Medicare, with its many programs and options, can be confusing – especially if you are new to the program or are trying to help a loved one.
The State Health Insurance Assistance Program, referred to as SHIP, can help you navigate the Medicare waters.
SHIP offers free one-on-one, personalized counseling and local workshops. It helps current and prospective Medicare beneficiaries and their families or caregivers with insurance issues such as:
- Options and decisions about health care coverage.
- Programs to help pay Medicare costs.
- Assistance with claims and appeals.
There is no charge to use SHIP’s services. SHIP is an independent program funded by Federal agencies and is not affiliated with the insurance industry.
SHIP is available in every state, although some states call their program by a different name.
To find the telephone number for the SHIP program in your state, consult the back cover of the Medicare & You handbook, mailed to Medicare beneficiaries every autumn. You can also visit Medicare.gov.
For an overview of Medicare, see my previous blog post, Decoding the Language of Medicare.
Have you used SHIP? What was the outcome?
