By Sam Matthews, Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem
The Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program or SHIIP is a consumer information division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance that helps Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare, Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage, Medicare fraud and abuse, and long-term care insurance questions.
The program was founded in 1986 in direct response to the growing concerns about health insurance for the more than 800,000 Medicare beneficiaries in North Carolina. More than 80 different insurance companies sell Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage plans, long-term care insurance and other medical insurance products to Medicare beneficiaries in North Carolina. Because there are so many companies, and because the Medicare system is so complex, it was felt there needed to be an objective information service for Medicare beneficiaries, so SHIIP was formed.
SHIIP offers education and assistance to North Carolinians in the following ways:
• By coordinating a statewide network of counseling sites and volunteer counselors to assist consumers with Medicare questions.
• By training Volunteer Counselors to assist Medicare beneficiaries within their community about Medicare, Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage and long-term care insurance
• By creating educational materials for consumers’ use including the Medicare Supplement Comparison Guide and featuring a Medicare Supplement Comparison Database on our website www.ncshiip.com
You can contact SHIIP by dialing the toll-free consumer number, 800-443-9354, visiting the SHIIP website, www.ncshiip.com, emailing, shiip@ncdoi.net, or by contacting a coordinating site in your county. Trained SHIIP Volunteer Counselors are available in all 100 counties of North Carolina and are coordinated through an existing human service agency such as a Council on Aging, Senior Centers, Shepherd’s Centers or the Cooperative Extension. If your issue is too complex to handle over the phone, you will need to contact your local SHIIP coordinator for a one-on-one appointment with a SHIIP Volunteer Counselor.
Many counties also offer presentations on a regular basis to assist beneficiaries to better understand the Medicare system and their choices.