SHIP: Medicare Counseling Success Stories
You can get help understanding the sometimes confusing Medicare maze with free counseling from the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).
SHIP counselors can help you learn when and how to enroll in Medicare—whether you’re eligible because you’re turning 65, retiring, or have a disability.
Watch a video about how SHIP counselors can help you.
Success stories
In addition to help with enrollment, here are some examples of how SHIP counselors have helped people with Medicare:
- Picking a plan: Rohan called the Medigap Helpline during the annual Medicare open enrollment period to get help comparing plans. A SHIP counselor helped Rohan decide which plan would best meet his needs.
- Prescription drug coverage: Mary and Tony received a late enrollment penalty for their Medicare drug plan, even though they had drug coverage through SeniorCare. A SHIP counselor helped the couple appeal and get the penalty waived.
- Bills: Amara was in a car accident. Her insurance company paid for her to fix her car, but she received a $5,000 bill from the Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center to repay Medicare for a settlement she never actually received. A SHIP counselor helped appeal the incorrect bill, and the Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center responded that Amara didn’t owe anything.
- Financial assistance:
- Malachi couldn’t afford his medications, so he asked a SHIP counselor from his local aging and disability resource center for help. The counselor helped Malachi apply for financial help through the Extra Help program, saving him thousands of dollars a year.
- This project is funded, in whole or in part, by grant number 90SAPG0091 from the U. S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201.