Dallas County Hospital is offering a seminar through the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), aimed at helping seniors navigate their health coverage.

SHIIP Counselor Lou Hoger will conduct a two-hour Welcome to Medicare Seminar at the hospital on Thursday, June 20th at 7 p.m. He says the goal of the program is to erase any confusion surrounding Medicare enrollment, and to help the elderly make the right decisions for themselves in a complicated landscape. “People oftentimes don’t get accurate, clear information about Medicare. And for many people, it’s like entering into a maze. The Welcome to Medicare Seminar is an event for people provided by the Insurance Commission of Iowa, who funds the SHIIP program, so that people can understand all the elements of Medicare before they get to that point of retirement and turning 65.”

Hoger emphasizes that SHIIP is sponsored by the State of Iowa and doesn’t promote any insurance companies, policies, or agents. Some of the topics he’ll cover include the rules for enrolling, the difficulties if you don’t enroll once you’re 65-years-old, and some of the reasons you may not need to enroll right away. He’ll also discuss the parts of Medicare, such as part A for hospitalization, part B for routine healthcare, and part D for prescription drugs. The seminar is free to attend, but registration is required because space is limited. The deadline to sign up is June 12th, and you can do so by contacting Hoger directly at 515-465-7656 or 515-465-7578.

To learn more, listen to this past Monday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.