George Wojdacki, a volunteer counselor with the Area Agency on Aging-1-B Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP), will receive the BCBSM Claude Pepper Award for Senior Volunteers at this year’s Older Michiganians Day event.
George learned about the volunteer opportunity through his physician who thought he would be a great volunteer for the program with his work experience in the pharmaceutical industry. George was a pharmaceutical sales representative for 14 years and a district manager for a large pharmaceutical company for 21 years.
George brings his love of being in front of an audience to the MMAP program and is one of the program’s key outreach volunteers, doing presentations on several Medicare subjects including “New to Medicare” and “Medicare Fraud and Abuse.” A resident of Macomb County, George does most of his volunteering in Macomb and St. Clair counties, including working one-on-one with Medicare beneficiaries to explain their Medicare choices and help them make informed health care decisions. He really enjoys the intrinsic reward of seeing the look on the faces of the individuals he counsels when he is able to help save them money on their Medicare coverage or find a Medicare plan that provides more coverage to meet their needs.
George is very pleased with the cooperation, support and training he receives from MMAP staff.
“It’s such a good opportunity to work with such great people.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan presents the Claude Pepper Award annually to two outstanding senior citizen advocates who demonstrate a strong concern for the special needs of older adults. The award was named after the late U.S. Congressman who campaigned for senior citizens’ rights.
For more information on volunteering for MMAP visit our website at http://www.mmapinc.org or call 1-800-803-7174.
Older Michiganians Day 2014 activities will be held on the East Lawn of the State Capitol Building in Lansing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To learn more about Older Michiganians Day 2014, contact Ryan Cowmeadow at 248-262-1282.
About Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP)
MMAP (pronounced “map”) provides free health benefits counseling services for Michigan’s Medicare beneficiaries, including younger adults who have Medicare due to a disability and Medicare beneficiaries who may also qualify for Medicaid. MMAP counselors provide personalized counseling to help beneficiaries understand and make informed decisions about their Medicare benefits and plan options. MMAP also promotes Medicare Fraud Awareness and works to educate beneficiaries on how to detect and report suspected Medicare Fraud.
MMAP is part of the national networks of State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP) and Senior Medicare Patrols (SMP). It is dedicated to providing objective and confidential health benefits counseling services and is not affiliated with nor does it receive funding from the insurance industry. Funding for MMAP comes from grants from the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Beneficiaries who would like to talk with a MMAP counselor should call 1-800-803-7174.
