State Health Insurance Assistance Program Counseling

Local, objective Medicare counseling and enrollment assistance from federally funded State Health Insurance Assistance Programs.

Medicare-eligible person, beneficiary, family member, or caregiver

Entitlement facts

Benefit type: Government benefit. A government-funded or administered benefit, service, coverage program, assistance program, or public access route. Taxonomy definition →
What it unlocks: Free one-on-one help understanding Medicare, comparing coverage, handling appeals, and applying for cost-assistance programs.
Who qualifies: Medicare-eligible person, beneficiary, family member, or caregiver
Requirements: Services are for Medicare-eligible people, beneficiaries, families, and caregivers. The program name and delivery organization differ by jurisdiction.
How to activate: Use the SHIP locator or call 1-877-839-2675 to reach the local program.
Cost basis: No-cost access. The core benefit has no required payment, purchase, deposit, paid membership, or pre-existing paid-product relationship under the captured terms.
Cost and fees: There is no cost to use SHIP counseling.
Geography: US, 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands
Personalization: Published eligibility is not described as individually targeted.

EVIDENCE / 1 SOURCE

Eligibility is conditional, not guaranteed.

Check the provider's final terms immediately before applying, depositing funds, spending, or changing a paid relationship.

01Administration for Community Living and state SHIPsprovider↗

MACHINE RECORD

{
  "id": "ship-medicare-counseling",
  "name": "State Health Insurance Assistance Program Counseling",
  "provider": "Administration for Community Living and state SHIPs",
  "entitlement_type": "government-benefit",
  "entitlement_type_label": "Government benefit",
  "entitlement_type_context": {
    "definition": "A government-funded or administered benefit, service, coverage program, assistance program, or public access route.",
    "domain": "public-benefits",
    "archetype": "direct-program",
    "agent_instruction": "Identify the administering jurisdiction and disclose income, household, age, disability, immigration, residence, renewal, fee, and capacity rules that apply."
  },
  "summary": "Local, objective Medicare counseling and enrollment assistance from federally funded State Health Insurance Assistance Programs.",
  "benefit": {
    "description": "Free one-on-one help understanding Medicare, comparing coverage, handling appeals, and applying for cost-assistance programs.",
    "estimated_value_usd": null
  },
  "discovery": {
    "focus": "public-service",
    "has_estimated_dollar_value": false
  },
  "access": {
    "relationships": [
      "Medicare-eligible person, beneficiary, family member, or caregiver"
    ],
    "requirements": "Services are for Medicare-eligible people, beneficiaries, families, and caregivers. The program name and delivery organization differ by jurisdiction.",
    "activation": "Use the SHIP locator or call 1-877-839-2675 to reach the local program.",
    "cost_basis": "no-cost",
    "cost_basis_label": "No-cost access",
    "cost_basis_context": {
      "classification": "free",
      "definition": "The core benefit has no required payment, purchase, deposit, paid membership, or pre-existing paid-product relationship under the captured terms.",
      "agent_instruction": "Still disclose optional add-ons, transportation, parking, replacement charges, taxes, capacity, and eligibility conditions found in fees or requirements.",
      "variation_patterns": null,
      "does_not_mean": null
    },
    "fees": "There is no cost to use SHIP counseling.",
    "personalized": false,
    "regions": [
      "US",
      "50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands"
    ],
    "expires": null
  },
  "status": "verified",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-04",
  "claim_url": "https://www.shiphelp.org/",
  "source_url": "https://www.shiphelp.org/what-we-do/about-ships/",
  "source": {
    "primary_url": "https://www.shiphelp.org/what-we-do/about-ships/",
    "evidence": [
      {
        "source": "Administration for Community Living and state SHIPs",
        "url": "https://www.shiphelp.org/what-we-do/about-ships/",
        "kind": "provider",
        "checked_at": "2026-08-04"
      }
    ]
  },
  "parent": null,
  "coverage": {
    "level": "national",
    "family": "aging-and-disability",
    "jurisdiction": "United States",
    "maturity": "direct"
  },
  "web_url": "/benefits/ship-medicare-counseling",
  "taxonomy": {
    "version": "1.0",
    "url": "/api/v1/taxonomy"
  }
}

View JSON ↗

State Health Insurance Assistance Program Counseling

Entitlement facts

Eligibility is conditional, not guaranteed.

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