Infographic: Trusted Medicare Resources

The “Trusted Medicare Resources” infographic makes it easier to identify the national, state, and community Medicare resources that help you navigate Medicare.

If you call 1-800-Medicare or visit www.medicare.gov, you will receive information from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—the federal agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. The Social Security Administration is the federal agency responsible for your initial Medicare enrollment and if you need to replace your red, white, and blue Medicare Card.

If you are a veteran, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government agency that can provide you with health care benefits. You can have both Medicare and VA benefits; however, they do not work together. Alternatively, if you or a family member was a U.S. railroad worker, you will get your Medicare coverage through the Railroad Retirement Board instead of through Social Security.

For Medicare counseling and assistance, you can contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). The SHIP can answer questions and help you enroll, if eligible, into Medicare low-income programs. Some states also have a State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program (SPAP), which will help pay Medicare drug plan premiums or other drug costs for eligible individuals.

Other helpful agencies to know are federal qualified health centers, which provide health care in medically under-served areas; Senior Medicare Patrols, which help people with Medicare prevent, detect, and report fraud; and the Area Agencies on Aging, which provide home and community-based living arrangements for older adults.

See the infographic below and visit www.medicareinteractive.org for more information.