TN SHIP 3-26-12

Have Medicare Questions?

TN SHIP provides FREE and objective information and counseling on Medicare and related health insurance issues.

Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage • Eligibility • Enrollment • Coverage • Billing

Medicare and prescription drug costs

• Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Part D • Extra Help (LIS) and other sources of help

Medicare supplement or Medigap Insurance • Standardized Plans • Enrollment deadlines • Rights and protections

Medicare & Other Insurance • Employee Plans • Retiree Plans • VA & TRICARE for Life

Medicare & TennCare/Medicaid

• Losing TennCare • TennCare Medicaid Benefits Changes • Medicare AND TennCare

Long-Term Care Insurance

• Buying long-term care insurance • Reverse mortgage information • Nursing Home Medicaid

Questions?

1-877-801-0044 www.tnmedicarehelp.com

What is TN SHIP?

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is a national program, sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that offers one-on-one counseling assistance to people with Medicare and their families.

In Tennessee, SHIP is sponsored by the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability and is locally managed by the Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability, a program of the Southeast Tennessee Development District.

Nationally, the program was started in 1990 through the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. In 1992, Tennessee received a grant to implement the program.

How do Tennesseans contact TN SHIP?

• Visit a local TN SHIP help site near you • Call the statewide toll-free consumer number at 1-877-801-0044 • Visit the website at www.setaaad.org or www.tnmedicarehelp.com

How does TN SHIP work?

• Operates 1-877-801-0044, a toll-free consumer information phone line between 8:15 a.m to 5 p.m. EST on Monday-Friday • Trains volunters to counsel Medicare beneficiaries within their communities at locations throughout Southeast Tennessee • Creates education materials for consumers • Conducts trainings and seminars about Medicare and other related topics

What is the mission of TN SHIP?

• To help all Medicare enrollees, regardless of financial status, obtain the health care they need and to which they are entitled • To be the “last stop for consumers,” who by the time they reach a SHIP counselor, report feelings of frustration and hopelessness after having tried to navigate the Medicare system on their own • To facilitate consumer access to other available Tennessee Area Aging and Disability network programs and public benefits whenever possible.

1-877-801-0044 www.tnmedicarehelp.com www.setaaad.org

This publication has been created by Tennessee with financial assistance in whole or in part, through a grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal Medicare agency.