Medicare Advocacy Task Force

11/10/2025

Original Medicare covers a lot, but gaps can leave retirees facing thousands in unexpected medical bills.

10/22/2025

Medicare doesn’t provide services entirely "for free," but some items and services are covered with no out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries under specific conditions.

10/11/2025

Please use unbiased resources like SHIP during this important enrollment period. Having the right insurance coverage can be critical to your overall health!

10/08/2025

08/23/2025

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is available in every state and provides free and unbiased Medicare counseling.

Missouri SHIP (formerly CLAIM) has been the official State Health Insurance Assistance Program since 1993! We are a nonprofit, not an insurance company. We provide free Medicare help.

08/09/2025

While there are many ethical and transparent insurance brokers, not everyone can be trusted. This article examines claims about misleading tactics with some Medicare Advantage brokers.

08/01/2025

The following account can happen with a Medicare Advantage plan, as you must be sure if you are “in network or out of network”, as the charges will be different or higher when out of network, and medical care is more likely to be denied with Advantage plans. This is highly unlikely to happen with a Medigap/supplement plan, as there is no network to be in, or no in or out network. Supplements are accepted by anyone who accepts Medicare.

Susan Epstein decided not to go through with the surgery, which would have cost $10,000 to $12,000 out of pocket.