Health-care and prescription medicine costs are a major concern for senior citizens on fixed incomes. Promise Community Health Center can help ease that burden by these means:
First, seniors do not have to pay the Medicare Part B deductible if they get their medical care at a Federally Qualified Health Center such as Promise. Medicare Part B helps pay for doctors services, outpatient hospital care, durable medical equipment, diagnostic tests, and many other health services and supplies.
The Part B deductible is $147 for 2015. At other private health centers, seniors on Medicare are required to pay 100 percent of the deductible amount during the year before paying a 20 percent copay for medical services. At Promise, seniors pay just 20 percent for services from the start – with Medicare paying the remaining 80 percent share.
Second, seniors on Medicare also might qualify for a sliding fee discount from Promise on charges for services if they qualify under income guidelines. They also might be able to qualify for other programs such as the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program or enroll in Medicaid in addition to Medicare.
Third, Promise has a selection of prescription medications available for seniors and other patients to purchase for only $4 each because of its participation in the Iowa Drug Donation Repository Program.
In addition, Promise’s outreach coordinators, Jessica Mora and Emma Westerholm, will meet personally with seniors to help them understand their options. They will help patients sign up for programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Outreach staff also can arrange for rides for patients if needed and provide interpretation services.
To learn more about these services, call Promise at 712-722-1700 or visit www.promisechc.org.
Promise Community Health Center, headquartered in Sioux Center, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the far northwest corner of Iowa.
