Kentucky State Health Insurance Assistance Program Receives Funding

As part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services nationwide funding increase, Kentucky’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) will receive over $700,000.  The funding is part of the $35.8 million being dispersed throughout the country’s State Health Insurance Assistance Programs in order to increase access to information about Medicare. 

The Kentucky SHIP will be able to use the funding to further help recipients understand and use their Medicare services.  The SHIP will also be able to provide support to individuals who otherwise might not be able to access this type of help, and to assist individuals in recognizing if they are eligible for Medicare’s low-income subsidy. 

The Kentucky SHIP provides counseling by phone or in person, presentations to groups, printed materials, and connections to other agencies.  Their four goals include educating seniors on health insurance coverage and benefits as well as on consumer rights, offering assistance and education one-on-one or through forums, protecting consumers against fraud or misdirected collections, and helping consumers to make informed health insurance choices.  They can help seniors and their families understand Medicare coverage, policies, and plans, and to fill out various Medicare applications.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services intends to distribute a total of $50 million throughout the country this year.