Peninsula Daily News 11-24-11 "More on (durable) powers of attorney"

            Yes, I do know that today is Thanksgiving Day – Happy Thanksgiving!

            I also know that the whole world is writing about it, and undoubtedly more poignantly than I, so I’ve decided to ignore it. Read this later in the day and think of it as “leftovers.”

Last week I went on about powers of attorney (POA’s) and durable powers of attorney DPOA’s), and was going to move seamlessly, if not stealthily, into guardianships, but a number of you have e-mailed with some disturbingly intelligent questions, so let’s do those first.

            Can a POA or DPOA be revoked? You bet, anytime. All you have to do is give written notice of same to the “agent” (the person who you originally designated to make decisions) and to anyone who is relying on that DPOA like, say, a bank. IF you filed the DPOA with a County, file the revocation in the same place. By the way, guardianships can be revoked, too.

            Contrary to popular opinion, a POA/DPOA does NOT give the agent the right to do anything and everything; for instance, they cannot put you someplace that you don’t want to be (think, “nursing home” – Of course, you have to be willing to say “No!”). A separate court order is usually required for an amputation, shock therapy and certain mental health treatments that restrict a person’s freedom of movement; also, an agent can’t vote on your supposed behalf nor can she/he make or alter your will.

            Does a POA/DPOA have to be notarized? Sometimes, most notably if the agent is likely to have to sell, transfer, encumber or in any way mess around with real estate; otherwise generally not – HOWEVER, it might be smart, on general principles: It makes everything more “official,” so might help to smooth the way for your agent to do what has to be done, say, with a bank.

            Can I give a grant a POA/DPOA to more than one person at a time? Well, yeah – It’s certainly smart to name a “backup” in case Choice #1 goes down – But the real question had to do with a situation in which Mr.-&-Mrs. didn’t want to appear to be showing “favoritism” between a son and a daughter.

            Can you do that? Yes, you can, but please be…darn sure you want to! If ever there was a situation ripe for conflict, disagreements and resurrecting old wounds from grade school, this is it! And if they do manage to “compromise,” will that compromise be what you’d want? Remember, making decisions as close as humanly possible to the decisions that you’d make for yourself is the point of this whole thing! But, can you do it? Yes.

            Now, think about that, in a general sense: You’re granting someone the legal right and ability to, in most cases, make a lot of important decisions AND move money around AND likely make decisions about what healthcare you might get under what circumstances and tra la – This is IMPORTANT! And, again, the idea is to appoint someone who will likely respect your own values and wishes and someone YOU CAN TRUST!

            I’m reminded of the gal I sat with several years ago, having this very conversation. We got to the part about which of her several children might be the choice as her agent, and she was thinking out loud when she said, “Well, Benny really is such a good boy, when he’s not in jail or doing those nasty drugs…” It made my head hurt. We talked for quite a bit longer.

            Speaking of “trust,” generally speaking, there is no court supervision of a POA/DPOA, while there is under a guardianship, so we’re a little more “vulnerable” to stupid, greedy or vengeful agents. Oh, sure, courts can be requested to decide this-or-that or order this-or-that or change this-or-that, but that rarely happens so, again, be as sure as you can that your agent actually like you.

            And, again, do you have to have an attorney do a POA/DPOA? No, you don’t – I wish you would, but no.

            Certain DPOA’s are written in such a way that they only kick-in in the event of an event, e.g. two physicians certify that you’re incapable of calling your own shots (or one physician, or whomever or whatever), so think about that. I often get calls that start with, “I have a DPOA for…”, and my first question is always, “Has it kicked-in?” Until it has, it’s just a piece of paper.

            Well, so much for getting to guardianships today, but I don’t suppose they’re going anywhere, so we’ll try again next week. At the risk of overstating the painfully obvious, keep in mind that I am NOT an attorney – I’m a social worker – And in some sectors, even that can be successfully argued.

Peninsula Daily News Column 11-17-11 "Power of attorney a must with aging"

            Today we’re finally getting back to the “Boomer Primer?” Remember the “Boomer Primer?” That’s the thing we were doing before the juggernaut of Part D/Advantage Plan “open enrollment” rolled over us (and continues to roll through December 7), then there were other unscheduled interruptions under the general heading of “Real Life,” blah blah – Anyway, here we are.

            The idea of the Boomer Primer (designed primarily for…You guessed it! Boomers!) is to provide a list of “Things to Think About,” assuming that you (whoever “you” are) are in your early-to-mid ‘60’s, or rapidly closing in on same, and would like to have some idea of what tomorrow might look like, before it’s tomorrow.

            You are not required to do “this” or do “that,” or to agree with “this” or “that” – You are required to think about these things, as a part of the whole “aging thing,” then decide whatever you decide to decide, because surprises can easily turn into shocks.

            OK, the last chapter of the Primer pre-Part D (which actually was a chapter unto itself, but let’s not get distracted by thinking that the whole is equal to the sum of its parts), was about “wills” and “probate,” because nothing goes very well in America without the legal paper, so you thought to yourself (pre-Part D), “OK, so, if I do that right, I’m done with making paper, right?”

            Wrong. Here’s why: Most of us aren’t overly enthusiastic about the prospect of dying, but in the privacy of our own homes, will generally concede that it’s highly likely that we will; the fact is, that what most of us hope for is something sudden and definitive, meaning I’m living and living and living and suddenly…BOOM! It’s over! Bye.

            The reason we hope for a sudden BOOM is because what most of us fear the most is that “gray area” between what we call “life” and what we assume “death” to be, unfortunately referred to as “disability.” In my world, people are much more afraid of nursing homes than they are of morgues, for exactly that reason: We want to be able to live our lives on, more or less, our own terms, than go out with a “bang” (or, in this case, a BOOM).

            Many of us do – And will. Many of us won’t, and you know that as well as I do, so then what?? Well, presuming the worst case where we won’t be able to call our own shots (which also doesn’t happen to everybody), someone else is going to have to, so how does that actually happen? Good question. Listen:

            A “power of attorney” (POA) is a legal document in which I give someone else the authority to act on my behalf – Buy things, sell things, collect money, spend money, manage a business, whatever. A POA can be written to take effect right now, or at some future date, like between January 1 and March 31 of 2030, when I’m water-skiing the canals of Venice – You get it. A POA is predicated on the legal assumption that I know what I’m doing (“informed consent”) and it ends when I die, so it is NOT a substitute for a will (Nice try, though).

            A POA also “goes away” when I become mentally incapacitated, because I no longer have the ability to grant “informed consent,” get it? However, a POA can be written in such a way that it is to remain in effect in the event of mental incapacity OR only kicks-in in the event of mental capacity. These are called “Durable Powers of Attorneys” (DPOA’s), probably because they “endure,” huh? Close enough.

            I like these – A lot. Here’s why: Remember that a POA can only be granted when I’m capable of giving informed consent? Now, let’s say I have a massive stroke or, more statistically likely, start slipping away into Alzheimer’s (or whatever) and I haven’t prepared a DPOA – Can I do one now? No, because I lack “mental capacity;” in other words, I can only do it before I need it because, when I need it, I can no longer do it. And what does that sound like?

            Right! Planning! So, when would be a smart time to have a DPOA drawn up? Right! When I’m already sitting with my attorney talking about my will (Note: you can often get a “package deal” from a smart attorney when you get a will, a DPOA, an Advance Directive and, often, a Community Property agreement). I know what you’re thinking: Do I have to pay an attorney to do this?

            No. There is no legal requirement that a POA/DPOA be prepared or reviewed by a lawyer, and there are generic forms out there that are perfectly legal. Do I think that’s a good idea? No, because smart elder law attorneys know the right questions to ask that will make us think, and avoid a future “Oops!” – “Oops” being the 2^nd scariest word in the entire Primer. Do I think a generic, self-executed DPOA is better than nothing? Almost always, and here’s why:

            Let’s say that I actually like my family, but enough to have prepared a DPOA; then let’s say that something bad happens to me, to where I can no longer make my own decisions or manage my own affairs, can my family make all the necessary decisions and do all the legal stuff? Nope, so they’re going to have to petition for a guardianship, which is expensive, time-consuming and generally extremely annoying (and we’ll talk about those next week) – Because they have no other choice.

            A little bit of quick Q & A, because I’m running out of newspaper:

1. Can a POA/DPOA be used to make healthcare decisions? Yes;
2. Can I still make my own decisions if I’ve already given a DPOA? Sure, if you can;
3. Can I cancel my DPOA? Absolutely. Or change who’s making the decisions? You bet;
4. Is this everything I need to know? NO!

Talk to an elder law attorney, or at least go to www.washingtonlawhelp.org and click on the “60+” button to read up on these things (Hint: You’ll also find some generic forms, if you’re just bound-and-determined to go that way).

Here’s what’s worth remembering: I can only get it when I don’t need it because, when I need it, I can’t get it.

           

           

Peninsula Daily News column, 11-10-11 "Energy assistance for low-income folks"

            It’s beginning to get cold. That has to with La Nina or El Nino or La Bamba or J-Lo or something like that, but the fact is that it’s beginning to get cold.

            If you have plenty of money as it’s beginning to get cold, God-love-ya and please go back to thinking about becoming a TAX-AIDE volunteer; if you don’t have a lot of money as it’s beginning to get cold, or you know someone who is in that unenviable situation, please stay with me.

            There is a program that can help folks without a lot of money as it gets cold, and it’s called LIHEAP (pronounced “LieHeep,” and it stands for “Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program,” but I can’t imagine why you’d care). What it does is help you pay for your home heating costs – Interested? Good! Here we go:

            LIHEAP, which is available in both Clallam and Jefferson counties, can provide anywhere from $25 to $1,000 toward those costs, depending upon your income, etc, so let’s start there. Let’s say that you’re Mom, Dad and two kids – Your monthly income has to be at or below $2,328; for a couple, $1,532 or if you’re just you, $1,134 – There’s a scale that runs up to a household of nine, but you get the drift.

            By the way, if you live in Jefferson County and are a customer of Puget Sound Energy Company, PSE has their own “Energy Help Fund.” To get in the ballpark for that, for a family of four, income at or below $2,794; for a couple, $1,839 and for just you, $1,361. And FYI: The PSE Help Fund opens in Jefferson County again after the LIHEAP money is gone, so there’ll be more help available down the way – The two programs do NOT run concurrently. OK so far? Good – Hang in there.

            The “season” for LIHEAP began ten days ago, on November 1^st. It’s run by Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP) for both counties. Here’s what you do: Get on a computer and go to http://www.olycap.org/ and click on the thermostat, then go from there. No computer or don’t get it or whatever (maybe because it’s getting cold and you’re shivering)? OK, in the Port Townsend area, call 385-2571; in Forks, call 374-6193 on a Monday and in Port Angeles/Sequim, call 452-4726 between 1:00-4:00 p.m. on Tuesday or between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Thursdays.  

            Depending upon how the funding goes, OlyCAP will open a January calendar for appointments in December, so if at first you don’t succeed…

            TIME OUT: Some of us are familiar with LIHEAP because it’s gotten cold before and we haven’t had a lot of money before. In the past, we had to mail in stuff, which then sat in a huge pile because a lot of folks without a lot of money were getting cold, then nothing happened for LONG time, because the pile was so big, so the utility companies became unpleasant and turned things off and things got worse and colder and…BUT! OlyCAP, to their credit, has figured that out, so those days are gone; now, it’s sit-down-with-a-person, 1:1 appointment, so things get done when they need to get done.

            Obviously, there could be another problem: How do I get to a 1:1 appointment with a person if I’m “home bound?” Good question. Here’s OlyCAP’s good answer: Beginning December 1^st, they’ll come to you, if need be, if you are an Elder, a person with a disability or a family with children under the age of six; down the road, they’ll be locating themselves strategically hither-and-yon around the Peninsula, to make the seemingly impossible, doable.

            Good for them.

            Now, not for the faint of heart, here’s how things go in my head: “OK, it’s cold and I don’t have a lot of money, and it looks like I might qualify for these things. I’ve actually managed to get an appointment that I can actually make and I’ve actually figured out a way to get there; so, I walk in, sit down and find out that I don’t have some magic piece of paper, so I’m…unhappy!” Right. Not good. Here’s what you actually need to have:

            Bring proof of income for anyone in the household who’s 18 or better, or if that anyone is still in high school, bring a school ID. If you’re a member of a Tribe, bring a letter from the Tribe saying that your application for Tribal LIHEAP is denied. Bring ID for everyone in the household! – Driver’s license or photo ID or passport or birth certificate.

            Bring a current utility bill that has the account #, with your name and address on it. If you’re renting and heat is included in the rent, bring a copy of the rental agreement or lease. If you’re primary heat source isn’t electric (or in Jeffco with PSE, natural gas), you’re going to have to provide some kind of proof of residency.

            Now, go back to the part about going to http://www.olycap.org/ and clicking on the thermostat: There’s a form there that you can print or look at that spells out everything I just said, in a bit more detail, OK?

            Can I absolutely guarantee that everything will go perfectly? No. Can I promise you that OlyCAP will have enough money to help everybody that needs help? Of course not. Can I assure you that you’ll be able to get an appointment exactly when you need or want it? Not on this planet, but here’s what I can assure you of:

            These are good folks who are honestly trying to help, and if you’re cold and without a lot of money, it’s worth a shot. Doing nothing won’t make it any warmer.

Peninsula Daily News column, 11-3-2011 "Tax-Aide volunteers face classes, test"

            HEADS UP!

            I’m hearing that more-than-a-few folks are getting disenrollment letters from their Medicare Part D plans – Kind of out-of-nowhere; now, there could be any number of reasons why that unhappy circumstance could befall you, but here’s one: It appears to the Plan that you have two or more addresses!

            Look: If you change (or add) an address after you enroll in a Part D plan that appears to be out of that plan’s service area, they are required to disenroll you. One thing that happens a lot is that the kid in Nevada is helping Dad sort this stuff out, so she’s having all the Part D mail forwarded to her. The plan gets wind of this and says to itself (because Part D plan talk to themselves), “Oops! That’s out of our service area!” – And BOOM! Dad is Part D history.

            Now, can you do what I’ve just described above? Sure, but let the plan in on your little secret, because once you get one of those disenrollment letters, your coverage has lapsed UNTIL you get it straightened out, and who needs that?!

            In fact, couldn’t you just live without the hassle of this whole Part D “thing??” The detail and the paperwork and the everlasting grief of trying to keep everything straight…Let’s face it: It has all the appeal of root canals or opening the packaging of just about any commercial product (like arthritis medicine) that requires three strong men and the jaws-of-life or doing anything in a crawlspace or preparing tax returns or…

            Tax returns?? Well, I don’t enjoy it, do you? You do?? Or, you could? Maybe? Really?? Then, you are who we’re looking for, because it’s the time of the season to recruit weirdoes like you for TAX-AIDE!

            These are the “good guys,” remember? These are the folks who volunteer their time to help the rest of us get our taxes out the door – Correctly! They’re sponsored by the AARP Foundation and IRS, but you don’t have to like either one; you do have to like helping people who will like you back for helping them out of yet another externally imposed crisis.

            Here are all the ways that you will have to make yourself miserable in the name of helping people: First, you’ll have to attend two days of volunteer orientation classes, in Sequim, on December 7^th and 8^th; then, you’ll have to devote significant chunks of your December studying studying studying the IRS-provided materials and tax preparation software – Sound fun so far?

            THEN, you’ll have to attend “review classes, in Sequim, on January 4^th and 5^th, to go over all the stuff you taught yourself in December – Why? Well, because help isn’t help unless it helps, and if you haven’t learned how to help people with their taxes – Correctly! – That isn’t “help;” then, you’ll have to pass the IRS Test to prove it! (Hey, all TAX-AIDE volunteers have to pass that every year – Competence is mandatory!)

            Then, you’ll have to sign the IRS “standards of conduct” to insure that you’ll help folks in an ethical and confidential manner, and THEN you’ll be expected to work (unpaid) at least four hours per week, although most of these guys do a lot more than that, throughout the tax season! Have I talked you out of it yet?

            There are only a handful of reasons to do this:

1.     You’re a good and decent human being;

2.     You’ll learn a LOT about taxes and tax preparation, and…

3.     …you rather enjoy being bathed in the gratitude from those of us whom you’ve helped, and I am NOT kidding about that part!

The rest of us need you! And we appreciate you! You have no idea…

So, what do you do to include yourself in an unmitigated exercise in masochism? Well…

1.     If you want to volunteer in Jefferson County, contact David Self at dcself@olypen.com or 385-2617;

2.     If you’re in the West End, call Corinne Spicer at 374-6332 – A bilingual volunteer would be extraordinarily cool!

3.     In the Port Angeles area, holler at Hearst Coen at hj_coen@msn.com or 452-6541, or…

4.     …around Sequim, Gail Anundson at gail@anundson.org or 582-1295.

You’d be willing to help, but the actual tax preparation isn’t your thing? Good! Get in touch! There are other ways.

I have to laugh at myself: I unhesitatingly jump into the infinite nuances of Medicare or Medicaid or legalistic paperwork or whatever else, but run screaming from the room in the face of tax preparation! See? We NEED you!

And you might as well get used to hearing this right now: Thank you!

Peninsula Daily News column, 10-27-11 "It's time to fill caregivers' toolbox"

            It’s easy to be sarcastic about healthcare in America - It’s even easier to be sarcastic about health insurance! – In fact, it’s so easy that, sometimes, we can confuse those two things, so let’s start there:

            Health insurance is NOT healthcare. Healthcare keeps us going, and as healthy as we can, or are willing, to be, and we’re actually pretty darned good at it! We’re so good at it that a lot of us are living a whole lot longer than would have been imagined even a generation or two ago.

            So, the “good news” is that a lot of us are living a whole lot longer! The “bad news” is that, in the course of living longer, a number of us require “care” – You know, somebody (or somebodies) to help us get through the day. We call those folks, which most of us are, have been or will be, “caregivers,” but since “caregivers” almost never call themselves “caregivers,” here’s my standard definition: A “caregiver” is somebody who is taking care of somebody who needs to be taken care of, whether they like it or not.

            Does that sound at all like you to you? Then, WELCOME! – Because you’re “us.”

            And, yeah, there are a LOT of us.

            And if we don’t take care of us, what do you suppose happens to the folks that we’re taking care of? Right: Nothing good; so here’s our annual opportunity to take care of us.

            The 5^th annual “Building Your Caregiver Tool Box” will be held on Saturday, November 5^th, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, at the Peninsula College PUB (Pirate Union Building, and don’t panic: Costumes are NOT required!), 1502 East Lauridsen Blvd. in Port Angeles, free.

            We like free.

            The theme this year is “The Tsunami of Caregiving,” with the keynote address by Jamye Wisecup, the coordinator of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Emergency Management Division. There will be breakout sessions on “Map Your Neighborhood,” “Outages,” “Preparing for the ‘Little Emergencies’,” etc. as well as some other, more personal, options.

            There will also be a free lunch, snacks, beverages, vendor and informational tables, a lot of us “professional-types lurking about and a comedy (Yes, COMEDY! – If we don’t laugh at this stuff now and then, it’ll kill us!) presentation in the afternoon! – But here’s the best part: There will be a room full of people who are doing the same thing (more or less) that we’re doing, which means a room full of very smart, experienced and creative people.

            That’s what puts the “us” into the us.

            What do you do? Call 360-452-3221 (1-800-801-0070) to register, and do it RIGHT NOW! These conferences fill up fast, which ought to tell you something. Can you bring your “person” with you? No, and here’s why: If you bring your person, then you’ll be doing what you do all the time, which is giving care, which means that you’ll be all about them, and not about you, and this is about you.

            Us.

            Do this. Care enough about your person to care about you, and to remember that you aren’t alone.

            Us. See ya there.

            Now, change channels, OK? – Click. A number of the more loyal among you have heard me go on (and on!) about “Living Well with Chronic Conditions.” I know this to be true because a lot of you with chronic conditions have been through this 6-week, 2.5 hours/week workshop and have told me that it changed your life – For the BETTER! It works, and it’s free. We like free.

            So, now: What if I gave you a chance to become a facilitator for “Living Well with Chronic Conditions?” Really! To get trained in how to conduct these workshops that change lives, for free! Well, here’s your chance.

            The training will run November 8, 9, 15 and 16 at the Port Angeles Senior Center (328 E. 7^th, but you probably knew that). You’d run these workshops in teams of two, so bringing a friend would be fun, and you don’t have to have any teaching experience.

            All you have to commit to is showing up for all four days of the training and facilitating a minimum of two, 6-week workshops per year. Do you know how much you’ll learn from this? Not to mention the karma!!! And if you don’t have a lot of fun doing it, you’re doing it wrong.

            What do you do? Call 1-866-582-1487 and sign-up, then show up.

            So, what was the theme of today’s column? Right: Good and decent people being good and decent people – Together – One person at a time, in spite of everything you hear in the news.

Peninsula Daily News column, 10-20-11 "On acronyms, open enrollment, Medicare"

            This is about Medicare – again.

            ‘Tis the time of the season for Medicare, because “open enrollment” for Part D and Advantage Plans began five days ago (October 15^th) and will run through December 7^th (a day that will probably live in infamy); regardless, here we are.

            So (again), if you’re not on Medicare, about to be and don’t know anyone who is, feel free to go check out what’s on tap for “live music” on the Peninsula – The rest of us have work to do and today that “work” might save a number of us a considerable amount of money.

            As threatened last week, today we’re going to venture into a land of acronyms generally referred to as “Medicare Savings Programs.” I’ll quote the acronyms and tell you what they stand for, because some of you will feel sufficiently neglected to warrant e-mailing me, demanding to know what they stand for; however, it is NOT important that you remember said acronyms, nor is it important that you remember what they stand for – It IS important that you pay enough attention to the numbers to see if they will do you or yours some good.

            Acronym #1 is QMB (pronounced “Quimby”), that stands for “Qualified Medicare Beneficiary.” If you qualify for it, it will pay for your Part A premium (if you have one), your Part B premium (I’m pretty sure that you have one of those) AND your Part A or B deductibles, copays or coinsurances. If you have an Advantage Plan, QMB will pay copays and coinsurances for medical and hospital care.

            Did you follow that? Did you see the part about it paying your Part B premium? So, without even trying, we’ve just saved you real close to $1,200! – Indeed, Quimby is our friend.

            You qualify for QMB if your income as a single person is at or below $908 per month and your “assets” are at or below $6,680. “Assets” means cash, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, real estate contracts, blah blah – Pretty much what you’d think it means. It does NOT mean your house, one car or your stuff; also, if you have up to $1,500 set aside in a specific account for burial costs, that isn’t counted, either.

            If you’re a couple, income at or below $1,226 per month, assets at or below $10,020.

            FYI, if you qualify for QMB, you AUTOMATICALLY qualify for the Part D “extra help” (“L.I.S./Low Income Subsidy” – I went on about this last week), so you’d have very low to $0 premium, $0 deductibles and very low copays and, probably, no donut hole.

            See? Quimby is our friend.

            Acronym #2 is SLMB (pronounced “Slimby”), that stands for “Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary” (feel smarter?). If you qualify for this, it’ll pay your Part B premium only (again, do the math in your head – Real close to $1,200/year, right? Right!)  To get in the game, for a single person, income at $1,090 per month, assets the same: $6,680; for a couple, income at $1,471 per month, assets the same at $10, 020.

            Acronym # 3 is QI-1 (pronounced “QI-1”), which stands for “Qualified Individual” (I know, but I don’t make them up). QI-1 will pay for your Part B premium only. Income for a single person at or below $1,226 per month, assets the same at $6,680, and for a couple, income = $1,655 per month, assets the same at $10,020.

            I know what you’re thinking, and No: You did NOT misread something – YES, I just referenced two acronyms that both pay your Part B premium, with different income levels, so you’re thinking, “WHY???”

            Answer: I don’t know. I probably knew once, but I don’t know now; more importantly, I don’t care. I DO care that people without a lot of money get the help.

            Now, a handful of you are, for lack of a more pejorative term, “policy wonks,” so you’re thinking, “You can’t fool me, Harvey! ‘Medicare Savings Programs’ are a form of Medicaid, which means that ‘they’ will come after my estate!”

            First, I’m not in the business of “fooling” you – If I were, we’d call this “Fool Line,” and we don’t.

            Second, you’re right about these being a form of Medicaid; however, Medicare Savings Programs are NOT “recoverable” under Medicaid, so you have nothing to lose (Score one for my side!).

            So, what do you actually do? Well, you can come to any of the SHIBA clinics that I listed last week or you can call any of the numbers at the end of this column for help.

            You can go online to http://www.dshs.wa.gov/onlinecso/findservice.shtml or you can truck on down to the nearest DSHS office (You want the “CSO,” which stands for “Community Services Office”). FYI, it really isn’t all that tough to get signed-up, so just keep repeating to yourself, “$1,200, $1,200, $1,200…” but do it silently, so people don’t look at you oddly.

            And, Yes, Virginia, you should insert this in your “Boomer Primer.”

I know this stuff can glaze you over – Me, too; but the fact is that they can save us serious money in a time when pretty much any money is “serious,” so read this two or three times, then DO IT, because waiting or “thinking about it” won’t help you or anybody else.

$1,200, $1,200, $1,200…

           

Peninsula Daily News column, 10-13-11 "On open enrollment for Medicare plans"

            Today is October 13^th, 2011. As noted last Thursday, which was October 6^th of 2011, “open enrollment” for Medicare Part D and Advantage Plans starts two days from today (October 15^th – I don’t know why such a life-changing experience would start on a Saturday, other than the possible conjecture that the “Ides of October” seems…symbolic); anyway, here we go, and I’m not going to repeat everything we covered on October 6^th, 2011, as a nod to the resilience of our short-term memories.

            This column is going to be all about the intricacies of this process. If Part D is not part of your life and you couldn’t care less, bail out now and go shopping for Halloween candy, and remember who loves you…

            OK, October 15^th through December 7^th! The short version is that there are 30 Part D plans to choose from. It appears that no Advantage Plans are leaving Clallam County, nor are any new ones coming in, while Jefferson County has a couple of new Advantage Plan choices to consider; clearly, there is no practical way to make a quasi-intelligent decision about these without using Medicare’s “Plan Finder,” which you can find at www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan or just go to www.medicare.gov and it will be obvious. You could also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 24/7 for help (TTY = 1-877-486-2048) OR (if all else fails) you could actually read the “Medicare & You 2012 Handbook,” which likely showed up last month.

            And there is free, local, face-to-face help available – Stay tuned.

            All the Plans are now in the “Plan Finder,” so you could go into it, enter your drugs and what-not and get some extra time to think, but remember that you can’t actually enroll/change Plans until Saturday,

            If you have a Part D plan now that you’re just as happy-as-a-happy-clam with, and you’re totally confident that you’ll be clam-happy with it again next year (without even looking at premiums or formularies or whatever), then feel free to do absolutely nothing, and your current plan will continue, unabated and unperturbed, into 2012. Whatever you do (or don’t do) will kick-in on January 1, 2012 – Happy New Year!

            Last week I referenced the “donut hole” (i.e. “coverage gap”), in which the Part D plan pays nothing and we pay everything, assuming that you have a plan that has a “donut hole” – That’s true; however, if you hit the donut hole in 2012 you will at least get a 50% discount on all brand-name drugs covered by the Plan (which will still count toward getting you OUT of the donut hole) and/or a 14& discount on generics covered by the Plan (I know, but at least it’s something).

            Let’s talk about money. You may have heard “extra help” or “L.I.S.,” both of which refer to the Part D “Low Income Subsidy,” for which many of us qualify and don’t know it. If you’re single and your income is at or below $1,362 per month ($16,335 per year) AND your assets are less than $12,640, you qualify. “Assets” means, for most of us, money in the bank (plus stocks, bonds, contracts, etc) – It does NOT mean your house, your car or your stuff. For a couple, your income has to be at or below $1,839 per month and your assets below $25, 260; FYI, these numbers will probably increase in April of next year.

            If you do qualify, you’ll be able to enroll in one of the 9 “benchmark” Part D plans with little or no monthly premium, drastically reduced deductibles and NO “donut hole!” If this sounds even vaguely like you to you, you can apply by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY = 1-800-325-0778) or going online to www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp and you want to do this RIGHT NOW! Will you have a wait on the phone? Probably, so take the opportunity to cruise through your checkbook while you’re waiting to remember why you’re waiting.

            Now, I told you that there was free, local, face-to-face help available – There is. These folks know what they’re doing and will not try to sell you anything because they don’t have anything to sell – I know this to be true because they’re “us” – I also know them to be good and decent people. Here we go:

• 3^rd Tuesday, Port Townsend Community Center, Lawrence & Tyler, 3:00-5:00 pm;
• 2^nd and 4^th Tuesdays, Tri-Area Community Center, 10 W. Valley Road in Chimacum, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm;
• Every Wednesday and Friday, Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. 7^th in P.A., 9:00 am to 12:00 pm;
• Mondays, at the Sequim Senior Activity Center, 921 E. Hammond, 3:00-5:00 pm and Tuesdays, same place, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm;
• 4^th Wednesday, Quilcene Community Center, 294952 Highway 101, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm;
• In Forks, at our “Information & Assistance” office (481 5^th Avenue), the 1^st Wednesday, 9:00 to 11:00 am, or call 374-9496 for other appointments.

If you have any questions about any of that, call 452-3221 (1-800-801-0070).

Bring your Medicare card or Medicare number, any/all insurance cards/prescription drug cards/benefit booklets, any letters you’ve gotten from your insurance company on the subject, an estimate of your monthly/annual income and assets, a list of your medications, dosages and what you’re paying for them now and anything else that you think might be a good idea or that you have questions about.

These are first come, first served affairs, so remember to be as cheerful and patient as possible, because everybody else is doing the same thing that you’re doing and are equally thrilled at the prospect.

Last one today: Remember that part above about “extra help?” Well, if you’d like to see if you’re eligible and (if you are) actually apply online AS WELL AS finding out if you might be eligible for any number of other programs, go to www.benefitscheckup.org and work through it. It goes surprisingly quickly, is very straightforward and you might be amazed by what you discover.

I’d hoped to get into Medicare Savings Programs today, but I suspect that this is MORE than enough for now, so let’s call it “good;” remember, you have until December 7^th to pull this off; personally, I’m shooting for having it done before November 24^th, putting the “Thank you!” back into Thanksgiving!