Central Florida seniors have three weeks left to enroll in a Medicare plan during Open Enrollment – and the number of seniors seeking assistance with enrollment in 2023 has dramatically increased since last year.
In the last week of October, Central Florida’s Area Agency on Aging, Senior Resource Alliance (SRA), saw a 132% increase in calls from seniors who were seeking help with Medicare enrollment through its SHINE (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Seniors) program compared to 2022. To better assist the influx of seniors seeking health insurance support, SRA has set up a dedicated SHINE hotline: 407-514-0019.
SRA is proud to serve as a resource to help protect seniors from scams as Medicare fraud cases continue to be reported across the country. The increased demand is also likely due to the growing number of eligible seniors in SRA’s four-county service area, with an additional 22.8K seniors reaching the age of 65+ since last year’s Medicare Open Enrollment period. SHINE is a statewide program that offers seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregivers free, unbiased counseling on Medicare, prescription drugs and other health insurance matters. SRA oversees the SHINE program locally to help seniors in Orange, Seminole, Brevard and Osceola counties successfully enroll in a plan that best meets their needs and prevents them from falling victim to health insurance scams.
