A University of Alabama Law School Clinical Program funded in part by West Alabama Regional Commission

Resources

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), at www.medicare.gov. Toll free number, 1-800-633-4227 or TTY (for hearing-impaired) 1-800-486-2048.

Center for Medicare Advocacy, www.medicareadvocacy.org, based in Connecticut, is a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization that provides education, advocacy and legal assistance to help elders and people with disabilities obtain Medicare and necessary health care. Several of the Center's attorneys co-author "The Medicare Handbook", pub. Aspen Publishers, updates annually.

The Medicare Rights Center, www.medicarerights.org, is a national, non-profit consumer service organization working to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities. They provide counseling and advocacy, educational programs and public policy initiatives.

State Health Insurance Program (SHIP), at the Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS), www.adss.state.al.us; select "Programs", then "Insurance Counseling". Each state's central aging office receives federal funding pursuant to the Older Americans Act, part of which it funnels to local Area Agencies on Aging. There are thirteen such AAoAs. Each has a "SHIP" counselor available who can help you make decisions about Medicare, Medigap policies, Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans, and help with costs. In Alabama call 1-800-AGELINE (1-800-243-5463) to be connected with the counselor in your area.

Alabama Elder Law, Hugh M. Lee and Jo A. Taylor, co-authors; Pub. Thomson-West Publishing, updated annually. See Chapter 17, Medicare.

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