With all the media surrounding health care reform lately it has left quite a few seniors confused at to the benefits they have and if or when they should be using these health benefits. What the older and yes wiser population needs to know is that they do have health care options and no matter what government politics are claiming to the media the fact remains that the health benefits of seniors should not be put on hold.
Seniors with the help of a health advocate will get to know their health care options. At Social Service Coordinators they advocate on behalf of large health care companies by assisting the members through the application process for those programs they qualify for, including the completions of any required applications. SSC also educates the member on any required annual or periodic recertification procedures that may be required.
With proposed changes to Medicare and Medicaid being reported in the media on a daily basis it is no wonder seniors are up in arms demanding some clarification; however we are not the only nation to have a health care system that is not working properly. Did you know that in Canada they have a waiting list of 875,000 Canadians waiting for medical care? It may feel like Obama is fumbling through his health care reform agenda, but in truth our health care system albeit not perfect, still runs and people are receiving medical treatment when needed.
If you’ve had a set back and find yourself with no health insurance at all you might still be able to find a federally funded health center that will care for you. These centers typically treat you if you are sick, pregnant, or need immunizations for your children. Many times a federally-funded health centers will also provide some dental care and prescription drugs for your family if needed. To find such a center you will need to do a search on a computer by typing in your address and clicking on the ‘Find Health Centers’ button to find a health center near you, but keep in mind most centers are in big cities, where the population is high and the income is low.
There have been some states with which the health reform movement is at a stand still, they claim they can’t move forward until the government issues more rules to clarify exactly what kinds of services need to covered, while many other states claim they have too many rules, so much so that these rules have clogged the of health care system into a sort of lock and hold, and don’t know how to move forward. This kind-of “wait and see” attitude that states are taking up has left its citizens wondering if their benefits are also on hold.
As a private social service organization serving the managed Medicare and Medicaid industry SSC is committed to helping eligible individuals receive the social program benefits to which they are entitled today; “there should never be a “wait and see” when you are eligible to receive health benefits, says Richard Hales of Florida. However Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, (the insurance industry’s trade association) disagrees. “There are still a lot of outstanding questions because we’re still waiting for a lot of the regulations.”
If you are low-income not all has to be lost, with Social Service Coordinators Golden Touch program, members get social service education and advocacy services that help them gain a greater understanding of what public or private benefits and services are available to them. Golden Touch is a comprehensive program that includes a “Social Service CheckUp” to screen for eligibility for programs such as energy or telephone assistance, transportation and nutrition, to name a few.
Everyone at the office may agree times are getting tougher; So what is a person supposed to do? Social Service Coordinatorsare the leading health advocates in the nation why not check them out and get a list of free social services for you and your family.