Released: July 17, 2007

The Department of Insurance Louisiana Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), the Caddo Area Council on Aging and the Dallas Regional Office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will sponsor two Professional Partner Training events. The first event will be held on Tuesday, August 7 at the Broadmoor United Methodist Church Gym, 3715 Youree Drive in Shreveport from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., with the second event on Thursday, August 9 at the Louisiana Department of Insurance, 1702 North 3rd Street in Baton Rouge from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. The training sessions are geared toward those who assist and counsel Medicare beneficiaries, including social workers and others.

�We are always reaching out to our elderly population addressing their health care needs,� said Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. �Now we are reaching out to those who assist Medicare beneficiaries by giving them the tools they need to better serve our citizens.�

The training sessions are designed to serve as a refresher course for those counselors who have a working knowledge of Medicare and also for those professionals who are new to working with Medicare and who need a better understanding of the program. Topics include Medicare basics, the original Medicare plan, Medigap, Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare prescription drug coverage, and programs for people with limited incomes and resources.

Medicare counselors interested in attending the Shreveport event should contact the Caddo Council on Aging at 1-800-793-1198. To sign up for the Baton Rouge event, call the Department of Insurance at (225) 219-7731. Registration for both events should be completed before August 3. For more information on the training events, contact SHIIP director Alan Heumann at the Department of Insurance, at (225) 342-6334.