GRMC volunteer makes hall of fame

April 29--WEST BURLINGTON -- Not many know about the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, but those who do probably know Fred Kelly, who earlier this week was one of three inducted this year into the Governor's Volunteer Hall of Fame and the only one to receive the People's Choice Award for the state of Iowa.

The 10-year SHIIP volunteer and retired Burlington elementary school teacher and principal has dedicated about 8,500 hours to counseling clients on Medicare enrollment through the free, state-run insurance counseling service. Since 2007, he has helped 3,098 clients save a total of $700,000.

"One way I wanted to show him recognition was by nominating him to the Hall of Fame, and that is the single highest honor a volunteer can receive at the state level," said Michelle McGraw, who coordinates more than 500 Great River Health Systems volunteers and nominated Kelly for the honor.

Kelly didn't even know he was nominated until he saw a post on Facebook announcing he was an inductee. McGraw said there was a mixup in Des Moines that caused the Facebook notification to go out before the official letters to the nominees.

"I have to admit to being a little tearful," Kelly said. "I get choked up pretty easily," explaining the behavior is an indicator of his high level of sensitivity, which McGraw said is what makes him so good with his clients.

Earlier Thursday, he enrolled a woman in a Medicare plan after a total of six hours of counseling. Counseling appointments typically are only for one hour, but Kelly is happy to meet for multiple sessions to make sure his clients are comfortable with the plan they choose.

Another woman once came to Kelly with questions about a bill for $5,000 she received from the Mayo Clinic. Kelly reviewed the bill with her and discovered her Medicare supplement had missed the payment. He told her how to get in touch with her Medicare supplement, and the insurance provider paid the bill.

"She was happy," Kelly said of the client when she left, which is why he does what he does -- "the smile on people's face when they leave."

He helped another client save $3,000 by helping them find a new drug plan.

He trains others to do the same, and three or four of the Des Moines County program's nine counselors and seven office assistants were clients of Kelly's or another counselor at one time.

Unlike those volunteers, Kelly, 65, signed up for Medicare coverage without SHIIP counseling. Soon after, he received a letter from his insurance company asking if he would be interested in helping other people sign up for insurance.

"I thought they were asking me to sell insurance, and no way was I going to do that," Kelly said.

After learning that was not the case, he began the intensive training process, which began with three days of training online and another three days of face-to-face training at the Des Moines SHIIP office, which heads the program, followed by a test volunteers must pass before they can become counselors. They must return to Des Moines three times per year for refresher courses as well as pass an annual test.

"I took the training and fell in love with it," Kelly said. "And I've told them if they want me out of here, they need to carry me out in a box."

McGraw, who often checks in on Kelly before leaving for the day, jokingly said they may need to install a defibulator in the office.

SHIIP counselors in Des Moines County must shadow Kelly for three sessions and do one session in front of him before they can go solo.

Kelly doesn't mind doing the training at all and goes above and beyond to get people the information they need. The SHIIP program is required to assist only Iowa residents, but Kelly has helped people from Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Arizona, North Carolina and Virginia.

SHIIP has helped about 30 percent of Des Moines County residents who receive Medicare, and Kelly wants to reach all of them, which is why he's been known to write letters to the editor about the subject.

His devotion to the job isn't isolated to his desire to help others. It also is out of support for the hospital.

"The other part of it is I have a great deal of respect for this hospital. They have treated me very well, both as a patient and as a volunteer," Kelly said. "I'm still alive because of them."

He also travels to Wapello once per week to counsel people in Louisa County as it does not have its own SHIIP program and has presented almost 50 "Welcome to Medicare" seminars for people wanting to learn about Medicare, the next of which is at 1 p.m. June 13 in the Oak Room at GRMC.

To register for the presentation, schedule a SHIIP appointment or get more information, call the GRMC SHIIP office at (319) 768-3342.

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