OCTOBER 2022
Marge Ginsburg remembers hearing desperation in the voice on the other end of the phone.
The woman had called Ginsburg because she didn’t know what to do. She was spending more than $800 each month on her medications on top of her other Medicare costs. She didn’t qualify for assistance from Medi-Cal. She was facing financial ruin and needed help.
“Ninety-five percent of people who call us, call us frantic,” said Carolynn Washington, HICAP’s education and outreach coordinator. “These are not just people unfamiliar with government systems,” she noted. “Many are former judges, doctors and lawyers who have no idea how to navigate the complex Medicare system or are unaware that coverage plans and availabilities can change every year.”
Washington said HICAP’s volunteer counselors come from a variety of backgrounds. Many are retired labor lawyers, teachers, ex-military and people who have worked in government. They all share an interest in working to educate and advocate for people who are confused, vulnerable or in need.
“I wasn’t going to spend my retirement years sitting around and watching soaps,” said Ginsburg, who worked for 22 years as executive director of a nonprofit that studied public responses to healthcare policies and programs before volunteering with HICAP in Sacramento County. “I wanted something I could get as engaged in as I was when I was working.”
HICAP volunteers are certainly engaged. Each volunteer receives 24 hours of initial basic training to learn about
Ninety-five percent of people who call us, call us frantic. These are not just people unfamiliar with government systems ... Many are former judges, doctors and lawyers who have no idea how to navigate the complex Medicare system or are unaware that coverage plans and availabilities can change every year.”
Ginsburg, a trained, registered counselor for HICAP (the Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program) knew what to do. Each week, she helps up to a half-dozen clients who are struggling to manage Medicare and prescription drug issues. Ginsburg told the caller about a Medicare program called Extra Help that was designed specifically for people with high medication costs and limited income.
“For people like her, it can make a tremendous difference,” Ginsburg said. “So, we helped get her into that program and in several weeks, her monthly drug costs dropped to about $20.”
For several years, Ginsburg has been a volunteer with HICAP Services of Northern California, which is part of a nationwide network of nonprofit Medicare counseling services overseen by state regulators. Locally, the agency is managed by the nonprofit Legal Services of Northern California.
Medicare is complicated;
HICAP’s free volunteer
counselors can help
HICAP, Medicare benefits and coverage options, government programs that assist with Medicare costs, Medicare appeals and grievances, and other common issues. Then they are paired with a current HICAP staffer for 20 hours of mentoring. Each volunteer is then registered and authorized by the California Department of Aging.
“The training is pretty intense,” said Washington. “These are not your average volunteers. I find that many of them had a career that challenged them, and they are looking for that in retirement. They’ve basically turned over their lives to this. We have some volunteers who have been with us for 20 years.”
The result of this intensive training is a team of more than 50 counselors in HICAP’s nine-county region who are equipped to help people with a wide range of Medicare-related issues. They can help their clients with such things as:
HICAP Services of Northern California serves a nine-county area covering El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. Its counselors all live in the counties they serve. Ginsburg and her fellow HICAP volunteers field hundreds of calls every week from seniors over age 65, people with disabilities and caretakers. All HICAP services are free.
Their services will be especially important during Medicare open enrollment this year (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7) as a result of the enhancements to Medicare that were adopted as part of the recent Inflation Reduction Act. The changes, which will cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month and eventually lower prescription drug prices and cap out-of-pocket costs, are expected to raise a lot of questions among Medicare recipients. (Click here for more information.)
- carolynn washington
Education & Outreach Coordinator, HICAP
• Understanding Medicare Parts A, B, C and D;
• Explaining the difference between various healthcare options, such as the difference between Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans;
• Providing information about the Medicare supplemental healthcare insurance options (Medigap) in your area;
• Informing you of the requirements and options for prescription drug plans (Medicare Part D);
• Determining if you are eligible for government assistance;
• Assisting with Medicare issues, appeals and grievances, including the worsening problem of Medicare fraud;
• Exploring long-term care insurance (LTCI) options;
• Making referrals and helping you find legal representation if you’ve been denied service, coverage or payment
by Medicare or have other questions about your rights.
Marge Ginsburg, HICAP counselor
Perhaps the most important thing about HICAP’s volunteer counselors, aside from their extensive knowledge and training, is that they are volunteers. HICAP is a special program of Legal Services of Northern California and, as such, is an independent nonprofit organization funded by grants through Area 4 Agency on Aging, the California Department of Aging and the Administration on Community Living.
Counselors are not affiliated with any insurance companies or healthcare providers. Their sole interest is in helping you get the information you need to decide what’s best for you or your
loved one.
“It’s important to talk to someone like a HICAP counselor who doesn’t have a vested interest in the choices you make,” said Washington. “Insurance companies can try to sell you things. We’re more of a life coach that will walk you through and help you navigate this labyrinth.”
So if you are 65 or older, have a disability, or are a caretaker of a senior and/or person with a disability, and you have questions regarding Medicare, you can visit HICAP’s website, email hicap@lsnc.net, or call 1-800-434-0222, toll-free, to get your county-specific contact information.
Or, if you would like to volunteer to become a counselor in your county, you can learn more and request an application form here.
Throughout the pandemic, HICAP operated via telephone and teleconferencing. But volunteers like Ginsburg say working from a distance made little difference in their ability to counsel those in need. In fact, it extended HICAP’s ability to reach people living in remote areas, those unable to take time off work, and many who are homebound or don’t have adequate transportation.
“It is so satisfying to see how much of a difference you can make in people’s lives in just an hour,” says Ginsburg. “At the end of their day, [counselors] feel like they did something. They helped people; they made their lives a little bit easier, and there’s no substitute for that.”
HICAP of Northern California Contact Information
Find your County Specific Contact Information
HICAPservices.net
Or call Toll Free: 1 (800) 434-0222
HICAP Main office
505 12th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel: (916) 376-8915
Fax: (916) 376-8795
Email: hicap@lsnc.net
El Dorado County
(530) 621-6169
Nevada County
Tel: (530) 258-6827 or Email: NevadaHICAP@hicapservices.net
Sacramento County residents
Call (916) 376-8915
San Joaquin County
(209) 470-7812
Sierra County
(530) 993-4770
Placer County
· Auburn/Rocklin: (530) 889-9500
· Roseville & Lincoln: (916) 376-8915
Yolo County
(916) 376-8915
Yuba & Sutter Counties
(530) 742-4474
• Understanding Medicare Parts A, B, C and D;
• Explaining the difference between various healthcare options, such as the difference between Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans;
• Providing information about the Medicare supplemental healthcare insurance options (Medigap) in your area;
• Informing you of the requirements and options for prescription drug plans (Medicare Part D);
• Determining if you are eligible for government assistance;
• Assisting with Medicare issues, appeals and grievances, including the worsening problem of Medicare fraud;
• Exploring long-term care insurance (LTCI) options;
• Making referrals and helping you find legal representation if you’ve been denied service, coverage or payment
by Medicare or have other questions about your rights.