State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
1-800-792-8820
The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides free help to New Jersey Medicare beneficiaries who have problems with, or questions about their health insurance. SHIP is a statewide program administered by the New Jersey Department of Human Services with financial assistance through a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living.
Medicare beneficiaries frequently have questions about benefits, claims and supplement policies (known as Medigaps). Volunteer counselors, trained in areas of health insurance coverage and benefits that affect Medicare beneficiaries, provide information and assistance for dealing with claims and in evaluating health insurance options.
Volunteer counselors do not provide legal advice, sell, recommend, endorse any specific insurance product, agent, insurance company or plan. They provide information and assistance so that you can make your own decisions. Counseling is free of charge.
SHIP is committed to continuing to provide Medicare counseling services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We have found safe, creative, and socially-distanced solutions to assist you. SHIP counseling appointments are now being held virtually, over the phone or with the assistance of other technology. To set up your virtual appointment, contact the lead counseling agency in your area, or call your County Office on Aging.
NJ Save
NJ Save is an online application to help low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities save money on Medicare premiums, prescriptions costs, and other living expenses. Click on the NJ Save image below to access the application.
Volunteers Needed
If you would like to become a SHIP volunteer and help people in your community better understand their Medicare-related insurance options, please call 609-438-4795. Watch this video for more information.
SHIP Information Center 1-800-792-8820
SHIP produces and regularly updates charts detailing the various Medigap, Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans offered in New Jersey. These charts have been posted here to help you compare plans and make an informed decision about which plan best fits your needs and budget. Please note, however, that since Medigap options and pricing can change at anytime during the year, it is recommended you call the company you are interested in to confirm the information/premiums provided on these charts prior to enrolling or making a coverage change.
If you are receiving your Medicare coverage through the original Medicare program, here are the Medigap policies currently available in New Jersey.
Supplemental (Medigap) Plans
Medigap Information for Beneficiaries of All Ages:
Plans for Medicare Beneficiaries age 65 and Older:
Plans for Medicare Beneficiaries age 50 to 64:
Plans for Medicare Beneficiaries Under age 50:
Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans
For people in Original Medicare, you may wish to join a Medicare Prescription Drug Program. Use the link below to view stand-alone plans currently available in New Jersey.
Medicare Advantage Plans
If you are interested in receiving your Medicare coverage through a Medicare Advantage Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), or a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or a Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan, use the link below to view plans currently available in New Jersey*. Please note that many Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage. Ask the company you are interested in selecting how this benefit works.
*Please note that Medicare beneficiaries who have been diagnosed with end-stage renal disease cannot enroll in a Medicare HMO, PPO or PFFS plan.
Remember: SHIP provides free help to New Jersey Medicare beneficiaries who have problems with, or questions about their health insurance. Counseling sites have been established in all 21 counties to serve you. You can also contact a SHIP counselor through your County Office on Aging.
Report Medicare & Medicaid Waste, Fraud & Abuse 1-732-777-1940, ext. 1117
Click here for the SMP of New Jersey if you know or suspect someone is committing Medicare or Medicaid waste, fraud or abuse.
Additional Tools to Help You Make Informed Medicare Health Coverage Decisions
This project was supported, in part by grant #90SAPG0098-01-02, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express feely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.
