Medicare Counseling and SHIP Services for Older Adults

Andrea Callow, AARP Public Policy Institute

Cristina Boccuti, AARP Public Policy Institute

Published December 04, 2025

A younger woman shows an older woman something on a desktop computer.

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides free, objective, personalized counseling to help people with Medicare, their families, and caregivers in every state. Medicare is complex, and SHIP helps people navigate enrollment, understand their benefits, and find help with out-of-pocket costs. In addition to individual counseling, SHIP also offers community outreach and education during the annual open enrollment period and throughout the year. Medicare enrollment has grown by 25 percent over the past decade, while SHIP funding has increased only 17 percent, creating challenges in meeting rising demand. Read the full report.

Key Takeaways

SHIP is a federally funded network of local counselors offering free, objective Medicare education and assistance in all states.
Services include one-on-one help with enrollment, plan comparisons, appeals, and low-income assistance programs.
Counseling is delivered by 11,500 paid staff and trained volunteers to ensure cost-effective, community-based support.
In 2021, SHIPs hosted 36,000 community events, with 5,600 during open enrollment and in 2022 helped more than four million people.
While Medicare enrollment grew 25 percent over the past decade, SHIP funding increased only 17 percent.

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Suggested Citation:
Callow, Andrea, and Cristina Boccuti. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP): Trusted Medicare Assistance and Education. Washington, DC: AARP Public Policy Institute, December 4, 2025. https://doi.org/10.26419/ppi.00390.001

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