00 PM. Again, that's a Diabetes Path online workshop. Then on Friday, November 11th, there's a very special caregiver series. It's called Living Well With a Cancer Diagnosis. This is a personal story plus helpful tips. Martha York, who is a community education coordinator with Region 2 Area Agency on Aging is the speaker for this event. Don't miss it.
Brooke Mainville:If you would like to register or get information on any of these events, please contact me at 989-358-4616 again, that was 989-358-4616. Or go to our website at NEMCSA.org/ senior services, and you'll find all the online registrations for all the different items there as well. That's all I have for the calendar of events.
Kitty Glomski:Thank you, Brooke. With the Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program, we also have a New to Medicare virtual presentation. This happens every second Wednesday of each month from 10:00 to 11:00. This is for anyone who is turning 65, new to Medicare, or disabled and new to Medicare. This presentation explains how Medicare works. Then afterwards you get to meet one on one with a counselor and talk about your personal situation. To register, you can call 1-800-803-7174 or contact your local Senior Center, your Commission or Council on Aging, and they can make the appointment for you. So this is Kitty Glomski and Brooke Mainville asking you to join us again next time on Let's Talk About Aging.
Carla:Let's Talk About Aging is a production of the Region 9 Area Agency on Aging, 2569 US 23 South, Alpena, Michigan 4 9 7 0 7. This Podcast was supported, in part, by grant number 90MPPG0039 from the US Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC. Podcast music provided by Groove Music, selection titled"Modern Logo," created by Vadym Kuznietsov and can be found at https://elements.envato.com/modern-logo-ZVHFBJ6