Lt. Governor Taylor announces Ohio's Medicare awareness efforts rank 1st in nation
Overall nationwide performance scoring was released for Senior Health Insurance Information Programs and Ohio ranks first in the nation, announced Ohio lieutenant governor Mary Taylor. Compared to 54 similar programs in other states and territories, the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) does it the best.
SHIIP programs provide free health benefit counseling for Medicare beneficiaries and their families or caregivers. They work to educate, advocate, counsel and empower people to make informed healthcare benefit decisions. In Ohio, educational and counseling services are provided to more than 2.1 million Ohioans on Medicare, and last year alone the program counseled more than 375,000 consumers.
“This hard-earned national ranking comes as a result of sheer dedication from our amazing OSHIIP leadership and staff, volunteers and partner organizations who are whole-heartedly devoted to serving Ohioans on Medicare,” said Taylor, who also serves as director of the Ohio Department of Insurance. “We are honored to have reached this designation and will use it as motivation for the program to reach even greater heights.”
OSHIIP focuses on making complex healthcare benefits and options easier to understand. The program delivers creative outreach – a total of 1,700 public events in 2015 – in all 88 counties across the state to educate Ohioans and help the public understand the Medicare system.
Ohioans with questions about Medicare can call OSHIIP at 800-686-1578, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Medicare information, such as consumer guides, tips sheets, premium information and interactive webinars are available at www.insurance.ohio.gov. For additional information, follow OSHIIP on Facebook.