Problems with, or questions about your Medicare/ health insurance

The Raritan Valley YMCA (www.raritanvalleyymca.org) has teamed up with the Middlesex County Office of Aging & Disabled Services at 732-745-3295 to increase public awareness of services and opportunities for county seniors, the disabled, and their caregivers.

The State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) provides free help to New Jersey Medicare beneficiaries who have problems with, or questions about their health insurance. SHIP is a statewide program sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Human Services with major funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal Medicare agency.

Medicare beneficiaries frequently have questions about benefits and claims, supplement policies, and long-term care insurance. Volunteer counselors, trained in areas of health insurance coverage and benefits that affect Medicare beneficiaries, provide information and assistance for dealing with claims and in evaluating health insurance needs.

Volunteer counselors do not provide legal advice, sell, recommend, or endorse any specific insurance product, agent, insurance company, Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), or Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan. They provide information and assistance so that you can make your own decisions. Counseling is free of charge.

To contact a SHIP counselor contact our Office of Aging & Disabled Services at 732-745-3295, or Jewish Family Services at 732-777-1940. To find out about free YMCA memberships through your health insurance, should you qualify, contact the YMCA at 732-257-4114.