SHIP Benefits Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator addresses Rotary

Amanda Smith

The Rotary Club of Sparta met for its regular weekly, at noon, on July 27, in the Fellowship Hall of the Sparta First United Methodist Church.

The Club welcomed Amanda Smith, SHIP Benefits Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator for Upper Cumberland Development District, who addressed the Club to share information regarding the Tennessee State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which counsels Medicare beneficiaries to assist in making educated health care choices, and the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program, which educates seniors to prevent healthcare fraud.

According to Smith, TN SHIP offers free and objective counseling on Medicare and all related health insurance issues including: original Medicare and Medicare Advantage eligibility, enrollment, coverage, and billing; Medicare and prescription drug costs; Medicare supplement & Medicare gap insurance; TennCare/Medicaid; and long-term care insurance.

Smith expressed that SHIP also offers free Welcome To Medicare classes throughout the region, which consist of training on parts A, B, C & D, as well as Medigap policies and ways to prevent Medicare fraud. Classes are taught by trained volunteers - if you are interested in volunteering, please call 1-866-836-7677.

When asked when a person should first reach out concerning Medicare, Smith advised contacting SHIP three months before that person’s 65th birthday.

Smith was also questioned whether Medicare ever solicits through telemarketing phone calls.  According to Medicare.gov, Medicare will only call and ask for personal information in two situations:

1) A Medicare health or drug plan can call you if you’re already a member of the plan. The agent who helped you join can also call you.

2) A customer service agent from 1-800-MEDICARE can call you if you’ve called and left a message or a representative said that someone would call you back.

If someone calls you and asks for your Medicare Number or other personal information, hang up and call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). If you suspect identity theft, or feel like you gave your personal information to someone you shouldn’t have, contact the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov

To contact SHIP with your Medicare questions, call 1-877-801-0044 for an appointment.

The Rotary Club of Sparta will meet again at noon, on July 29, when Dr. Troy Smith, associate professor of history at Tennessee Tech University, will address the Club about White County history. 

The Rotary Club of Sparta meets each Thursday at Noon in the Fellowship Hall of the Sparta First United Methodist Church. To learn more about the Rotary Club of Sparta, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/RotaryClubSpartaTN or their website rotary-club-of-sparta-tennessee.org