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Connecting with Village Connections

By Margarite Olmos
Posted: 09/30/2024

On September 26, I participated in the new weekly Village Connections series created by Pasadena Village in collaboration with Washington Park.  Every Thursday from September 26 to November 14, a free engaging presentation or shared activity at the new Washington Park Community Center will take place from 2:00pm to 3:30pm.  Complimentary coffee and tea from 2:00pm to 2:30pm will be available followed by a featured presentation and a discussion of the topic led and moderated by fellow participants. Most of us were unaware of the site, an inviting light-filled space which is ideal for this type of meeting and conveniently located.

After a welcome greeting by Pasadena Village Executive Director Katie Brandon, the event organizer Doug Colliflower presented the featured speaker, Thermon “Rick” Holliday, whose topic was “The A, B, C’s, and D's of Medicare @ 65+.” Holliday is a Licensed Life and Health Broker specifically focused on Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Prescription Drug plans in California, Texas & Georgia. As a Certified Education Consultant, he sits on the Pasadena Village Board of Directors and devotes time to his church and community as a lay leader.

Holliday reviewed the three parts of Medicare during a lively and engaging discussion of a complex topic we are all concerned about, including Hospitalization, Medical Insurance, Prescription Drug Plans, Eligibility and Eligibility Periods. He made us aware of the pros and cons of public and private insurance plans that affect us all, attempting to take the mystery out of Medicare, and in this he was largely successful. He reviewed the alphabet list of options available to Medicare participants for the additional coverage beyond the basic Part A (hospital and inpatient) and Part B (doctor and provider visits). The “2025 Clarity Guide” Holliday distributed to the group that was created by the United Healthcare Medicare Advantage Plan was very helpful in organizing the options in a booklet.

We were given tips on choosing between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage as well as considerations for people with chronic and longer-term conditions. Additional issues like the Inflation Reduction Plan created by the federal government to assist in prescription drugs by expanding benefits, lowering drug costs, and strengthening Medicare for the future, the definitions of “PPO,” “Medigap,” were also helpful.

As usual, the question-and-answer period at the end was very enlightening, reflecting many of our personal uncertainties. Which local hospital accepts our health plan, for example, and is Medicare accepted in all? What about approval for medical procedures and health insurance? Much of this information is available online but working through all of these options is daunting and the benefit and assistance of a healthcare broker like Holliday was made clear.

In addition to the main speaker, other groups were available at the venue—the Right at Home in-home care and assistance service and doctors from the Optum medical group—with helpful literature and responses to questions.

Future Village Connections events include the October 3 topic, “What is Osteoporosis?” with Dr. Theresa Wong, MD, a primary care doctor with a specialty in geriatrics, responding to such questions as, what is the condition, why is it important, what can we do to prevent and treat it? We will hear how to strengthen our bones and improve our daily living. Village Connections is a new and very valuable series that Villagers are sure to appreciate.