Where to Get Free Medicare Help for Seniors
Free Medicare help for seniors
Medicare is supposed to benefit seniors. But many people find it too confusing and overwhelming. As a result, millions of seniors end up making costly mistakes—mistakes that cost them thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many people also feel trapped in plans that limit their access to care—due to lack of coverage or lack of affordability.
Luckily, there are resources that provide free Medicare help for seniors. But keep in mind that not every free resource is good. In this guide, you’ll get a rundown of three free resources that provide Medicare help to seniors, with details on how they work and their different pros and cons.
There are three main ways for seniors to get free help with Medicare:
Medicare agents
A State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
Online resources
Let’s dive into each.
Free Medicare help from Medicare agents
Medicare agents work the same way as other insurance agents. Some work for specific insurance carriers (like Aetna or Humana). These Medicare agents are called “captive agents,” and will only look at plans offered by their company. Other insurance agents can represent a number of insurance carriers. These agents are called “independent agents.”
You should always talk to an independent agent—but even then, you need to do your homework to make sure you can actually trust your agent. Unfortunately, because Medicare agents are paid commissions from insurance companies, most only recommend plans from insurance companies they have contracts with. What does this mean? If the best plan for your needs is provided by Aetna, but your agent doesn’t have a contract with Aetna, they may not recommend that plan. This is because, if they do, they won’t get paid. Some Medicare brokers take it a step further and only recommend plans that have the highest commissions.
There’s only one company that will look at every plan nationwide and recommend the best one for you—even if it means they don’t get paid. That’s us: Chapter! We do this simply because it’s the right thing to do, and because every senior deserves the best from their Medicare—a program we’ve all paid into. In fact, our CEO and Cofounder, Cobi Blumenfeld-Gantz, started Chapter because his own parents were steered into an ill-fitting Medicare plan by their Medicare agent and he didn’t want this to happen to anyone else.
Free Medicare help from SHIPs
State Health Insurance Assistant Programs (SHIPs) are government resources that provide free, unbiased Medicare help for seniors. Because they’re run by the government, insurance companies do not pay them commissions. Therefore, bias caused by profit does not exist.
So, why wouldn’t you use a SHIP to figure out which Medicare coverage is right for you?
In a recent investigation by The Journal of the American Medical Association, the quality of SHIP advice was low. 40% of mystery shoppers were unable to get the help they needed—mostly because they were never called back. Those who received help often received incomplete and even inaccurate information. Particularly when discussing plan details, like which doctors are in network, only 26% of the answers provided by SHIP representative were accurate.
While there’s no bias caused by commission structures for SHIP counselors, mystery shoppers did find evidence of bias. For example, one shopper noted, “The counselor told me that Medicare Supplement Plans were expensive and complicated. She simply said that she doesn't recommend them.”
Unfortunately, while intended to provide free, unbiased Medicare help for seniors, SHIP support seems to be unreliable and even misleading.
Free Medicare help from various online resources
The internet is a great resource for many seniors who want to dig into Medicare on their own and understand everything before choosing their coverage. Unfortunately, while there’s a lot of helpful information out there, a lot of it is inaccurate or misleading. Even the Medicare website (Medicare.gov) is known to have some missing information, particularly in regards to plan data.
One Chapter member Jill shared,
“Trying to navigate the tangled web that is our 'health care' system to choose a new plan on my own was totally overwhelming.
I called Chapter after watching numerous YouTube videos. One of the best moves I have ever made! My Advisor was very efficient, and presented options that were not present on the medicare.gov site.”
Unfortunately, sorting through all the details—including inaccurate and misleading information—can take days. And even after all that research, many people feel just as confused as when they started and still make costly mistakes. No one wants a surprise bill or to find out their doctor isn’t covered, which is why we recommend confirming your decisions with a Chapter Advisor before you make this important life decision. There’s no obligation to enroll with us (although we do make it easier for you!), and if you’ve selected the right plan for your needs and preferences, we’ll let you know. If there’s a better one for you though, we can help you make your final decision. Ultimately, this is your decision, so we won’t pressure you toward one plan or another.
We’re always here to help with all things Medicare, but we also understand that some people like to do a little research on their own. Below are a handful of resources you can use to wrap your head around Medicare.
Free Medicare resources we recommend
Dr. Ed Weir is a former Social Security Manager—and he uses his knowledge of government programs to help explain them to his vast audience. He also does live Q&As (like this one for Medicare), to address any specific questions you may have. For people who like to learn by watching and listening, Dr. Ed may be for you!
We’d be remiss if we didn’t share the Medicare.gov website. It has a lot of information about Medicare basics as well as what is and isn’t covered by Medicare. As we mentioned above, keep in mind that there may be some plan details that are inaccurate. You can explore plans, but we recommend you call one of our Chapter Advisors to confirm the details of the plans you’re interested in—and to make sure there isn’t another one better suited to you.
We have our own blog (you're currently on it!) with tons of information on how Medicare works, what’s covered, and more. Here are a few great guides to get you started: