Help seniors save money by volunteering as a Michigan Medicare Assistance Program counselor – Macomb Daily

Michigan Medicare Assistance Program counselors are not affiliated with insurance brokers, so there is no incentive to push people on one plan or another. The counselors help clients figure out what is best for their medical needs and their budgets. They work both by phone and in person, usually at a public library or senior center. (Photo courtesy of Metro Editorial Services)

Are you looking for a challenging volunteer opportunity that will put a smile on your face?

The Michigan Medicare Assistance Program, part of AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services, is looking for people to help Medicare beneficiaries navigate the benefits catalog – and ideally save money in the process.

An informative webinar via Zoom is planned for Wednesday, July 24, at 1:00 p.m.

“Our volunteers really help beneficiaries understand Medicare. Beneficiaries feel much more confident in their Medicare decisions and are thrilled when we can save them money. In fact, we helped Medicare beneficiaries save over $1.5 million last year in our region alone,” says Shari Smith, manager of MMAP.

George Wojdacki of Clinton Township became an MMAP counselor 11 years ago after his doctor mentioned he might be good at it. Wojdacki had previously been a pharmaceutical sales representative, so this seemed like a logical step after his retirement. And it was. He loves meeting people, giving talks in the community, and seeing clients leave satisfied. And the last part? That’s the best part.

Wojdacki remembers that a couple he helped get supplemental medication insurance gave him a gift that he declined. But it was just sitting there, in a bag, on his desk. The man eventually asked him if he was curious about what was inside. Wojdacki was curious, so he opened the bag and saw a bottle of single malt scotch.

“I didn’t take it, but I told the guy it was killing me,” he says, adding that this is part of what makes MMAP counseling so fun – it makes people happy.

MMAP offers unbiased and free advice. The counselors are not affiliated with insurance brokers and therefore have no incentive to push people on one plan or another. The counselors help clients figure out what is best for their medical needs and their budget. They work year-round by phone or in person, usually at a public library or senior center. The training takes about seven hours total.

Peggy Kahn of Ann Arbor trained as an MMAP consultant several years ago after retiring as a professor at UM-Flint. She had taught political science and other subjects, including health policy. When she began her work as a consultant, what had been largely abstract became very real.

“It gave me practical insight that I didn’t know before,” says Kahn. “I’m interested in the interaction between real people and social policy, and I’m still working from the ground up to help people.”

Kahn says being an MMAP counselor has helped her plan for retirement and that there’s something nice about helping people in such a direct way.

“I’ve never experienced so much appreciation. People are so lost and confused. It’s an important thing that they need help with. And they are mature adults who know how to be grateful,” she says.

Kahn says MMAP counseling is both frustrating and rewarding, with the first feeling coming from the complexity of the program and the second from dealing with people who need help.

“They help them navigate a problematic system. They can help them sign up for the best plan,” she says.

Both Wojdacki and Kahn work as many hours as they want, sometimes in person, often on the phone.

Sue Young, a retired bank manager who lives in Warren, trained as an MMAP adviser 12 years ago. She says it took her some time to get to grips with Medicare, but she hasn’t found it difficult. Plus, if she has questions, she can check a database available to advisers or ask a team leader.

“Even after 12 years, I still have to look things up. As the year goes on, you find yourself in situations you haven’t been in for a long time, but you’re never alone. There’s plenty of support whenever you need it,” says Young.

She says she spends most of her hours – about 30 – during the open enrollment period, a seven-week period at the end of the year when Medicare recipients can change their drug plans. Young counsels clients by phone and usually at the Pittsfield Senior Center or the local library.

“I have almost complete control over my schedule,” she says.

For Young, informing people about the availability of MMAP is a priority. She has seen people disappointed because they didn’t know enough about Medicare.

“What really bothered me is that there are people who never signed up for Part B because they couldn’t afford it. Then they get hit with a life sentence, so it’s important to me as an advisor to get the word out about that,” she says. (Part A and Part B are collectively known as Original Medicare. Part B comes with a premium that’s deducted from a person’s Social Security check.)

If helping older adults avoid pitfalls like Medicare penalties sounds satisfying to you, visit tinyurl.com/agewaysmmap for the webinar or call 248-602-1879.

This content is provided by AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services (the new name for Area Agency on Aging 1-B), a nonprofit organization serving older adults and family caregivers in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties. We offer services, programs and resources designed to help seniors age safely and independently. Call us at 800-852-7795 to get in touch.