Senior Spotlight

Senior
Spotlight

New Senior Programs, Benefits; Some HMOs May Drop Medicare Programs

Thanks to an amicable budget negotiation between Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, a spending plan for the year beginning July 1st includes, among benefits for all groups, some extra benefits for seniors.

Besides the year-to-year grants to senior centers to cover everyday programs, the new budget includes $15 million to cover a new weekend meals program which means most seniors can now be sure of a nutritious meal seven days a week.

The $15 million also covers the hiring of more social workers to serve in senior centers where they can help more seniors with the various problems that arise or perhaps steer them into a program they didn’t know about which might be very helpful.

A third segment covered by the $15 million allotment will provide seniors with handyman services and also improve transportation programs. Both of these services can be very useful to seniors who might find repairing a leaky faucet or broken light switch difficult or who could use a ride to a doctor’s office or to do some shopping.

Under another section of the budget, the mayor and Vallone agreed on a tax credit for seniors based on the rent they pay for their apartments. The tax credit averages out to $64 and the budget makers estimate it will help 300,000 seniors. The objective is to help seniors to pay their monthly rent so they will have no reason to look elsewhere for housing. It also helps seniors maintain their independence.

SENIORS’ SURVEY: In establishing these new programs and benefits for seniors, the City Council was following up on information learned from a survey on the needs of seniors released recently by the council and the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty.

Among the survey’s findings were that seniors need subsidized transportation services and increased respite services, also that many children of seniors and seniors themselves are helping to take care of someone so that any additional help provided to seniors also helps to solve some of a caregiver’s problems.

Vallone, commenting on the survey, noted that "an overwhelming percentage of seniors are spending their retirement years in their homes, and the public wants to see investments in services that will support their living arrangements."

Vallone promised that the "Council will work with service providers to make sure the necessary programs are put in place."

The budget approved by the Council and signed into law by Giuliani is a response to that promise.

ALERT ON HMO PULLOUTS: Nancy-Ann DeParle, head of the federal Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) warned recently that a large number of HMOs that insure Medicare members may be closing down those programs by the end of this year. If they do, hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries covered by these HMOs will either have to find a new HMOto cover their health care needs or return to Medicare coverage. DeParle said the picture will clear up by July 3d, which is the deadline for HMOs to notify the HCFA whether they will continue their programs for 2001.

In releasing the information, DeParle said she wanted seniors to know what was going on so they wouldn’t be taken totally by surprise and could start thinking about what their alternatives are. They could either sign up with another HMO, she said, or "all beneficiaries who are affected can return to traditional Medicare."

HMOs threatening to withdraw from medicare programs complain that the government is not paying them enough to operate their programs, but DeParle responded that the payments made by HFCA to HMOs are "more than adequate to provide the basic Medicare benefit, but not adequate to provide prescription drugs as well."

Republicans and Democrats in Congress still have not reached agreement on a plan to cover prescription drug costs under Medicare. Presumably, such government coverage would ease the pressure on HMOs which include medication costs in their coverage but find the provision costs too much.

NEED A JOB? Seniors looking to supplement their income by working and earning some money should contact the Small Business Administration (SBA). The agency is recruiting retirees and others who are interested in working only part of the year. To inquire, call Evelyn Morris or Barbara Zepeda at (916) 566-7240, ext. 5000.

RIDES AVAILABLE: If you live in the Middle Village area, the Middle Village Adult Center at 69-10 75th St. operates a transportation service for seniors. If you need a ride to a doctor’s office, nursing home or to do grocery shopping, it’s available by calling (718) 894-3441 to make arrangements. On Wednesday morning there’s a special trip to a local supermarket. The bus picks you up at your home and returns you there after you’ve done your shopping.

Incidentally, the Middle Village center has a Father’s Day party planned for next Tuesday, June 27th. Lunch includes hot pastrami or turkey breast on rye, and there are other interesting items on the day’s program.