Choosing the right Medicare or insurance plan can be confusing and overwhelming for many adult seniors. To help seniors make the right choices, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program will offer a free three-day training program for members of the community to become a certified Medicare counselor on Feb. 29-March 2 in Jasper, Tn.
The SHIP program trains volunteers to help seniors and other Tennesseans navigate Medicare and related health insurance programs through free and objective counseling and assistance. Residents in Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, and Hamilton County are encouraged to register for this training program and become counselors.
“Serving as a Medicare Counselor through the SHIP program is a great way for retired adults and seniors to help their peers and learn more about Medicare and health insurance,” said Tommy Preston, assistant director for the Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability. “We are excited to have this training in Jasper and hope that people from Marion, Sequatchie, Grundy, and Hamilton Counties will sign up.”
After completing the training program, each volunteer is asked to commit to providing information counseling, consumer guidance, and community outreach each month. SHIP locations are set up throughout the area, and counselors can choose a location that is convenient for him or her.
Topics covered will include understanding original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, differentiating between private insurance options, learning about programs for low-income people, and how to volunteer in your community.
The three-day training program will be held at Cornerstone Ministries in Jasper, which is at 300 Cornerstone Drive and convenient to Highway 28. The training program will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Feb. 29, and March 1, and 9 a.m.-noon on March 2.
Sponsored by the Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability, a program of the Southeast Tennessee Development District, the Medicare counseling program trains volunteers who will provide these services in senior centers and locations throughout Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea, and Sequatchie Counties.
For more information on TN SHIP, please contact Tommy Preston or Katherlyn Geter at the Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability at 423 424-4252. You can also learn more online at www.setaaad.org.
For more information, please call 423 266-5781 or visit www.developmentdistrict.com.