RESOURCES

Federal government:

www.medicare.gov  Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (CMS)  Toll-free assistance:  1-800-MEDICARE   (1-800-633-4227)  Since Nov. 1, CMS has updated the Medicaire Prescription Drug Plan Finder, Formulary Finder and Landscape of Local Plans.

CMS has developed a short webcast on how to use these tools which can be accessed at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/partnerships/news/mma/webcasts.asp

www.cms.hhs.gov/about/regions/consumers.asp  (Your regional CMS office)

www.aoa.gov  (U.S. Administration on Aging)

State resources:

http://www.medicare.gov/contacts/static/allStateContacts.asp  (The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) has counselors in every State and several Territories that are available to provide free one-on-one help with your Medicare questions or problems)

Non-profit organizations:

www.thearc.org    (The Arc of the United States)

www.ucp.org  (United Cerebral Palsy)

www.thedesk.info  (Medicaid Reference Desk – information about Medicaid for people with cognitive disabilities)

www.thearclink.org  (TheArcLink - information and resources for people with developmental disabilities and their families)

www.maprx.info   (MedicareRx-Connect provides quick links to a wide variety of information and tools to answer beneficiaries’ most frequently asked questions about the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.  It is designed for individuals in position to assist Medicare beneficiaries with special needs as they learn more about the benefit and compare and select their plan coverage)

www.accestobenefits.org  (Access to Benefits Coalition – a Coalition of  104 national voluntary health care, disability and aging organizations, chaired by The National Council on the Aging, which supports 56 local coalitions  in educating and enrolling low-income individuals in the Medicare drug benefit and other prescription drug coverage)

www.medicareadvocacy.org  (The Center for Medicare Advocacy – a national non-partisan education and advocacy organization that identifies and promotes policy and advocacy solutions to ensure that elders and people with disabilities have access to Medicare)

www.medicarerights.org  (Medicare Rights Center - works to teach people with Medicare and those who counsel them--health care providers, social service workers, family members, and others--about Medicare benefits and rights)