STATEWIDE
INFORMATION AND REFERRAL
Department of Administration, Division of Senior Services
The Division of Senior Services provides seniors with information about programs and services available in Alaska and the lower forty-eight states through a toll free helpline available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM every business day and by e-mail accessible through the state Website (www.hss.state.ak.us/dsds/info.htm). Information is provided on senior housing, long-term care options, legal services, home health options, care coordination, insurance issues, tax responsibilities, and Social Security. Clients can also get directions to the agency or agencies that can best help them solve their problems. Because health care related issues head the list of senior concerns, a series of federal grants help finance an Information and Referral service entitled Alaska Medicare Information.
Alaska Medicare Information (AMI)
Alaska Medicare Information serves Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, their families and friends, and Alaska’s Medicare and Medicaid providers. AMI conducts seminars and informational meetings around Alaska explaining Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualifications, enrollment procedures, and methods of combating fraud and abuse in the system, Medicare supplements, long-term care insurance, and +Choice Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). In addition, AMI is responsible for conducting public information initiatives promoting flu shots, mammograms, Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) and Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) enrollment, new preventive medicine benefits, and other Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) projects. It also serves as the central distributor of Medicare-related printed materials from the HCFA, the U.S. Administration on Aging, and other interested organizations. Staff located in Anchorage assist clients from around the state through a toll free number (1-800-478-6065). When appropriate, clients are referred to volunteers around the state for local assistance.
AMI deals with subjects related to private health insurance. In Alaska, Medicare supplements or so called "Medigap" policies fill the gaps in Medicare’s payment schedules. This includes explaining the benefits of each of the ten standard plans and providing comparison shopping information about companies selling Medigap policies in Alaska. Long-term care insurance is another growing area of concern for Alaskans. Comparing policy conditions and cost/benefit ratios often requires unbiased assistance not available elsewhere. AMI helps clients solve problems with billing or claims processing or when there is a suspicion of possible fraud or abuse in a Medicare or Medicaid claim.
During FY2000, the number of volunteers working with relocation problems and long distance caregiving has tripled through increased recruiting efforts, additional staff, promotion of the program’s 800 number, and partnering agreements with Assisted Living Licensing, the ACoA, the Alzheimer's Association, and other organizations that deal with a high number of relocation cases. Assistance has come from AARP, the Older Persons Action Group, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, RSVP, and local senior centers. The need for +Choice information has been growing with Alaska having its first +Choice option now available in the form of the Sterling Private Fee for Service option. The introduction of the +Choice option has increased the number of outreach visits to rural areas of the state and the number of potential distributors. As a result, our current mailing list includes nearly 250 contacts willing to distribute materials appropriate to their clientele.
In FY2000 AMI conducted +Choice outreach in thirty communities throughout Alaska. The program has contacted seven additional communities for future outreach. AMI outreach visits include hospitals, clinics, Indian Health Service organizations, EMTs, public health nurses and pharmacies, local state, tribal, or community-based social service providers, senior centers and senior housing units. AMI also meets with state, tribal, and local government officials. These visits and meetings include, but are not limited to:
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Senior Housing Office
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