Firestone, CO Medicare Plans for 2027

Why is Firestone named after Jacob Firestone?

Because of coal. Weld County's history credits the McKissick brothers with opening Colorado's first production coal mine here in 1872. In 1907 Jacob H. Firestone, David R. Firestone and the Buchanan brothers formed the Firestone Coal Company, and the town established in 1908 took Jacob Firestone's name. Five coal mines operated until 1947. The old railroad bed is now the Firestone Trail, more than 12 miles long, linking parks to the St. Vrain Legacy Trail and the Colorado Front Range Trail.

Today Firestone shares the Carbon Valley with Frederick and Dacono. The Carbon Valley Parks and Recreation District, set up in 1983, serves all three towns, and its center for older adults is here in Firestone.

What does the Carbon Valley Active Adults Center offer?

The Carbon Valley Parks and Recreation District runs the Carbon Valley Active Adults and Community Center at 151 Grant Avenue in Firestone for adults 55 and older, with drop-in programs, classes, talks, day trips and special events. The Town of Firestone also lists these nearby services:

• Friendly Fork lunch at the center on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon for people 60 and older, their spouses and some others. Reserve by 11 a.m. the business day before at (303) 833-2739; the suggested minimum donation is $5.
• Meals on Wheels of Weld County, Carbon Valley program, 300 First Street, (303) 833-3021, weekdays 8 a.m. to noon. Clients must be homebound.
• The Carbon Valley Regional Library of the High Plains Library District, 7 Park Avenue.

If I become homebound, will Medicare cover care at home?

Possibly, and the word homebound has a specific meaning. Medicare covers home health services when you need part-time or intermittent skilled care and you are homebound: leaving home is not recommended because of your condition or takes help, such as a walker, a wheelchair, special transportation or another person, and you are normally unable to leave home, with leaving taking a lot of effort. A doctor or other provider must see you in person, order the care, and a Medicare-certified home health agency must provide it. You can still leave for medical treatment or short absences such as religious services.

Meals on Wheels and home health care are separate things: one is a community meal program, the other is a Medicare benefit. With a Medicare Advantage plan, the home health agency usually needs to be in the plan network, so ask which agencies serve Firestone in each plan you compare. Lisa can check that by phone or video while you look at the rest of the plan.

How do Firestone residents get to doctors in Longmont, Brighton or Denver?

Firestone residents can ride Via, paid for by the town, if they are 60 or over, live with a disability, or have household income below 80% of the Weld County median. Weekdays from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Via runs within Firestone and between Firestone and Frederick, Dacono, Brighton, Fort Lupton, Mead, Johnstown, Boulder, Longmont, Louisville or Lafayette, though trips between towns may be limited to certain days. Register with Via at (303) 444-3043.

For longer trips, the Firestone and Longmont Mobility Hub at Firestone Boulevard and Interstate 25, Exit 240, is a stop on CDOT's Bustang North Line between Fort Collins and Denver.

The list of towns Via reaches is a handy checklist for networks. If your doctors are in Longmont, where the nearest hospitals in the CMS file are, or in Brighton or Boulder, make sure each one is in the network of the Weld County plan you choose. A plan with a low yearly out-of-pocket limit only protects you if the care you actually use counts toward it.

Local sources: History of Weld: Incorporated Towns of Weld County (Firestone) · Carbon Valley Parks and Recreation District: Active Adults and Community Center · Carbon Valley Parks and Recreation District: About us · Town of Firestone: Senior Resources · High Plains Library District: Locations and hours · Medicare.gov: Home health services · Town of Firestone: Transportation Resources · CMS Hospital General Information (Provider Data Catalog)