Learn more about Medicare at free event July 9 in Seattle

Are you new to Medicare? The Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) will be at the Seattle Central Library from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 9.

You will learn about:
• Medicare parts A, B, C and D
• Your Medicare benefits and options
• How to get help paying for Medicare if you qualify

Find registration and parking information for this event.

Other resources:
• Find out more events on the SHIBA calendar.
• Read more about SHIBA and how it can help you.
• Do you have Medicare questions? Call 1-800-562-6900.

Kreidler speaks to consumers in Shoreline about Medicare

Attendees to a Medicare birthday event on Saturday morning got to hear Insurance Commissioner Kreidler talk about why Medicare is important and what SHIBA does for Washington consumers. 

Commissioner Kreidler and Judy Ellis, SHIBA volunteer
with Sound Generations in Shoreline 

SHIBA stands for Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors. It’s a statewide network of nearly 400 highly trained volunteers who have been helping seniors and others understand their health insurance options for more than 35 years in Washington state. Washington was the first state in the nation to establish a SHIBA program, before the federal government offered assistance in reaching out the consumers who are or are about to be enrolled in Medicare.

Medicare provides health coverage for nearly 45 million Americans who are age 65 and older, and for 7 million younger adults with permanent disabilities. Medicare has been in existence for 51 years, which really isn’t that long ago. 

Attendees at the Medicare birthday event 

on June 18 in Shoreline 

Commissioner Kreidler recalled for the attendees a time before Medicare existed when his grandmother had to move in with his parents because she was ill and didn’t have health coverage. Her medical bills prohibited her from living on her own. If Medicare had existed, it would have provided a lifeline for her to have access to the health care she needed.

SHIBA offers free, unbiased assistance with health care choices, including Medicare, to more than 100,000 Washington residents each year. You can find more SHIBA events around the state at http://bit.ly/SHIBAevents.

Department of Health looking for experts on patient out-of-pocket costs

During the last legislative session, Washington's Department of Health was charged with convening a task force on patient out-of-pocket costs. Senate Bill 6569 directed the task force to focus on two key areas:

1. Evaluating factors that contribute to out-of-pocket costs for patients and to the state.
2. Considering the health and economic impact of out-of-pocket patient costs to patients and to the state.

If you have particular expertise in this area and represent patient groups, insurance companies, pharmacists, pharmacy benefit managers, unions, business associations, or biotechnology representatives please consider joining this important task force.

Members of the task force will be asked to attend no more than four half-day, in-person meetings in the Puget Sound region between July 1 and Dec. 1, 2016.

To be considered for the task force, please respond to DOH Secretary John Weisman's letter by COB May 24, 2016 via email to C4PA@doh.wa.gov

Join telephone town hall to get answers to your questions about Social Security, Medicare

Join the King County Library System (KCLS) for a live telephone town hall meeting with specialists from the Social Security Administration and Washington Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA). This free event will take place on Wednesday, May 18 from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 

Topics will include how to make the most of your Social Security benefits, health insurance and Medicare coverage. 

A telephone town hall is like a radio talk show, but you simply listen on your phone! Experts will take live questions from the audience. 

On the day of the telephone town hall you will receive a telephone call from the library between 10:25 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Please answer the call and stay on the line, as it could take a few minutes before the call starts. You will hear some introductory remarks and then be connected.

Be sure to include your telephone number in the registration to receive a phone call! 

Brought to you by the Social Security Administration, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the KCLS Foundation and AARP.

Register here for the telephone town hall. 

Need help with Medicare? Events being held around the state through summer

Consumers get help at a SHIBA event in Washington state

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner has a program that helps Washingtonians sign up for Medicare and other health care programs. It's called Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) and it offers free, unbiased and confidential assistance with Medicare and other health care choices.

SHIBA can help you:

• Understand your health care coverage options and rights.
• Determine your general eligibility for health care coverage programs.
• Evaluate and compare health insurance plans.

SHIBA holds events around the state to help people who are just getting signed up for Medicare--called birthday events--and information sessions for people who are new to Medicare or simply have questions about it.

Upcoming events:

• May 5: Lacey Community Center 
• June 18: Shoreline Conference Center
• June 23: Community Cultural Center of Tonasket 
• June 24: Grand Coulee Senior Center 
• July 9: Seattle Central Library
• Aug. 6: Kent Senior Activity Center

Find out more about these events and other events on the SHIBA calendar. 

Read more about SHIBA and how it can help you. Do you have Medicare questions? Call 1-800-562-6900.