Signing up for Medicare Part D was so confusing when the federal prescription program went into effect three years ago that it was like “choosing a plan with a roulette wheel,” says Virginia Beach resident Lona Liosatos.
But after hearing a speaker at her church from Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia (SSSEVA), Liosatos learned that help was available. She made an appointment and took all of her prescription drugs to SSSEVA where an adviser helped her find and enroll in the optimal plan using a special computer program that considers the medications she and her husband now take.
“They know how to explain things to you,” Liosatos says.
Assisting seniors with Medicare Part D is one of three services that Sentara Health Foundation has funded through SSSEVA for the past seven years. Sentara also subsidizes SSSEVA salaries for medication educators to help qualifying seniors sign up for The Pharmacy Connection, a free prescription program sponsored by pharmaceutical companies.
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"We see Sentara as a partner in helping to expand the capacity of Hampton Roads to care for our elderly and disabled adults." -- John Skirven, CEO, Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia |
For qualifying low income seniors, Sentara funds a program that provides subsidies that cover the cost of premiums for Medicare Part D as well as prescriptions with no deductible.
“We see Sentara as a partner in helping to expand the capacity of Hampton Roads to care for our elderly and disabled adults,” says SSSEVA’s CEO John Skirven. “The Foundation pays attention to older adults as an important area of community need. It is a real advocate and works with other community groups to help the uninsured and underinsured to provide care.”