Iowa Specialty Hospital

SHIIP Program Available at Belmond and Clarion Campuses

September 22, 2016

Iowa Specialty Hospital is proud to be an official sponsor for the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) and is happy to announce the program will be expanding to their Belmond campus as of October 2016.

Chris Roelofsen will coordinate the program for both locations. The SHIIP office in Belmond is located at 115 4th Ave SE (formally St. John’s Church), and the Clarion office is located at the Meadows Independent Living at 1200 2nd St SW.  Starting October 1st, individuals may make an appointment by calling Chris at 641-444-5681.

Volunteer counselors complete an extensive six day training program.   New to the program is Nancy Gabrielson who will be available in Belmond.  Returning again this year as volunteers in Clarion are Pat Kirstein and Deb Maxon. 

Know Someone Who Fits This Description?

• Jack, nearing 65, was thinking about retiring.  Swamped with mailings from insurance companies selling Medicare supplement insurance that he didn’t understand, he wasn’t sure what his options were if he did retire. He met with a SHIIP counselor who reviewed his options making him feel more comfortable making a decision.

• Ralph had 160 envelopes containing medical bills, Medicare statements, and insurance statements. A SHIIP volunteer spent 26.5 hours sorting through the papers, organizing, and explaining to the Ralph the status of each claim.

• Beth wanted to help her mother choose a prescription drug plan and found the help she needed by meeting with a SHIIP volunteer. The volunteer gathered information from Beth and her mother and printed out a comparison of plans. The family especially appreciated that all the information provided was confidential and objective.

The residents of Belmond and Clarion will be able to find the answers they needed thanks to their local SHIIP programs just like the individuals in the examples above.  A service of the State of Iowa, SHIIP volunteers provide free-of-charge counseling and information to people with questions about Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, long term care insurance, and claims filing.

 “SHIIP has a great track record for saving Iowans money and headaches,” said Kris Gross, director of the program with the State of Iowa’s Insurance Division.  Annually the program saves older Iowans hundreds of thousands of dollars. “It’s an important service and we’re pleased to have Iowa Specialty Hospital join us in offering free, unbiased help to seniors with health insurance questions.”

The State of Iowa created SHIIP in 1990 in response to the statewide need for senior health insurance information. SHIIP provides free informational materials as well as one-to-one assistance with Medicare coverage, Medicare supplement insurance, long-term care insurance, Medicare and insurance claims and other related issues. SHIIP does not recommend insurance companies, plans or agents; the volunteers, trained by the State of Iowa Insurance Division, answer questions and provide impartial information to help seniors make well-informed decisions. 

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