Although Medicare can be complicated and sometimes maddening, there is a little-known cadre of free, unbiased Medicare experts who can help you wade through the system. You can find them at State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, or SHIPs.
Congress created the national, federally funded SHIP system for Medicare advisory assistance in 1990. SHIPs are now run by the Federal Administration for Community Living (ACL) agency, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
