Empowering seniors

Jose Paul Corona

Helping seniors get the medical care that they need and deserve is

Henry Ramirez’s passion.

The 82-year-old Huntington Beach resident volunteers about 20

hours a week as a counselor for the Health Insurance Counseling and

Advocacy Program in Santa Ana and Anaheim, where he helps seniors

sort out Medicare problems.

“My pleasure comes from helping people,” Ramirez said. “It keeps

me young and active -- that helps a lot with your physical health.”

He does such good work that “satisfied customers” often refer

their friends to him, said Mary Ozurovich, the program volunteer

coordinator.

His hard work and dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. He was

recently awarded the California Senior Leaders/Healthy Aging Award

given out by UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and the California

Wellness Foundation.

Ramirez is one of 35 award recipients in the state.

“He certainly deserves it,” said Ozurovich, who nominated him for

the award. “He’s the unsung hero, the normal guy who was volunteering

before it was fashionable.”

Such a dedicated volunteers offer his time to more than just one

cause.

If he isn’t giving people Medicare advice, speaking at a senior

center, or volunteering with the Salvation Army, he’s working with

the Episcopal Service Alliance helping provide food and clothing for

the needy.

All that work might tire most people out, but not Ramirez.

“It’s not work for me,” Ramirez said. “It’s pleasurable

entertainment.”

Seniors have many questions about their healthcare coverage and

often don’t know where to turn for help. Even if they know that they

aren’t getting proper medical care, they simply go along with it,

Ramirez said.

“Older people are not the type, or are not willing, to complain,”

he said.

Ramirez told the story of a senior who suffered a heart attack.

The man had more than $100,000 in unpaid medical bills that Medicare

refused to pay, even though the man had coverage. Ramirez made a few

phone calls and got the matter resolved.

Helping take care of those kind of issues is very satisfying,

Ramirez said.

His involvement with the program has helped get others involved,

and that, not a plaque or award, is his real reward, Ramirez said.

“Hopefully, it will motivate a lot of seniors to [volunteer],” he

said.