I have never heard of HICAP. What is it?

A few weeks ago, my friend Peggy and I were on our afternoon walk and she was bemoaning the fact that she would be 65 in a few weeks.   She had received some information from Social Security and was trying to figure out what she was going to do about Medicare and all of those issues associated with retirement even though she was going to continue working for 2-3 more years.

She had talked with the HR staff at her office and was even more confused than she had been originally.  She thought they might have given her erroneous information.    I suggested that she call HICAP.  Even though Peggy works in senior services and is a very savvy person, she had never heard of HICAP.

I decided at that point to include a post about HICAP in my blog.  It is such an important program and not many seniors realize that it is available.   I called my friend Janet Van Deusen, HICAP Director in Alameda County, and asked her to define HICAP for us.

The Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) is a statewide volunteer supported program that helps Medicare beneficiaries of any age make informed choices and provides advocacy when their health care benefits and rights are threatened or denied.  HICAP provides free and unbiased community education and individual counseling to Medicare beneficiaries and their families about Medicare, Supplemental plans, Prescription Drugs, Medicare Advantage plans, Long Term Care, Appeals, and other related topics.

Legal Assistance for Seniors has served as the parent agency for Alameda County’s HICAP since 1988. LAS/HICAP provides individual appointments at over thirty locations throughout Alameda County with trained volunteer counselors who are registered with the California Department of Aging.  Staff and volunteers also provide community education presentations and workshops to groups large and small throughout the county.  Please contact HICAP at 1-800-434-0222 or 510-839-0393 to schedule an appointment or presentation.

For more information about Medicare, contact the state program: http://www.cahealthadvocates.org/_pdf/facts/A-002-CHAFactSheet.pdf

HICAP volunteers work in libraries, senior centers and other agencies to help seniors with all of their Medicare-related questions.  The training provided to the volunteers is comprehensive and extensive. Janet is the most knowledgeable person around about Medicare and health insurance coverage for seniors and is available to help the volunteers if they have questions they cannot answer.

If you are having difficulty trying to figure out your health insurance coverage after age 65, call 800-434-0222 or 510-839-0393 and set up an appointment with a HICAP volunteer near you.  You can also check out their website www.lashicap.org.

Also, they are always looking for volunteers.  HICAP has a comprehensive  training program about once a year.  it is a good way to keep up with all of the issues related to Medicare and to help seniors.  I think I would like to be a HICAP volunteer when I retire.