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APPRISE PROGRAM

State Health Insurance Assistance Program

APPRISE, Pennsylvania’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), is a federally funded service that provides health care education and counseling for senior citizens and other individuals who qualify for Medicare.  Family Services operates the Allegheny County APPRISE program. Trained counselors are available to answer Medicare-related questions over the phone, meet in person with consumers, and conduct community outreach.  APPRISE relies primarily on volunteer counselors to extend its program capacity beyond a small core of professional staff.

APPRISE Counselors Can Help You:    

• Understand your Medicare benefits by explaining what services are covered under Medicare Parts A and B and your Medicare Summary Notice.

• Make informed choices about original Medicare coverage and Medicare Advantage options.
   

• Navigate the Medicare appeals process.
   

• Select a Medigap insurance policy.
   

• Learn about financial assistance programs that may help pay for your Medicare premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-pays.
   

• Understand the Medicare prescription (Part D) benefit.

 APPRISE is an objective source of information and expertise about Medicare plan choices, benefits, and programs available to help beneficiaries keep their health care costs manageable. 

Beneficiaries, family members, and care managers can count on APPRISE for accurate, personalized answers to questions related to Medicare billing, claims, appeals, and more.

 For more information, contact Bill McKendree at mckendreew@fswp.org

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