Free, Unbiased, Expert Medicare Advice: 9 Key Times to Get This Valuable Benefit from SHIP Counselors

SHIPs (State Health Insurance Assistance Programs) have counselors who live in your local area and can provide you with free, unbiased, expert advice on Medicare. The advice is:

• free to you as a result of the federal funding the SHIPs receive from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources.
• unbiased because the SHIP Medicare counselors are not affiliated with any insurance company. They do not sell insurance or any other product. They are employed by SHIP to provide objective guidance, not to promote any product.
• expert as a result of the extensive, in-depth training in Medicare information that SHIP counselors have mastered.

Good advice on Medicare could save you money and time. It could also relieve you from stress and protect you from fraud and scams.

More About Your SHIP Medicare Counselor

You might think of your SHIP Medicare counselor like a reference librarian at your local library: highly trained, professional, and eager to provide you objective guidance.

Your SHIP Medicare counselor is also like a docent volunteer at your local museum: passionate with their knowledge, excited to share and help you become better informed. In fact, many SHIP Medicare counselors are indeed volunteers. They generously share their time and knowledge and are not paid.

The SHIP Experience Success Stories

Reflecting on her experience with SHIP, Tracey Stewart has said, “You know the older I get, the more I know that the best thing to do is just to go get advice from resources that I can trust… It’s great information. It’s free. It’s going to save you money and it’s going to help you pick the right program for you. That’s the bottom line.”

Talking about SHIP, Francine Dent has stated, “The training, whatever the training is they go through, it’s a good training. They really almost know automatically the questions to ask you to help you journey through whatever your concerns are or your needs might be.”

Offering strong advice, Mary Crandall has recommended:

“The Medicare counselors help you make that decision and get you the cheapest program, the program that works best for you… Number one, you have to have a Medicare counselor. You just have to. There are so many people that cannot pay for it, and then they are getting wrong information, possibly. They’re making wrong decisions… It’s so important. I felt much more confident in what I was about to do, the decision I was about to make.”

When to Use a SHIP Medicare Counselor

Here are nine key times when a SHIP Medicare counselor’s advice could be especially valuable for you:

#1: During Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)

Your Initial Enrollment Period begins three months before the month of your 65th birthday. It is a seven-month period. It ends three months after the month of your 65th birthday. You could receive guidance, for example, on whether Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare with Medigap plans would best fit your needs. You could also get help with enrolling in a plan.

#2: During the General Enrollment Period (GEP)

The General Enrollment Period is for folks who missed enrolling during their IEP. Each year, this period runs from January 1 through March 31. Coverage begins the month after enrollment during GEP. A SHIP Medicare counselor could help you avoid missing out on this second-chance window.

#3: While the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) Is Open

The Annual Enrollment Period, also known as the Open Enrollment Period, runs from October 15 to December 7 each year. In this timeframe, a SHIP Medicare counselor could help you make major changes such as:

• move from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.
• move from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare.
• switch Medicare Advantage plans.
• enroll in, or swap Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.
• drop Part D coverage.

#4: At the Time of Special Enrollment Period (SEP)

A Special Enrollment Period is the eight months after an employee exits their employer’s coverage. Employees who work beyond age 65 and wish to continue coverage under their employer’s health insurance plan can delay enrolling in Medicare. When they stop working, they can avoid late enrollment penalties by signing up during their Special Enrollment Period. A SHIP Medicare counselor could help you navigate this transition.

#5: During the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP)

The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs every year from January 1 to March 31. It is specifically for folks enrolled in Medicare Advantage. During the MA OEP, folks can make a one-time change to their coverage by switching to a different Medicare Advantage plan or returning to Original Medicare. They also can choose to enroll or not enroll in a Part D plan. A SHIP Medicare counselor could help you sort out all your diverse options.

#6: Upon Receiving “Annual Notice of Change” (ANOC)

The ANOC informs you of the changes in your current plan that take effect the next year. A SHIP Medicare counselor could help you understand how these changes might affect you and whether it would make sense to change plans.

#7: When Comparing Coverage Documents

The Evidence of Coverage (EOC) documents for each plan can be more than two hundred pages long. A SHIP Medicare counselor could help you figure out which parts of the document are important to you.

#8: In Case of Claims or Bill Disputes

A SHIP Medicare counselor could help mediate for you during a claim or bill dispute with your medical, drug or plan provider.

#9: Before Working with an Insurance Broker

By law, every insurance company offering plans in your local area must register those plans with government regulators. Thus, SHIP has information on all those plans. In contrast, insurance brokers get their information from the insurance companies. Brokers may have information on many plans, but rarely would they have information on all the plans available to you.

In summary, SHIP counselors live in your local area and could provide you with no-cost, objective, Medicare expertise. Please allow these valuable counselors to help you.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What has been your experience with a SHIP Medicare counselor? What are your primary sources of information on Medicare? Who are your trusted sources for guidance on Medicare? Please join the conversation.