Helpful Resources on the Web

Federal

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, offer general information, a plan finder tool and a drug finder.
• The Social Security Administration can help you find out if you qualify for extra help from the government.
• Visit Medicare Rx Connect, for answers to frequently asked questions and their free Rx Compare tool.

Oregon

• Download the Oregon Guide to Medigap, Medicare Advantage & Prescription Drug Plans. This guide is a reference tool for Oregonians with Medicare and those who assist them in making health insurance decisions throughout 2010. To order a printed copy call 800-722-4134.
• The Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance Program (SHIBA)
  SHIBA counselors help people review, compare and enroll in Medicare insurance plans. It offers free and unbiased one-on-one counseling and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries and their families who assist them.

SHIBA is administered by the state and funded by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. SHIBA is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon's largest regulatory agency.

The state SHIBA office in Salem contracts with 22 organizations throughout the state to provide local Medicare counseling through trained volunteers. Volunteers are available in 32 of Oregon's 36 counties. To find a local SHIBA sponsoring organization in your county, click here.

The state SHIBA office staff provides Medicare counseling by phone for residents of the counties that do not currently have a local SHIBA sponsoring organization - Grant, Morrow, and Umatilla.

Call toll-free in Oregon: 1-800-722-4134. You can get free help by phone or by appointment with a counselor in your community.