Answer Seniors’ Health Insurance Questions June 16, 2003 CVMC’s HealthFirst Center Can Help Answer Seniors’ Health Insurance Questions June 26 Seniors who have questions about health insurance and coverage have a new resource. Catawba Valley Medical Center’s HealthFirst Center at Valley Hills Mall in Hickory will host certified counselors from Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), a division of the N.C. Department of Insurance, at the center the fourth Thursday of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to Ellie Husvar, CVMC Senior Relations Coordinator. SHIIP counselors, offering consumers free and unbiased information on Medicare, Medicare supplements and Long-Term Care Insurance, will be prepared to answer questions like: Will Medicare provide coverage for a colonscopy procedure? Are there any programs that can help with medical bills? Is Medicare supplemental insurance necessary? And if so, how much does it cost? Is Medicare needed by those over 65 if still covered by medical insurance with an employer? SHIIP counselors are provided through the area’s Council on Aging. To learn the answers to Medicare-related questions, the public is invited to attend the first counseling session on Thursday, June 26. To schedule an appointment, call the CVMC HealthFirst Center at Valley Hills Mall at 828-485-2300. The HealthFirst Center at Valley Hills Mall is a service of Catawba Valley Medical Center, a not-for-profit healthcare system providing and promoting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of the public. The Center serves as a convenient location for health education and wellness services. CVMC was recently designated as the thirty-second Magnet facility in the nation and the second in the Carolinas.