SHIP 3: Got The Appointment... For 7 Days From Now

Aspect of Need Addressed: Medical, Financial

Still working on my son's Medicare Part D prescription drug insurance...

Background: My son's previous insurer, Fox Insurance, was kicked out of the Part D program by CMS, the Medicare administrators. So he has to find a new plan. Before he can determine which is the best option, he must determine how any of the prospective plans interface with NJ Medicaid, under which he is also covered. My research determined that there is a State Health Insurance Counseling Program, called SHIP, funded by Medicare, that can help him with that. Earlier this week I had spoken to the SHIP Coordinator for Mercer County, who was to help me get an appointment with a SHIP Counselor.

Today I spoke with The counselor she had in mind for my son isn't available. So we've scheduled for my son to visit with another counselor, on March 31.

I'm looking forward to the appointment. I am observing, however, (and not yet judging) how long it is taking to get from the decision to get help with the Medicare-Medicaid interface to the time it actually will be offered. From the time we began seeking a change in his plan to time we discovered through research of SHIP's existence: 2 days. From the time we were offered an appointment with a counselor until the time one was available to see us: 7 days. This is itself perhaps is not so extraordinary, especially when working with agencies in which the workers are certified volunteers. There must be a relative scarcity of such qualified counselors. Hence the time it takes to get an appointment. Kind of like a doctor... I am keeping track of this initiative and all my son's other various initiatives on a master to-do list, managing from it every day like a regular job. One has to keep on top of such things.

But can a mentally ill loved one with a thought disorder manage this process on his own? The complexities of Medicare and Medicaid? Finding out that there is a SHIP and what it does? Finding the right person to call? Learning the process of getting an appointment with a counselor. Getting that appointment seven days later? There's a lot to keep track of. Can this system be made more simple or direct? How will this be after ObamaCare is implemented to include 30 million more people on the Medicare/Medicaid roles? I don' t think our waiting times for appointments will be reduced...