Medicare Rights in Strong Partnership with National State Health Insurance Program Technical Assistance Center

The Medicare Rights Center is in its second year of providing a range of Medicare resources to the 54 State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) across the country.

Working with the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (NEI3A), which was awarded a grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) in 2014, Medicare Rights today offers Medicare training and certification to SHIP counselors through the National SHIP Technical Assistance Center (SHIP TA Center). Content developed for this partnership is expertly vetted by NEI3A, ACL, and SHIPs themselves, resulting in the best possible information for people with Medicare, their families, and the professionals serving them.

“Medicare Rights is a valuable partner,” says Ginny Paulson, director of the SHIP TA Center. “They provide key training services for use by SHIP staff, counselors, and volunteers, and are responsive, knowledgeable, and passionate about the SHIP mission.”

SHIPs provide free, personalized counseling, education, and outreach to assist aging Americans and those with disabilities in navigating health and long-term services and supports systems, including Medicare and Medicaid. In 2015, SHIPs reached more than 3.5 million beneficiaries through one-on-one assistance. In addition to developing content for the Online SHIP Counselor Training and Certifi cation Tool, a multi-level curriculum for SHIPs, Medicare Rights has created a unique certifi cation mechanism for SHIPs complete with a standard bank of more than 270 questions for testing new counselors’ Medicare knowledge. Currently, the majority of SHIPs use the tool to train and certify staff and volunteers.

“Being part of the National SHIP TA Center has helped take our expert Medicare counseling and training tools to the next level and enabled us to carry good Medicare information to a broader national audience,” says Rachel Bennett, vice president of program & product development at Medicare Rights.

Medicare Rights also offers periodic webinars and the Medicare Minute program through the SHIP TA Center. Medicare Minutes are monthly Medicare scripts and handouts that SHIPs use to lead presentations in their communities, currently reaching an estimated 300,000+ audience members each year. As one SHIP Medicare Minute partner notes, “[Medicare Minutes] are excellent: short and sweet and very well laid-out… Keep them coming with more topics. Love them!”

If you are interested in learning about and supporting Medicare Rights’ educational offerings, please visit us here: http://www.medicarerights.org/pdf/medicare-rights-services-2016.pdf