Seniors, reach out to local counselors for help with Medicare

I agree with your recent Washington Post column (“Getting the most out of Medicare,” Nov. 26) that Medicare is complicated. It mentions seeing a counselor from the State Health Insurance Assistance Program to get help understanding Medicare. In California, the program is the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, or HICAP.

When I was nearing age 65, I reached out to our local HICAP and was so impressed that I became a local Medicare counselor. There are volunteer counselors like myself throughout our Central Coast ready to give unbiased information. HICAP is government-funded, and is a free service with nothing to sell. Contact HICAP at 805-928-5663 or go to www.centralcoastseniors.org/hicap to learn about their services and get an appointment.

This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 8:50 PM with the headline "Seniors, reach out to local counselors for help with Medicare."