medicare is a complicated program with many moving parts and figuring out when to sign up how to sign up and which of the many options available are right for you can be a difficult and daunting task. below are some web sites to visit if you or someone you love is looking for medicare information. medicare resources the centers for medicare and medicaid services which administers the medicare program offers mounds of information on its website. aarp recently announced the launch of its medicare summary notice (msn) tool which helps people make sense of confusing quarterly statements sent to medicare recipients. msns contain a list of all the services or medical supplies billed to your medicare account and can be used to track the care you received monitor out-of-pocket costs and even help you spot billing errors. the federal government's medicare. gov offers a wealth of information and resources for finding medicare drug and health plans medigap policies (which help pay for care medicare does not) doctors hospitals and more. on the medicare plan finder tool you can search for and compare benefits and costs of private insurance plans in your area (also known as medicare advantage plans). if you need help paying for your prescription medications check to see if your state has a state pharmaceutical assistance program. state health insurance assistance programs (ships) provide medicare recipients throughout the country with free access to counselors who offer personalized advice. to find the ship near you visit the medicare helpful contacts page on medicare. gov or call 800- medicare (800-633-4227). on this web page you'll also find links to other helpful resources. mymedicalmatters. org a website run by the national council on aging has a lot of information about medicare drug plans how to evaluate your needs and how to sign up or switch your existing coverage. the council also offers a benefits checkup tool where you can find and enroll in federal state local and private programs that help pay for prescription drugs utility bills meals health care and other needs. the center for medicare advocacy is a nonprofit nonpartisan education and advocacy organization that has a wealth of information on its website about the various parts of medicare as well as associated costs. also webmd has a new chart showing what preventive care services are covered by medicare. i have united health care is my medicare insurance. i would like to switch.
what resources are available to medicare recipients?