The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Joplin Metro

Discussion

August 25, 2007

Partnership provides help on Medicare, insurance needs

From staff reports

A new partnership will help area residents with HIV/AIDS get needed advice on Medicare and other health-insurance needs.

The AIDS Project of the Ozarks (APO) has joined with CLAIM, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Missourians make the most of the federal health coverage for seniors and the disabled.

The two groups have worked together on an ad hoc basis for more than a year, but recently formalized their partnership, said Lauri Massey, director of client services for the APO.

“We are delighted to be partnering with CLAIM. People living with HIV and AIDS face big enough challenges without the added burden of trying to understand Medicare-related matters,’’ she said.

As part of the alliance, the APO will help CLAIM provide free Medicare counseling services specifically to those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

Founded in 1985, the APO is a grass-roots response to the increasing numbers of HIV/AIDS cases in Southwest Missouri. In addition to the new Medicare counseling, the APO offers medical care, HIV testing and prevention education to more than 600 clients in 29 counties in Southwest Missouri.

The APO maintains offices in Springfield and Joplin.

Through a network of more than 200 volunteers, CLAIM provides free health-insurance advice on Medicare-related issues.

CLAIM is officially designated as the Missouri state health insurance-assistance program. Since CLAIM began, it has helped more than 130,000 Missourians, saving them an estimated $9 million in out-of-pocket expenses.

CLAIM receives financial assistance, in part, through a grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal Medicare agency. Funding is administered through the Missouri Department of Insurance.



Help available

Medicare assistance is available to all Missourians through the CLAIM program. For help, visit www.missouriclaim.org or dial 1-800-390-3330.

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