Navigating Medicare just got easier for our community.
Promise Community Health Center is excited to announce a new resource for Medicare beneficiaries: Promise now has a trained SHIIP Counselor, Carrie Vander Schaaf, available to provide free, confidential, one-on-one Medicare counseling.
This new service gives patients a trusted resource right here at Promise to help them understand their Medicare options, compare plans, prepare for enrollment, and make informed decisions about their healthcare coverage.
And the best part? SHIIP counseling is provided at no cost to patients.
What Is SHIIP?
SHIIP stands for the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, Iowa’s Medicare counseling program offered through the Iowa Insurance Division.
SHIIP provides free, objective, and confidential assistance to Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers. Trained counselors help people understand the often-complicated world of Medicare and related insurance so they can make decisions with confidence.
Medicare can be confusing. There are different parts of Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans, prescription drug coverage, supplemental insurance, enrollment periods, deductibles, premiums, networks, formularies and more. A SHIIP Counselor can help make sense of those choices without trying to sell you an insurance plan. Carrie’s role is to help patients understand their options.
While Medicare can feel daunting, I look forward to helping others to navigate the options, to gain confidence in their personal understanding, and, in turn, to feel empowered to make educated decisions that are best for them.– Carrie Vander Schaaf - SHIIP Counselor
Medicare Help Is Now Available at Promise
As Promise’s new SHIIP Counselor, Carrie will be available to assist patients with a variety of Medicare questions and situations throughout the year. She can help with:
- Open Enrollment – October 15 through December 7
- Patients new to Medicare – available year-round
- Medicare plan comparisons – available year-round
- General Medicare questions and concerns – available year-round
- Life events that may affect Medicare coverage – available year-round
Medicare Questions? Promise Can Help.
Whether you’re new to Medicare, reviewing your current coverage or preparing for Open Enrollment, Carrie, Promise’s SHIIP Counselor, is here to help.
And while you’re at Promise, you have access to a healthcare team committed to caring for the whole person.
Medicare is an important benefit. Make sure you understand how to use it.
To learn more or request an appointment with Carrie, Promise’s SHIIP Counselor, contact Promise Community Health Center at 712-722-1700.
SHIIP counseling is provided as a free, objective and confidential service through Iowa’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program. SHIIP counselors do not sell or endorse insurance plans.