volunteers A1AA seeks HICAP Medicare counselors

Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP), a program of the Area 1 Agency on Aging, seeks volunteers to educate and assist people in making informed decisions about their Medicare options.

Registered HICAP Medicare counselors are needed in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The HICAP program is volunteer supported under guidance from the California Department of Aging and the Area 1 Agency on Aging.

HICAP counselors provide unbiased information to help Medicare clients decide what is best for their individual health care needs. A1AA provides free training to become a registered HICAP counselor.

All HICAP volunteers must complete a minimum of 24 hours of training and 10 hours observing other HICAP counselors. Volunteers will be registered with the state at the conclusion of the training. The training will begin this spring.

To stay registered with HICAP, counselors are required to attend at least 12 hours of training and contribute a minimum of 40 counseling hours to the HICAP program per year. HICAP asks for a minimum one year volunteer commitment because of the time required for training.

“The HICAP training has gained traction as a reliable way to meet community needs,” said Ben Winker, HICAP program manager and a registered HICAP counselor.

Penny Eckert, also a 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.”