October 22, 2009

From the Director's Desk: Good Luck during the AEP

Our nation's Medicare population represents a diverse group of beneficiaries — each with their own experiences, preferences, and needs. Yet at this time of year, Medicare beneficiaries are all in the same situation — choosing which plan best meets their health and financial needs. Each SHIP in the national network is also unique. Yet each SHIP is faced with the same call to action — helping Medicare beneficiaries make informed decisions. With the 2010 Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) quickly approaching, HAP wants you to know that we are here to help you help your clients.

We have updated our AEP Toolkit with a collection of tools and resources geared to help your SHIP prepare for the upcoming enrollment period. The Toolkit contains user-friendly information on a variety of topics — cost-sharing, enrollment and disenrollment, formularies, and much more. In addition, our customized technical assistance service, SHIPhelp, is available to answer your last-minute AEP questions when counseling or conducting outreach sessions.

We also recognize that the AEP can be a time for counselors to learn about new issues affecting clients, or to be reminded of ongoing issues. As part of HAP's Troubleshooting Medicare project, we are interested in learning about the systemic issues you're seeing, and we encourage you to use our Issue Log to share those experiences with us.

As you help your clients this AEP, HAP will continue to inform discussions around moving and extending the AEP so Medicare beneficiaries have increased opportunities to choose a plan that best meets their needs. We wish you the best of luck during this busy time.

Sincerely,

Lee Thompson
Executive Director

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