Submitted by Annette Morrison, M.S., CRS A/D, DCS, Older American’s Act Programs Supervisor
Paula reviewed her new homeowner’s insurance policy with a magnifying glass. She had found out, belatedly, that the damage caused by the most recent outbreak of thunderstorms would not be covered completely by her old policy. Her only defense was to read the fine print and shop wisely. She looked for coupons, sales events, refurbished items, and membership perks. With Paula’s lower, fixed income since retirement, handling housing costs, basic needs, and insurance was even trickier.
As Paula shuffled to her mailbox, admiring the fall color changes in her trees, she opened it to a stack of letters. “Uff da,” she sighed as she took them out. Walking back to her front porch, she slowly sorted through it, mumbling to herself, “Credit card junk, car extended warranty junk, local circular ads, utility bill, utility bill… What’s this? Something from my Medicare Insurance.” As she opened the letter from her Medicare Insurance carrier, she found a six-page booklet titled “Annual Notice of Change.” She set it aside and thought, I’ll read this later.
In January, Paula scheduled her annual physical with her primary care physician and he ordered lab work. She was surprised to find her copay had gone up, but it was only $10 more. Paula was healthy and rarely went to the doctor, so she didn’t worry about it too much. Her doctor, however, became concerned at the results of her bloodwork and referred her to a specialist. Paula started to suspect that her insurance had made serious changes in coverage when she received bills for labs, procedures, and provider appointments. When her doctor prescribed high-cost heart medication and blood thinner, she panicked at the amount of her copay: $398 for one month of medications.
“How am I going to afford this?” she thought aloud.
The pharmacist made eye contact and Paula could tell that she felt bad for her, but she did not expect to hear, “There is a place, locally, that can help you. CCSI Case Coordination has Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) Counselors who will go through your insurance with you and let you know what other help might be available. My grandma goes there all the time.”
“Thank you,” Paula whispered, as she handed over her credit card to pay for the medication. She sat in her car in the pharmacy parking lot, pulled up a browser, and typed in, “CCSI Case Coordination.” She called their number and scheduled an appointment with a SHIP Counselor.
The SHIP Counselor at CCSI was able to help Paula create a Medicare.gov account and look at the ways her Medicare Advantage Plan coverage had changed. Shockingly, there were drastic changes—increases in premium, a drug deductible, health deductible, copays, and two of her providers were no longer in network.
She was furious. “This isn’t right! How can they do this without letting us know?”
Her SHIP Counselor asked her, “Did you receive an ‘Annual Notice of Change’ last fall? Federal law requires Medicare insurance companies to mail them to their members. The ANOC explains the differences in coverage so you can choose to change plans during Medicare’s annual open enrollment period from October 15th to December 7th, every year.”
Paula’s stomach sank as she remembered that booklet—the one she said she would look at later. She had forgotten about it. Fearing she had made a major mistake, she asked her SHIP Counselor what her current options were. She learned through CCSI, that there are subsidies—programs to help pay for the costs of Medicare—to those who have limited income and assets. She was relieved to find out that she not only qualified for assistance, but that the CCSI SHIP Counselor also helped her apply, uploaded required documents, and later, followed up to make sure she was receiving the financial assistance she needed.
Paula left CCSI Case Coordination feeling like she had found her person—a Senior Information Services Specialist, a SHIP Counselor—an expert who was there for her and that she could trust. When she next went to pick up her heart medication, she braced as the clerk totaled her cost: “$4.90, please.”
Paula gasped, “What?”
The clerk looked up at her and repeated, “$4.90. Were you expecting a zero-dollar copay?”
Paula’s face lit up with a huge smile. “No. You just made my day!” Paula felt lighter than she had in months. She vowed to never ignore another piece of mail from her insurance company and to call CCSI when she had an insurance question or needed options.
If you are a Medicare Beneficiary, watch for your Annual Notice of Change from your current carrier in September 2026. If you need assistance looking for a new plan for 2027, our SHIP Counselors start taking appointments for Medicare Open Enrollment on October 1st. Call CCSI Case Coordination to schedule at 309-661-6400. We have offices and outreaches throughout Shelby, DeWitt, Livingston, and McLean Counties. Funding for services provided by ECIAAA, IDOA, CCSI Case Coordination, and the Older American’s Act. Consulting a SHIP Counselor has no fee, but donations are graciously accepted.