February 4, 2010-Minot Daily News
Insurance department programs recover $7.6 million for North Dakotans
By JILL SCHRAMM, Staff Writer jschramm@minotdailynews.com
North Dakotans saved or recovered nearly $7.6 million in 2009 with the assistance of the North Dakota Insurance Department, according to a report released Tuesday.
The largest amount was an estimated $4.5 million saved by people assisted through the State Health Insurance Counseling Program. The program helps people with Medicare enrollment, particularly the prescription drug benefit.
The department recorded 18,529 contacts through SHIC, a 16 percent increase over 2008. Numbers have been growing every year since the introduction of a Medicare Part D in 2005, when the number of people using the program jumped from 651 to 3,198.
“What’s driving it is Part D, but also the knowledge of the program has continued to grow. Word of mouth has spread around the state as to what SHIC offers,” Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm said.
More people are recognizing that help is available related to Medicare throughout the year and not just during the annual enrollment period for drug benefits, he said.
“Some of the SHIC volunteers, too, have really taken the initiative to promote or advertise that they are available to help people,” said Merry Green, a SHIC counselor with the Minot Commission on Aging. Insurance Department staff are aided in providing services by 90 volunteer counselors across the state.
The Commission on Aging and AARP set aside three days a week when people could schedule appointments with their counselors during the Medicare Part D enrollment period, Green said. Other local agencies that offer SHIC also have increased their outreach, including setting set up enrollment clinics in area communities, she said.
Hamm said it has been a challenge to obtain SHIC volunteers in some areas to keep up with the growing number of contacts. The Minot region has been doing well with its volunteer numbers, but the Insurance Department encourages more people and agencies to get involved. The state provides SHIC training for new volunteers.
Green said Minot’s medical and social agencies that work with seniors are willing to participate as volunteers with their employees because they understand the impact of health costs on their clients. The cost of prescription drugs ranked as a top concern of the region’s seniors in a survey conducted by the Commission on Aging, she said.
SHIC counselors have helped seniors with drug costs by ensuring that they are enrolled in the most appropriate Medicare prescription drug plans and are receiving reduced-cost medicines when they are eligible.
The $4.5 million savings from SHIC listed by the Insurance Department is an estimate based on national averages provided by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The department reports the $7.6 million saved for North Dakotans also represents money saved through Prescription Connection and recovered through its hotline, through complaints filed by consumers against insurance companies and agents and through investigations performed by the department.
In 2009, the Insurance Department hotline handled nearly 8,500 phone calls, helped 157 walk-in clients and processed 264 formal complaints against companies or agents. The complaint numbers have dropped considerably over the past 10 years, although fines of $42,850 in 2009 were up over 2008.
Hamm said the department works to resolve any differences between insurance companies and their clients, and increased claims payments that clients receive as a result of those interventions are included in the $7.6 million.