Kentucky State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP): Free Medicare Counseling

What Kentucky SHIP Does

Kentucky's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides free, one-on-one Medicare counseling through trained volunteers and staff at regional Area Agencies on Aging across the state. The counselors are unbiased — they don't sell insurance or earn commissions — and they help with everything from comparing Part D plans to understanding Medicare Savings Program eligibility.

You can reach Kentucky SHIP at 1-877-293-7447 (toll-free) or through your local Area Agency on Aging.

What SHIP Counselors Help With

SHIP counselors handle a range of Medicare questions:

• Comparing Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans during Open Enrollment
• Reviewing Part D drug plans against your specific prescriptions
• Explaining Medicare Savings Program eligibility and helping start an application
• Sorting out confusing notices from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or Social Security
• Answering questions about Extra Help (the Part D Low-Income Subsidy)

They're particularly useful during Medicare Annual Enrollment (October 15 through December 7), though that's also when call volumes spike and wait times stretch.

When SHIP Is the Right Call — and When You Need More

SHIP is excellent for plan comparisons and answering specific Medicare questions over the phone. Where it runs short is sustained, hands-on document assembly. If you need help gathering bank statements, completing the MAP-205 application form, tracking a kynect submission through processing, and following up with DCBS — that's more administrative work than a single counseling call typically covers.

SHIP counselors will tell you whether you likely qualify for QMB, SLMB, or QI, and they'll explain the general process. The gap is between that general guidance and actually navigating your specific situation through Kentucky's system — the income calculations, the documents DCBS needs, the timeline for when premiums stop being deducted, and what to do if something stalls.

For a structured walkthrough of the full MSP process in Kentucky — from eligibility math through application, approval, and renewal — the Kentucky Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide picks up where a SHIP call leaves off.

See more Kentucky guides →