Medicare Sending Another $15 Million to Help Counsel
Seniors on Health Care Options
Money to state programs is part of $50 million
commitment for 2008
June
6, 2008 Senior citizens should find it easier to get help in learning
more about their Medicare health care and health insurance choices after
the State Health Insurance Assistance Programs receive the additional
$15 million promised today from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.
The $15 million is the second of three installments
of SHIP funding in 2008 and will be distributed in June. CMS will
distribute over $50 million to the nations SHIPs in 2008; of that, $36
million was distributed on April 1 and an additional $1.5 million will
be distributed in performance-based awards to SHIPs in September.
This funding represents a $20 million increase in
SHIP funding over fiscal year 2007.
State health insurance assistance programs fill an
important role in providing information and support to people with
Medicare where they live, said CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems.
In addition to answering beneficiaries questions
about Medicare, this years funding should further the SHIPs efforts to
reach those people who are most likely eligible for extra help paying
the costs of Medicare prescription drug coverage, and assist them in
applying for extra help.
SHIPs are state-based programs that use
community-based networks to provide Medicare beneficiaries with local,
personalized assistance on a wide variety of Medicare and health
insurance topics.
A significant accomplishment of the SHIPs has been
their success in helping to educate many of the nations 44 million
Medicare beneficiaries about Medicare as well as their prescription drug
coverage options so that they can make a choice about their health care
that best meets their needs.
CMS expects the SHIPs to use the increased 2008
funding to conduct community-based programs targeted at reaching more
beneficiaries who are unable to access other sources of information such
as the CMS online tools at www.medicare.gov.
SHIPs will continue their outreach and assistance
to currently and newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries and their
caregivers, as well as reaching out to beneficiaries with limited
incomes who may be eligible for the extra help with prescription drug
costs.
CMS will continue to support the SHIPs in 54 States
and territories with training and technical assistance. This will help
to ensure that the community networks remain fully capable of accessing
and using all of CMS regional office resources, as well as the online
tools at
www.medicare.gov to provide assistance to beneficiaries.
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boomers
June
6, 2008 Senior citizens should find it easier to get help in learning
more about their Medicare health care and health insurance choices after
the State Health Insurance Assistance Programs receive the additional
$15 million promised today from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.