Grants target Medicare aid Alaska seniors often leave unclaimed

Alaska is one of the fastest-aging states in the country, and thousands of its seniors are eligible for help paying for Medicare that they never claim. A round of federal grants announced this month is meant to close that gap.

The money, about $271,814 in all, pays for the unglamorous work of getting people signed up: outreach, and someone to sit down with an older Alaskan and walk them through the paperwork. It targets two programs in particular. Medicare Savings Programs cover the monthly premium for Part B, which pays for doctor visits. The Part D Low-Income Subsidy, known as Extra Help, wipes out premiums and deductibles for prescription drug coverage. Both exist to make Medicare affordable for people living on little, and both go unused by many who qualify because they do not know the programs exist or cannot navigate the forms.

The State Department of Health received $96,934, split among the counselors, area aging agencies and resource centers that do the enrollment work. The larger share, $174,880, went to 16 Alaska tribal organizations. Tanana Chiefs Conference was the largest single recipient at $53,990, and the Arctic Slope Native Association in Utqiagvik received $14,420.

The need is growing quickly. Alaskans 60 and older numbered an estimated 152,967 in 2022, about 21 percent of the state, and 7 percent of them live in poverty, according to Alaska's senior services plan. That is the population this money is meant to reach.

Seniors looking for free help can call the Medicare Information Office at 1-800-478-6065.