This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. Every family situation is different, and you should consult with appropriate professionals about your specific circumstances.

State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP): Free Medicare Counseling That Actually Works

Your mom just turned 65. She's been working part-time, so you're both trying to figure out Medicare options. The pamphlets your mom got in the mail are confusing, and the insurance agents calling her house all seem to want to sell her something. You're scrolling through Medicare.gov at 10 p.m., feeling overwhelmed by acronyms and coverage options. Original Medicare? Medicare Advantage? Medigap? It all sounds like a foreign language.

This moment is more common than you'd think, and you're not drowning without options. In fact, your state has a team of free counselors whose entire job is to help people like your mom work through Medicare. They're called SHIP counselors, and they exist specifically so families won't make insurance decisions in the dark.

The frustration you're feeling right now is the exact reason SHIP programs exist. Someone designed these programs because Medicare enrollment is genuinely complicated, the stakes are high, and people deserve unbiased help without someone trying to sell them something. What's remarkable is that this help is completely free, funded by the federal government, and available in every single state, territory, and the District of Columbia. Your tax dollars are already paying for counselors who want to help your parent understand their options.

SHIP stands for State Health Insurance Assistance Program. It's a nationwide network of nonprofit counselors trained to answer Medicare questions, explain coverage options, and help people make informed choices about their insurance. The counselors aren't selling anything. They don't work on commission. They can't make money if your parent chooses Medigap over Medicare Advantage or stays in Original Medicare. This makes them fundamentally different from the insurance agent who calls your parent during dinner.

What SHIP Does and Who Pays For It

The federal government funds SHIP programs, and each state runs its own version. The program exists because Medicare is complicated enough that regular people need help understanding it. When Congress created Medicare, they recognized that even smart, educated people would need guidance choosing between different types of coverage. The program has grown and evolved, but the core principle remains unchanged: older adults should be able to understand their insurance options without paying for expert help.

SHIP counselors do several specific things. They help you compare Medicare Advantage plans against Original Medicare, explaining the tradeoffs that matter for your parent's situation. They decode Medigap plans, which are supplemental insurance policies that cover costs Original Medicare doesn't, showing you which plans fit your parent's budget and health needs. They help people work through enrollment issues, like getting into a plan that closed enrollment, or appealing a decision when coverage was denied for a service your parent needed. They answer questions about costs, premiums, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. They help troubleshoot billing problems when something looks wrong on a bill or explanation of benefits. They explain appeals processes, so your parent knows how to challenge a decision they disagree with.

What they don't do is sell insurance. They don't push any particular plan. They explain what's available, what different plans cover, what they cost, and help your parent think through which option makes sense. Then your parent decides. The counselor writes things down so both of you remember what was discussed.

This might seem like a small thing, but it fundamentally changes the conversation. When you talk to an insurance agent, part of your brain knows that agent earns money if you buy from them. Even the nicest, most honest agent has a financial stake in your decision. With a SHIP counselor, there's no hidden agenda. They're paid to help you understand, not to help you buy anything.

When SHIP Counseling Is Most Valuable

The best time to talk to a SHIP counselor is before your parent's first Medicare enrollment at age 65. This is the moment when you have the most choices and the most to gain from understanding your options clearly. If your parent delays signing up for Medicare, they'll face late enrollment penalties. If they make a bad choice during initial enrollment, they might be stuck with that choice for a year. Getting this right the first time is important, and a counselor can help you think through what "right" means for your parent.

The second critical moment is during the annual enrollment period, which runs October 15 through December 7 each year. Your parent's health changes, costs shift, new plans enter the market, and old plans disappear. What made sense last year might not make sense now. A SHIP counselor can review what your parent currently has and what alternatives exist. If your parent is overpaying for coverage they don't need, a counselor can help identify better options. If your parent's health has changed and they need more coverage, a counselor can explain the new plans available.

Outside these windows, talk to SHIP whenever a major life change happens. If your parent moves to a new state, their SHIP program changes and they might have different plan options. If your parent's health significantly worsens or improves, different plans might make sense now. If your parent loses job-based coverage due to job loss or reduction in hours, Medicare becomes the primary insurance and the coordination changes. If your parent gets married, divorced, or widowed, coverage might need adjusting. These aren't emergencies, but they're moments when talking to a counselor saves time and prevents mistakes.

Finding Your State's SHIP Program

Finding SHIP is straightforward. Call 1-800-MEDICARE, and they can tell you your state's SHIP program name, phone number, and website. Every state names its program differently. Some states call it SHIP. Others call it "Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program" or "Medicare Seniors Counseling Program" or something else entirely. Regardless of the name, it's the same federally funded service. Medicare.gov also has a SHIP locator tool where you can enter your state and find contact information.

Most SHIP programs offer multiple ways to access counseling. You can call a phone number and talk to a counselor over the phone. Many counselors work from home now, so the experience is similar to calling your insurance company, except you're talking to someone trained to help you, not to process a transaction. Some SHIP programs offer in-person appointments at libraries, senior centers, or their own offices. If your parent is more comfortable talking face-to-face, in-person is available. Some programs offer online counseling through video or chat. Pick the method that works best for your parent.

Most SHIP counseling is appointment-based. You call, explain what you need help with, and they schedule an appointment. The appointment might be tomorrow or might be in two weeks, depending on how busy they are. Some programs have drop-in centers where you can show up without an appointment, but this is less common. The appointment usually takes between 45 minutes and two hours, depending on how complicated your parent's situation is.

There's no cost for any of this. SHIP is funded by the federal government. You're not paying anything now, and you won't be charged later. The counselor isn't going to follow up by trying to sell you something. It's genuinely free help with genuinely no strings attached.

What to Bring to a SHIP Appointment

Coming prepared makes the appointment more useful. Bring your parent's current Medicare card if they already have one. Bring their Social Security number. The counselor needs to verify who your parent is and check their Medicare status. Bring insurance information, including any supplemental insurance, retiree coverage, or employer health plans your parent currently has. Bring a list of medications, including the dose and how often your parent takes each one. Drug coverage varies wildly between plans, and knowing what your parent takes helps the counselor figure out which plans will cover those drugs without huge out-of-pocket costs.

Bring a list of doctors your parent sees regularly. Some plans have restricted networks, meaning your parent might not be able to see their favorite doctor. If staying with a specific doctor is important, the counselor needs to know which doctors to check. Bring your parent's annual income if you know it, because Medicaid eligibility and subsidy programs depend on income, and some programs require proof. Bring your parent's questions written down. It's easy to forget what you wanted to ask when you're sitting in the appointment and someone's explaining complicated information.

You don't need to bring bills, though if there's a specific billing issue you want help understanding, bring that documentation too. The counselor will explain how to read it and what it means.

Making the Appointment Actually Useful

Bring specific questions. Instead of "I'm confused about Medicare," come with questions like "I have diabetes and see an endocrinologist. Is my current doctor in the network of Plan X?" or "My copays are adding up. Are there plans with lower out-of-pocket limits?" or "I'm on five medications. Which plans cover these drugs with the lowest copays?" Specific questions get specific answers. Vague questions get general explanations that might not help your parent make a decision.

Ask the counselor to write down what you discuss. Most counselors take notes anyway, and they're happy to let you keep a copy or summarize what was decided. You'll probably forget details after the appointment, and having something written down you can refer to later matters.

Don't hesitate to ask follow-up questions. If the counselor explains something and it doesn't make sense, say so. If they use abbreviations you don't understand, ask what they mean. The counselor's job is to make sure you understand, not to impress you with how much they know. Good counselors actually want you to ask questions because it means the information is landing.

Get the counselor's contact information before you leave. If something comes up after the appointment, you might want to ask a quick follow-up question. Some counselors make themselves available for brief calls after the initial appointment. It's worth asking if this is an option.

How SHIP Fits Into Your Bigger Insurance Picture

SHIP counselors help you understand Medicare itself. They can't help you apply for Social Security or figure out retirement finances. They can't give you tax advice or help with other benefits programs. They're Medicare specialists, and they stay in their lane. If you have questions about benefits beyond Medicare, they can point you toward the right resources, but Medicare is their specialty.

SHIP counselors also can't change Medicare policies or override Medicare decisions. If Medicare denied a claim your parent thinks should have been approved, the counselor can explain the appeal process and help your parent understand what evidence Medicare would need, but the counselor can't make Medicare approve the claim. If your parent has a problem that only Medicare can solve, the counselor knows who to call at Medicare on your parent's behalf and what to say to get results.

The counselor relationship is confidential. They're not reporting anything back to Medicare or your parent's insurance company. They're not going to tell Medicare that your parent is considering switching plans. The only information that leaves the appointment is what you and your parent choose to share with the insurance company when you enroll in a plan.

Moving Beyond the Appointment

After you've talked to a SHIP counselor, you'll have better information about what's available and what makes sense for your parent's situation. The decision about which plan to choose is still your parent's to make. The counselor's job was to give you the information and explanation you need to make that decision well. It's normal to feel uncertain even after talking to a counselor. Medicare choices have tradeoffs, and no single plan is perfect for everyone.

If your parent is still undecided between two plans after the SHIP appointment, that's okay. You can go back to the counselor for another conversation. You can wait until closer to the deadline and see if more information becomes available. You can ask your parent's doctor which plan they see more patients in, though doctors' offices vary in how easily they answer this question. You can call the plans themselves and ask questions. There's no rush to decide except for the enrollment deadline.

What matters is that you're not making this decision in the dark. You have access to free, unbiased help specifically designed for this situation. The help is better than you'd get trying to figure this out alone, better than what an insurance agent will give you, and it's genuinely free. That's unusual. Use it.

How To Help Your Elders is an educational resource. We do not provide medical, legal, or financial advice. The information in this article is general in nature and may not apply to your specific situation. If you are concerned about a loved one's health or benefits eligibility, consult with their healthcare provider, a SHIP counselor, or contact your local Area Agency on Aging for guidance and support.