Medicare

Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people who are age 65 or older, disabled persons, or those with end-stage kidney disease. For more information call the toll-free number (800) 633-4227 or TTY (877) 486-2048, or to view their website click www.Medicare.gov.

If you are covered by Medicare, you can also apply for the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug benefit. This is an insurance benefit to help people with Medicare pay for prescription drugs and is provided through Medicare approved private health plans. For more information contact Medicare.

People with limited income and resources may qualify for extra help with prescription drug costs under the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit. To see if you qualify for this extra help contact the Social Security Administration. You can phone them toll-free at (800) 772-1213 or TTY (800) 325-0778, or to view their website click www.ssa.gov/prescriptionhelp. If you receive Medicaid, you automatically qualify for the extra help.

SHINE:

For questions about Medicare you can also contact the SHINE program (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders), at the Florida Dept. of Elder Affairs (DOEA). SHINE provides counseling to seniors regarding health insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, prescription assistance programs, and other health insurance issues. The program also provides counseling to people on Medicare due to disability or end-stage kidney disease. For information call the Elder Care Helpline toll-free number at (800) 963-5337. For more information on SHINE and other DOEA programs view their websites by clicking http://ElderAffairs.state.fl.us or www.FloridaShine.org.

OTHER RESOURCES

Be sure to look at the other topics listed in the Medical Help Section by clicking Referral Links.

Medicare

SHINE:

OTHER RESOURCES

Help for Florida Consumers.