Elderly moms could save big with present

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By David Heitz | Saturday, May 12, 2007 12:45 AM CDT | () comments

Randoe Dice, district manager of the Social Security office in Davenport, hopes children will honor their mothers Sunday with a gift that rips through red tape and sometimes saves their parents thousands of dollars.

The Social Security Administration wants to encourage young adults to help their mothers apply for extra help to pay for the Medicare prescription drug benefit when families get together Sunday. The application process, though quick and easy online, can be overwhelming to senior citizens who do not have a computer.

“We hope children will ask their parents this Mother’s Day if they’ve applied for ‘Extra Help,’ ” Dice said. “Everyone’s confused with all these numbers.”

Even with the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the high costs of medications can be a big burden on seniors. The extra help provided by Social Security can help pay for part or all of a subscriber’s premium.

To qualify, a single person must have an income of no more than $15,315. A married couple living together can earn $20,535. Even if their income is higher, they still may be eligible if they support other family members who live with them or have earnings from work.

Additional resources are limited to $11,710 for an individual or $23,410 for a married couple living together. Resources include bank accounts, stocks and bonds. Homes and automobiles are not counted as resources. For those who qualify, extra help on average amounts to savings of $3,700 per year. More than 20,000 Iowans who applied for extra help received it.

To apply online, go to www.socialsecurity.gov. To apply by phone or to get an application, call Social Security at (800) 722-1213 and ask for form SSA-1020.

Dice said he applied for all four of his grandparents online and it only took about five minutes per application. His grandparents, retired farmers, did not qualify for extra help but have saved about $1,500 annually with the Medicare prescription drug plan. To learn more about the Medicare prescription drug plan, go to www.medicare.gov or call (800) 633-4227.

Joan Vanover, a counselor with the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, or SHIIP, said children would be doing a real service by helping their parents apply for the Medicare drug coverage or extra help. “Many companies such as Deere have programs that are as good or better than any Medicare prescription drug program on the market, but some keep cutting away at benefits. It hurts, and it hurts a lot.”

She said many elderly people who live in nursing homes or who are enrolled in day care “talk to each other but they don’t know what they’re talking about” when it comes to the Medicare drug benefit and extra help. “There are so many ifs, ands and buts under the Medicare program. It’s mass confusion for some people.”

David Heitz can be contacted at (563) 383-2202 or dheitz@qctimes.com.

MORE WAYS TO GET HELP

Seniors who do not have children or do not frequently see them can still learn more about the Medicare prescription drug program and get extra help by seeing a Senior Health Insurance Information Program counselor. For an appointment, call (563) 421-1096 and leave your name and number on the answering machine. A counselor will return your call within 24 hours.