Health insurance expert to discuss Medicare benefits

Jacob Taulbee, a coordinator with Kentucky’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program, will be the featured speaker at the inaugural Welcome to Medicare program on Tuesday, May 3 at King’s Daughters Medical Center.

The free program begins with a carpal tunnel screening at 11 a.m. A buffet lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., with Taulbee scheduled to speak from noon to 12:45 p.m. Taulbee will discuss the process of enrolling in Medicare and benefits for both new beneficiaries and those who have been enrolled in the program for a period of time.

The program will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

“Many people don’t realize the benefits that are available to them through Medicare,” said Angie Graham, R.N., who leads King’s Daughters transitions of care initiative. “These include a preventive services visit and associated screenings – at no cost – during the first 12 months of Medicare enrollment and an annual preventive services visit after the first year,” she said.

RSVPs are requested for the lunch portion of the program and may be made by calling (606) 408-0552 on or before noon, Monday, May 2. Appointments are not required for the screening.

The program will be held in Rooms 1, 2 & 3 of King’s Daughters Health Education Center, on the lower level of the Lexington Avenue Parking Garage, 2201 Lexington Ave., Ashland.

Taulbee earned his bachelor’s degree in legal studies from Morehead State University and is currently pursuing his master’s in public administration at Eastern Kentucky University. He has served as State Health Insurance Assistance (SHIP) program assistant and a paralegal intern at the Legal Aid of the Bluegrass. He is a certified long-term care ombudsman and public benefits counselor throughout FIVCO’s five-county service region.