Medicare Rights Announces National Partnership with Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (NEI3A)
–NEI3A Awarded SHIP National Technical Assistance Center Grant–

New York, NY—The Medicare Rights Center is proud to announce a new partnership with the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (NEI3A), which was just selected to receive a $2.25 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) to operate the State Health Insurance Assistance Program National Technical Assistance Center (SHIP TA Center).

The SHIP TA Center will provide training, technical assistance, and promotional activities in support of the SHIP program and 54 SHIP projects nationally. The SHIP provides free personalized counseling, education, and outreach to assist aging and disabled Medicare beneficiaries and their families with navigating the health and long-term services and supports systems. In FY2010, SHIPs served 4.7 million beneficiaries.

The SHIP TA Center will become the second national resource center operated by NEI3A which has operated the ACL-funded Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) National Resource Center since 2003. This grant will allow NEI3A to develop a national SHIP website, enhance volunteer training, provide national trainings for SHIPs, and serve as the central source of information for and about the SHIP program.

The Medicare Rights Center, which currently reaches over 1.5 million people with Medicare and their families annually through its educational initiatives, will serve as the Medicare content expert of the SHIP TA Center by developing and implementing an integrated training and counseling platform for SHIPs to use in educating their staff and volunteers and helping beneficiaries navigate Medicare and Medicaid questions. To further enhance SHIP volunteer training and engagement, Medicare Rights will also replicate its proven Medicare Minute program, which engages volunteers across the country to lead monthly Medicare presentations and last year reached nearly 100,000 individuals with good Medicare information and assistance.

The Medicare Rights Center is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs, and public policy initiatives. Since 1989, the Medicare Rights Center has been helping people with Medicare understand their rights and benefits, navigate the Medicare system, and secure the quality health care they deserve.

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