PRINEVILLE – Bob Hammack drove from Spray to Prineville Wednesday to present U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., with a challenge.

Toward the end of a presentation by Walden and other members of the U.S. government on the new Medicare prescription drug program, Hammack stood up. He explained to Walden that he tried calling the 800-MEDICARE phone number for help enrolling in a drug plan and sat on hold for three hours, never getting any answers.

”I want to personally challenge him to call this number,” Hammack said. ”I challenge the (representative) to try it.”

Walden, who is running for re-election this year, told Hammack that long a wait for help is outrageous and referred him to several members of his staff who were present to help answer his questions. James Whitfield, regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, apologized to Hammack.

”That’s outrageous,” Whitfield said, echoing Walden’s sentiment. ”I’m not going to make excuses because there are no excuses for it.”

Although seniors are increasingly signing up for the complicated Medicare drug program, known as Medicare Part D, Walden said as of mid-February only 35 percent of eligible Medicare recipients in his district had enrolled. That area, including Central Oregon, had the lowest enrollment numbers in the state.

”I know how confusing this is,” Walden said. ”The small rural communities don’t always have the resources.”

Watching his wife try to enroll her parents in the program by using their home computer, Walden said, convinced him he needed to do something to help people. He organized the workshop in Prineville and will hold a similar event in Medford today to give seniors some support.

Volunteers trained by the Central Oregon Council on Aging were on hand for one-on-one consultations with the more than 80 seniors who attended the event Wednesday. They had several computer stations set up at the Crook County Fairgrounds and, using the Medicare.gov Web tool, the volunteers tried to help seniors narrow down their drug plan options.

More than 40 drug plans – each with different monthly premiums, deductibles and covered prescriptions – are available in Oregon from a variety of private companies, Whitfield said. He encouraged seniors to seek help in narrowing down their choices to two or three plans that cover their prescriptions, use their preferred pharmacy and will hopefully save them money.

”The most important thing I can tell you all morning is two little words,” Whitfield said. ”Get help.”

For seniors like Hammack who live in rural areas, finding help isn’t always easy. Hammack said the only computer with Internet access available in Spray is at the high school and it isn’t always convenient to use.

”For most of us seniors out there, it’s phone only,” Hammack said. ”I have things to do besides sit on the phone all day. … I know a fellow who just gave up.”

But Kim Carter, outreach eligibility worker with the Asher Community Health Center in Fossil, said she is a trained Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance program volunteer who can help Wheeler County residents enroll in Medicare Part D.

”We certainly are trying to get the word out to our clients that we are here to serve the community and provide the service,” Carter said. ”We do have trained … volunteers here in our county. There are two in Fossil, one in Spray and one in Mitchell.”

Gwen Roth and Gladys Murray-Powelson, Prineville neighbors, said they felt the event was informative and helpful. Neither woman had signed up for a Medicare Part D plan and they wanted to learn more about their options before making a decision.

Roth, 94, said she and her younger husband – he’s 91, she noted – only pay about $25 a month for their prescriptions now. She’s not sure the program would save her money and said that at her age she’s not too worried about the 1 percent penalty added on each month for people who sign up after the May 15 deadline.

But Murray-Powelson, who brought her list of prescriptions with her to the event, said she was hoping one of the volunteers could answer her questions and point her in the right direction.

”I brought a list of the prescriptions I take and how much I paid for them last year,” Murray-Powelson said. ”I would love to show somebody all that and ask them, which one?”

That kind of assistance is exactly what Walden said he hoped the workshop would provide.

”I do understand the importance of making this plan understandable and workable,” Walden said. ”I know it has also had its glitches. We are continuing to identify those.”

Call for help

* For Medicare Part D help call 800-MEDICARE; the local senior help line, 504-0392; a statewide toll free number, 877-704-4567; or visit www.medicare.gov.