(WHITE TOWNSHIP, Nov. 10, 2009) -- The Warren County Division of Aging & Disability Services will host a schedule of Medicare Outreach sessions to answer questions about the medical insurance program, Freeholder Everett A. Chamberlain announced today.

There will be 29 outreach sessions beginning Monday, Nov. 16 and lasting through Dec. 31, said Chamberlain, who is the freeholder liaison for human services and representative to the county Aging Services Advisory Council.

“Are you turning 65 and want an introduction to how Medicare works? They’ll tell you what to expect,” Chamberlain remarked. The county is offering the one-on-one sessions with a trained Medicare counselor at no charge, he said.

The sessions are for Warren County residents only, and attendees must make an appointment in advance with the Division of Aging & Disability Services by calling 908-475-6591 or toll free 877-222-3737.

The division has 19 trained Medicare counselors conducting these sessions, with up to four counselors at each site, depending on the number of appointments. The counselors are either volunteers who are participating as a public service, or division staff members.

According to county Medicare Coordinator Richard Grabowsky, the outreach sessions will include an introduction to Medicare for those turning 65; counseling on “Medigap” plans, or insurance plans to supplement Medicare coverage; Medicare Advantage plans (HMO, HMO/POS);  PAAD and Senior Gold prescription plans; and enrollment or re-enrollment in Medicare prescription drug coverage. Appointments are typically 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the information needed, and will be conducted between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The schedule for the sessions is:

Mondays: Nov. 16 and 30, Dec. 14 and 28 at the Wayne Dumont, Jr. Administration Building, 165 County Route 519 South, Belvidere (White Township), in the Rutgers Cooperative Extension meeting room on the building’s lower level;

Mondays: Nov. 23, Dec. 7 and 21 at Blairstown Senior Nutrition Site, held in the First United Methodist Church, 10 Stillwater Road, Blairstown;

Tuesdays: Nov. 17 and 24, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, at the Phillipsburg Senior Center, 310 Firth Street, Phillipsburg;

Wednesdays: Nov. 18 and 25, Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23, at the Hackettstown Senior Nutrition Site, located behind the Hackettstown Community Center at 292 Main St., Hackettstown;

Thursdays: Nov. 19, Dec. 3, 10, 17 and 31, at the Phillipsburg Senior Center, 310Firth Street, Phillipsburg; and

Fridays: Nov. 20, Dec. 4, 11 and 18, at the Washington Senior Nutrition Site, held in the Assembly of God Church, 33 Brass Castle Road, Washington Township.

Grabowsky noted that even if people are already familiar with Medicare, they can learn important new information at the sessions. “People should check their prescription drug program every year,” Grabowsky said, explaining, “Premiums change, formularies change, and plans come and go.”