Missouri SHIP (CLAIM) Free Medicare Counseling

What Missouri SHIP Does

Missouri's State Health Insurance Assistance Program — formerly branded as CLAIM — provides free, confidential, one-on-one Medicare counseling. Trained volunteer counselors help with:

• Comparing Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans
• Evaluating Part D prescription drug plan options
• Explaining Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies
• Interpreting benefit notices and coverage letters
• Answering questions about eligibility for cost-help programs

The service is unbiased — counselors don't sell insurance or earn commissions. They're funded through federal grants administered by the Administration for Community Living.

Phone: 1-800-390-3330 Service area: All of Missouri, with local community partner organizations throughout the state

What SHIP Can't Do

SHIP counselors have clear boundaries that are worth knowing before you call:

They don't complete state Medicaid applications. SHIP counselors can tell you about the Medicare Savings Programs and suggest you apply, but they cannot fill out the IM-1MSP form line by line, manage your myDSS account, or track your FSD application status.

They can't act as your representative. A SHIP counselor cannot call FSD on your behalf or access your state benefits case. That requires Form IM-6AR filed with FSD.

They don't handle MoRx pharmacy issues. MoRx is administered by the MO HealthNet Division, not the Medicare system that SHIP covers. If MoRx isn't paying at the pharmacy counter, the issue is on the Medicaid side.

Wait times spike during Open Enrollment. Annual Enrollment Period (October 15–December 7) is their busiest season. If you're calling about MSP eligibility rather than plan comparison, consider calling outside that window.

When SHIP Is Exactly Right

SHIP shines when you need to choose between insurance plans — specifically during Medicare's enrollment periods. If your parent is choosing their initial Part D plan, comparing Medicare Advantage options, or deciding whether to add a Medigap supplement, a SHIP counselor provides the kind of unbiased plan comparison that insurance brokers can't offer (since brokers earn commissions from specific carriers).

SHIP is also useful when a confusing Medicare notice arrives — an Annual Notice of Change from a Part D plan, an MSN (Medicare Summary Notice) that doesn't look right, or a letter about a premium adjustment.

How SHIP and MSP Work Together

Use both, in sequence. SHIP helps you pick the right insurance plans. The Medicare Savings Programs help you pay for them. The two address different problems:

1. First, apply for MSP (QMB, SLMB, or QI-1) through FSD to get your premiums and cost-sharing covered
2. Then call SHIP to compare Part D plans — once you have Extra Help (which MSP triggers automatically), your Part D premium is $0 for benchmark plans, so the plan comparison shifts to formulary coverage rather than premiums

This order matters because Extra Help changes which plans cost $0, which changes the entire Part D comparison.

For the MSP application process, eligibility worksheets, and a guide to every Missouri cost-help program, the Missouri Medicare Savings guide covers the full picture that SHIP counselors reference but can't walk you through.

See more Missouri guides →