Federal agency ยท SHIP National Technical Assistance Center
State Health Insurance Assistance Program locator (shiphelp.org)
The national site for finding your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which gives free, one-on-one Medicare counseling, including help with complaints and appeals.
Know before you go
The home page describes one-on-one counseling from a trusted, unbiased source. Medicare.gov says SHIPs help people with Medicare and their families, including with a complaint or appeal. These programs are for Medicare, not for employer or Marketplace plans. The number on the page is for the national technical assistance center; use the locator to reach your local program.
- Cost
- Not stated on the home page. The Medicare.gov pages describe the counseling as free.
- Where
- Nationwide
- How to start
- Use the site to find your state program, or call the number on the page and ask for your local SHIP. Ask whether a counselor can help you file your appeal.
- Phone
- 877-839-2675, as printed on the provider's page
- Have ready
- Your Medicare number; Your denial or Medicare Summary Notice; Your plan name, if any
Where this comes from
- Provider
- SHIP National Technical Assistance Center
- Source we read
- https://www.shiphelp.org/
- Date we read it
- . This is not a fresh check.
- Date the provider printed
- Not displayed
- What we checked
- We read the provider's public page. We have not verified availability, eligibility or outcomes for any individual.
Other starting points
- Program or service
1-800-MEDICARE: talk to a person about Medicare
The Medicare phone line and live chat, open all day every day. Staff can point you to the right step for a complaint, and can pass an unresolved complaint to the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman.
From Medicare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
- Program or service
American Cancer Society 24-hour helpline
A phone and chat line staffed around the clock by cancer information specialists who answer questions and connect you to services. It is an information and referral line, not an appeals service.
From American Cancer Society
- Program or service
An Arm and a Leg: First Aid Kit
An archive of articles and starter packs from the podcast An Arm and a Leg, including a starter pack on what to do if you are in collections for medical debt. General reporting on health care costs, not appeal steps.
From An Arm and a Leg