If you’re living on a fixed income, things like high heating fuel bills can be a frightening prospect. However, there are fuel assistance programs available and an easy way to find them in your area.

Not all assistance programs are created equal but many offer protection against shut-off if you can’t pay your heating bill in the colder winter months. There may even be an emergency assistance program that will deliver fuel to low-income residents.

To find out what programs are in place in your state, visit US Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The next enrollment period for Medicare Part D begins on November 15, 2006, but the call centers set up to assist beneficaries are inadequate according the consumer advocacy group, California Health Advocates.

The privatized structure of the new drug benefit makes plan call centers a crucial communication tool for Part D coverage, but both independent surveys and anecdotal reports from counselors show serious lapses in the ability of Part D plans to provide accurate and timely information and to successfully guide people with Medicare seeking to access the benefit. CMS guidance for plan D call centers lacks the necessary specificity and the agency has failed to provide adequate oversight of the quality of service.

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Read the entire report here.

There may be federal and state benefits available to you that you are unaware of. You could be eligible for financial or housing assistance, nutrition programs, prescription drug assistance, energy-related benefits for heating fuel assistance and various other programs.

But how do you know if you qualify?

Check out Benefits Check Up, a website that connects you to private or government programs providing various types of assistance. A simple online questionnaire will help you determine which programs you are eligible for and with some programs, help you enroll online.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mark McClellan have introduced a new program to help beneficiaries make the most of their health care and coverage choices with the My Health.My Medicare campaign.

“My Health.My Medicare is the next step in helping the 43 million Americans with Medicare make the most of their benefits, so they can stay healthier and spend less on their medical care,” said Dr. McClellan. “By providing personalized assistance – online, on the phone and in person, with the help of partners all across the country — we can help beneficiaries and their families make informed and confident choices about their health and Medicare coverage.”

Partners called upon to participate include the AARP, Medicare Today, the National Caucus and Center on Black Aged and the Annapolis State Health Insurance Program.

Fall is the time for beneficiaries to make changes or enroll in new prescription drug plans, between November 15 and December 31. For information on My Health.My Medicare, see the CMS website.