Trained counselors promote consumer understanding of Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare supplement and long-term care insurance.  Call 1-800-856-4398 for:

• Free service
• Specially trained counselors
• Unbiased information providers
• Consumer retains all rights to choices
• Free Long Term Care Insurance Buyers Guide available
• Free Medicare Supplement Insurance Buyers Guide available

WSHIIP volunteers must attend yearly in-services to keep them up-to-date on Medicare issues.

Towns with WSHIIP Volunteers

Arapahoe
Baggs
Basin
Buffalo
Burlington
Casper
Cheyenne
Cody
Douglas
Dubois                                 Elk Mountain

Encampment
Evanston                                 Fort Bridger
Fort Washakie               Gillette
Glenrock
Green River
Hanna
Hulett
Jackson

Kemmerer

Lander
Laramie

Lusk
Medicine Bow
Moorcroft

Mt. View
Newcastle

Powell
Rawlins
Riverton
Rock Springs
Saratoga

St. Stephens

Sheridan
Shoshoni
Sundance
Teton Village
Thayne
Thermopolis
Torrington
Wheatland
Worland
Wright

THE NEW MEDICAREPRESCRIPTIONDRUG COVERAGE
TIPS ON AVOIDING FRAUD 

EXTRA HELP WITH MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS

Have you heard about Medicare’s new prescription drug coverage? As part of the new plan, people with limited incomes may now be able to get extra help to pay for prescription drugs. If you qualify, you will get help paying for your drug plan’s premium, copayment, and save on prescription drugs when the plan starts next year. But while you’re finding out more, remember that 
there are some scams out there. This sheet will help you spot them. Read on for the things you need to know to avoid fraud. 

GETTING EXTRA HELP. Some people may get extra help automatically. If that’s true for you, you should have gotten a 
letter from Medicare to tell you so. If you are not sure, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) Social Security (1-800-772-1213) to find out more. Other people may choose to apply for extra help. But if someone pressures you to apply, or asks too many personal questions, stop. Before you act, check with a local agency (look for resources on the back of this page). 

APPLYING IS FREE. You never have to pay for a form or to get help filling it out. The forms to apply are free, and there’s plenty of free help in your community. 

DON’T SHARE ACCOUNT NUMBERS. To find out if you can get extra help, you will have to answer questions about your 
income and resources—such as how much money you have in the bank. But you’ll never be asked for your bank, checking, credit card, or investment account numbers. If anyone asks you for your account numbers, it’s probably a scam. 

TALK TO THE RIGHT PERSON. If your application isn’t complete, you may get a call from Social Security to make sure 
they have the right information. If you think the call is not really from Social Security, or if they ask you for your Social Security number, hang up. Then call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213. It’s always better to make sure you’re talking to the right person. 

CHOOSE A PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN. If you qualify for extra help, you’ll still need to sign up with a prescription drug plan that’s approved by Medicare in your area. Sign-up begins on November 15-December 31, 2007. If someone asks you to sign up before that date, it’s a scam. 

Medicare Supplemental Insurance in Wyoming

We all know that Medicare does not pay 100% of medical bills. In Wyoming, the only choice available for beneficiaries to help fill in the gaps is supplemental insurance. Medicare is encouraging companies to offer the other options, such as HMOs, MSAs, PSOs, etc., but again, as of now supplemental insurance (Medigap) is probably the choice available in Wyoming.  New companies are offering policies with Medicare Part D, the Medicare prescription benefit, as of January 1, 2006.  Before purchasing an HMO, PPO, etc., check with your doctor and hospital to make sure they will honor these policies.

Wyoming Senior Citizens, Inc. in partnership with the Aging Division of Wyoming and the Administration on Aging began a three-year project entitled Senior Patrol. The Project has been successful and is now renamed Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). The Senior Medicare Patrol project is designed to educate seniors and the general public to identify Medicare/Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse. Wyoming Senior Citizens, Inc., Ombudsman and the Wyoming State Health Insurance Information Program will lead the project. The WSHIIP Volunteers will also be very involved. Visit our Senior Medicare Patrol link to learn more about Medicare/Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse.

FRAUD is the intentional deception or misrepresentation, which an individual knows to be false, or does not believe to be true, and makes knowing that the deception could result in some unauthorized payment to himself/herself or some other person.

ABUSE is unintentional deception, but results in payment for items or services when there is no legal entitlement to that payment, and is inconsistent with sound medical, business, or fiscal practices or are medically unnecessary.

For an explanation or address of insurance companies that carry MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT "MEDIGAP" INSURANCE or LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE click on either title.

The Wyoming Aging Division and CMS.gov are sites for information for seniors in Wyoming.

contact the WSHIIP representative nearest you:

email mailto:jhacklem@wyoming.com 

Janet Hackleman
WSHIIP Manager
P.O. Box BD
Riverton, WY 82501
1-800-856-4398
Fax: (307)856-4466

email mailto:betsyg@wyoming.com 

Betsy Gardner
Job Coach/WSHIIP Assistant
P.O. Box BD
Riverton, WY 82501
1-800-856-4398
Fax: (307)856-4466

email mailto:dtomrino@wyoming.com

D. Tom Reinhart
WSHIIP Coordinator
951 Werner Court, Suite 295
Casper, WY 82501
1-307-235-5959
Fax: (307)235-5960

email mailto:ljchey@wyoming.com

Loisjean Hallberg
WSHIIP Coordinator
413 West 18th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82001
1-307-634-1010
Fax: (307)634-0903

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