Sun City Community Assistance Network office 10195 W. Coggins Drive Sun City, AZ
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By Hugh Duncan
The Mission of the Sun City Community Assistance Network is to, “Connect people with resources to enhance their standard of living.”
In other words, Sun City CAN helps people save money on things like property taxes, income taxes, utilities, Medicare premiums, prescription drugs and other things.
Many benefits go unclaimed simply because people are unaware that the benefits exist. In an effort to shed light on some of the help that is available to low-income seniors, I will write a guest commentary each month about a different senior help program.
Below is a listing of benefits available for low-income seniors that some may not realize are available.
Free Medicare
Many low-income seniors are unaware that there are programs available to help them pay their Medicare premiums.
These are called Medicare Savings Programs and there are several different ones. These programs are especially beneficial to widows and widowers who are living almost entirely on Social Security.
For most people, the monthly Part B Medicare premium is $144.60 and this amount is automatically deducted from your Social Security check.
If a person’s total gross monthly income is less than $1,426 for a single person or $1,923 for a married couple, there is no premium payment required. Medicare is free! Your Social Security check will increase by $144.60. Generally, there are no limits on ownership of a house, auto or other resources.
To find out if you’re eligible for free Medicare, call Sun City Community Assistance Network at 623-933-7530. Counselors will be happy to assist you in filling out the forms and submitting them.
Also, the annual Medicare Open Enrollment period starts soon. It starts Tuesday, Oct. 15 and continues until Monday, Dec. 7. During this period and this period only, you can make changes to various aspects of your coverage. Counselors at Sun City CAN are available by appointment to assist you with your decisions.
Finally, if you would like to find out if you might be eligible for other benefits that you don’t know about, simply request a benefits assistance interview with one of Sun City CAN’s benefits assistance counselors. They will be happy to assist you!
Editor’s Note: Hugh Duncan is Sun City Community Assistance Network board president.
