Can You Help? A1AA seeks volunteer HICAP counselors

The Area One Agency on Aging in Humboldt County is recruiting volunteer counselors for its Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program.

HICAP counselors help Medicare beneficiaries navigate enrollment and understand the diverse insurance options.

Operating under the guidance of the California Department of Aging and Area 1 Agency on Aging, HICAP counselors provide impartial information to assist clients in making informed health care decisions.

A1AA offers free training to become a registered HICAP counselor.

The training, which starts this spring, requires a minimum of 24 hours, including 10 hours of observation, with volunteers registered upon completion.

To maintain registration with HICAP, counselors must attend at least 12 hours of training annually and contribute a minimum of 40 counseling hours per year. A one-year commitment is requested due to training requirements.

Penny Eckert, HICAP volunteer counselor, said, “I volunteer because health insurance is needlessly complex and because, as a veteran medical biller and bureaucrat, I can help my clients negotiate the complexities and get the coverage they’ve earned and need. I volunteer because when my clients are so relieved that they’ve successfully negotiated this crazy maze of parts, plans, supplements, and all, it makes me feel like I really made a difference. I volunteer because we were all put on this world to make a difference and volunteering helps me make a positive difference in the lives and health outcomes of my clients. I volunteer because it makes me feel good.”

To learn more, visit a1aa.org or contact Shauna McKenna at volunteer@a1aa.org or 707-502-7688.