Dear editor:
Have you seen those political commercials recently showing Sen. Roy Blunt (R) as a champion of Medicare and Missouri Senior Citizens? I have, and I'm quite confused considering the latest attack on his constituents.
In June of this year it was announced that Blunt, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, along with other committee members, has decided that SHIP programs (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) in every state are a waste of money and the funding for the programs should be eliminated.
The SHIP program in Missouri is called CLAIM (Community Leaders Assisting the Insured of Missouri). This program is FREE to all who call needing assistance and counseling regarding Medicare, Medigap policies, Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Part D, etc. Blunt calls this an unnecessary federal program.
This program provides much needed advice for Missourians who are navigating the murky waters of Medicare. When they need help in choosing a plan, changing a plan, or saving money, CLAIM counselors are there to assist them in making those decisions.
When pennies are being counted by so many of Missouri's seniors, it's disgraceful that Roy Blunt would be willing to take away such a vital program that serves so many of the Missourians he is supposed to be serving.
If you are enrolled in the Medicare program, or know someone who is, or who will be, you need to contact Blunt's office to let him know how much the SHIP program means to you.
Blunt's commercials say one thing, his actions say another.
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