Bob Osrowske: Wrapping up 17 years of helping people understand Medicare
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
April 10, 2023 at 4:42 p.m.
Bob Osrowske
Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) provides free and unbiased help navigating Medicare. Located throughout the state, SHIBA volunteers help people assess their healthcare coverage needs, determine their eligibility for coverage, evaluate and compare Medicare plans and programs, and help individuals enroll in a plan that fits their needs.
Robert “Bob” Osrowske became a volunteer counselor for SHIBA after he retired from decades with the Boeing company, working on both the Bomarc and Minuteman missile systems.
In preparation for retirement, he attended a class on health care benefits, and the person who presented the lecture was a SHIBA volunteer. Upon officially retiring, Bob became a member of the Boeing Bluebills retirement volunteer group, which “would keep track of our volunteer time as part of our contribution to give back to the community.”
Born and raised in northern Minnesota, Bob was introduced to Washington state in the mid-1950s when his Navy enlistment ended and he came to Bremerton on a ship that was being decommissioned.
“I was on a ferry boat coming into Seattle,” says Bob. “I thought, ‘Man, there is no way that this isn’t going to be the most influential place in my life.’ I was sold on it. I have had my ears and fingers and toes frozen so many times. I thought, ‘If you want snow, you can go to the mountains in the wintertime. Otherwise, it’s easier to deal with drizzly rain than it is to deal with two or three feet of snow.’”
He first went through SHIBA training in 2005. While SHIBA volunteers help all year round, the busiest time of the year is during Medicare Open Enrollment, which falls toward the end of each calendar year. It’s the one timeframe when those already enrolled in Medicare can make changes to their coverage effective in the new year.
After becoming a certified SHIBA volunteer, Bob volunteered at various community partner organizations, offering face-to-face counseling help to the public. Over his 17 years as a SHIBA volunteer, he’s offered individual counseling at Peter Kirk Community Center, Redmond Senior and Community Center, and Northshore Senior Center in Bothell. Eventually he scaled back to just counseling at the Northshore Senior Center once a month.
Bob answered people’s questions about Medicare, helped them determine their eligibility for health care coverage programs, and helped them enroll in Medicare.
As he puts it, “All Medicare recipients should be conscious of and pay attention to the charges that they get on their explanation of benefits forms. If you see that you’re getting a charge from a doctor for a powered wheelchair and you don’t have a powered wheelchair, report it. That’s a huge red flag.”
In one case, a doctor sent a claim in for ankle surgery. What tipped Medicare off is that the person’s legs had been amputated. The resulting investigation led to a whole bunch of claims that were false. Before the case was settled, it was over $50 million.
Bob shares about his overall experience as a SHIBA volunteer with clarity and fondness. “We were set up to have three clients per monthly session. During open enrollment periods, we’ve had four sessions in November instead of one.”
Bob is especially appreciative of the assistance he got as a volunteer from the senior centers he supported. When he started out, he had to carry a SHIBA computer and printer and provide his own paper. Some senior centers would let him sign on to their networks, but others wouldn’t.
“At Kirkland, for instance, they were close to the public library, and I could pick up the public library’s Wi-Fi at the senior center. That was how I would get internet to be able to access SHIBA information during the counseling session.”
After one of the computer techs at Northshore Senior Center spoke with one of SHIBA’s state trainers, he was so impressed with the organization that, Bob says, “he put in a real good word for SHIBA.” Bob was assigned a computer with a SHIBA account on it as well as a printer.
“I didn’t have to carry the SHIBA computer and printer with me to set up every time I came in to counsel. They really worked with us, providing the counseling room when available, and extra counseling rooms for regular and extra sessions during the open enrollment period between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7 each year. That was very special, and they do their best to support us all the way through.”
As he said, “If you have talents for public speaking, for example, the public outreach, face-to-face or phone counseling are other opportunities to serve. SHIBA has been a very special organization to volunteer for, because of the program and its ideals. It’s very good to do outreach. Most people that I’ve counseled over the years are very appreciative of our efforts.”
Sam Stones, the SHIBA Coordinator at Solid Ground, shared that “Bob’s positive, can-do outlook will be greatly missed. His contribution to the community has been significant, assisting over 1,000 people during his service.” Thank you, Bob, for your amazing 17 years of service to the community!
If you have questions about Medicare and would like to connect with a SHIBA volunteer, contact Solid Ground’s SHIBA intake line, 206.753.4806, or shiba@solid-ground.org. For more information, please contact Megan Wildhood at meganw@solid-ground.org or 206.694.678
SHIBA FUN FACTS SHIBA
SHIBA – the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors -- began with an innovative group of volunteers in Skagit County in 1979. They saw the challenges of navigating Medicare, learned everything they could, and began helping others in their community. Since then, it’s expanded to a national, publicly funded program. Solid Ground has operated your local SHIBA office in King County in partnership with Washington state’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner since 2021. In 2022, Solid Ground SHIBA volunteers served 7,308 hours and assisted 4,607 King County residents. For more info on Solid Ground’s SHIBA program: www.solid-ground.org/shib.
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