Medicare.gov is the official Medicare website, providing information on Medicare in general and on options available to beneficiaries. This site also includes contact information on local organizations who work with Medicare.

Important sections of Medicare.gov lead to further information on the following subjects:

State Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Programs (SHIP Programs): provides links to SHIP counselors that can: answer your questions and help you understand your health care choices; choose a Medicare plan and/or additional health insurance to meet your needs; help you understand your rights and protections.

Medicare Savings Program: provides links to state websites that include state-specific information about Medicare Savings Programs.

State Insurance Departments: provides links to the State Insurance Department websites that contain information about Medigap (Medicare supplemental insurance) plans sold in the state.

Other Government Websites: has links to other government websites such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration.

Other Health Care Choice Resources: contains links to websites that provide information that consumers may access when making decisions related to hospital choices and nursing homes.

Medicare fraud can cost you higher Medicare premiums, deductibles, and co-payments. Losses due to fraud may also prevent Medicare from offering more services and better coverage. To report Medicare Fraud call 800-434-0222 and ask to speak with a Senior Counselor Against Medicare Swindler (SCAMS).

The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) is a national public interest law firm that seeks to improve health care for America's working and unemployed poor, minorities, elderly, and people with disabilities. NHeLP serves community-based organizations, legal services programs, the private bar, providers, and individuals who work to preserve a health care safety net for the millions of uninsured or underinsured low-income people. NHeLP has expertise in managed care, Medicare, Medicaid, Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program (EPSDT), safety net programs, consumer protections, and health care rights.

The Health Consumer Alliance (HCA) helps low-income people obtain essential health care. HCA's two main priorities are (1) helping consumers establish or maintain health coverage; and (2) ensuring that low-income consumers with health coverage get good access to essential services, including managed care. Local Consumer Health Centers serve many regions of the state.

CalMedicare.org gives you accurate, unbiased information about Medicare in California. This site provides information on Medicare eligibility, coverage, Medicare HMOs, Medicare and disabilities, and billing and claims.

Other topics covered include:

• Medigap supplements to pay for health care costs that Medicare doesn't cover;
• What options are available for obtaining prescription drug coverage;
• What programs help people with low incomes.

California Health Advocates (CHA) is a nonprofit association promoting the work of the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) projects serving 3.9 million Medicare beneficiaries of all ages throughout California. CHA provides statewide technical training and support to local HICAP professional staff and volunteer counselors.

HICAP is a volunteer-supported program that provides free one on one personal assistance and information about Medicare, related health care coverage, and long-term care insurance. This program is designed to help Medicare beneficiaries make the best choices for their individual health care needs. To find your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) office check CalMedicare's Medicare Counseling page or call (800) 434-0222.

NeedyMeds, Inc. provides information about Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) to individuals, healthcare professionals, patient advocates, social service workers and others. NeedyMeds, Inc. also assists with completing applications for PAPs.

PhRMA and its member companies launched the Partnership for Prescription Assistance - a directory of all Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) and the prescriptions that are covered. Partnership for Prescription Assistance directs individuals to appropriate PAPs.

RxAssist has a database of Patient Assistance Programs, with up-to-date information on how to access assistance from nearly 100 companies and more than 700 medications.

Medicine for People in Need (Medpin) works with providers to improve access to prescription drugs for people in need. Medpin provides links to no-cost Patient Assistance Program information.

The Access to Benefits Coalition provides information on prescription drug savings programs for low-income Medicare beneficiaries. BenefitsCheckUpRX is a tool that can help individuals locate programs that can save money on prescription drugs.

The AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) provides prescription coverage for HIV related medication. ADAP can cover some or all of the cost of prescription drugs. Use the ADAP site locator to find your local enrollment office.

The federal government pays benefits planners in communities around the country to help people think ahead about benefits issues. The Social Security Administration (SSA) replaced the Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach Project (BPAO) with the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program in October of 2006.

The new program emphasizes work incentives over work supports for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries. Benefits planners who are funded by SSA and trained under this new program are called Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWIC's).

To find a benefits planner near you, use DB101's Benefits Planners Directory.

Various community-based organizations provide staff to work with people concerning a range of options on state, federal, public, and private health and income programs. Counseling about benefits, as a community service, is an emerging field of expertise with different levels of services available. Some organizations may work with specific populations while others work with individuals with any type of disability.

Goodwill Industries services range from personal evaluation and office skills training to career counseling, childcare, and transportation. Some of these centers conduct Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach for Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries related to work activity.

Find locations at http://www.goodwill.org, or by calling (voice) 800-664-6577.

The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers lists 29 centers serving individuals with all disabilities. Many of these centers conduct Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach for Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries related to work activity. Most independent living centers can refer callers to local benefit program information if they do not have these services.

Find the list of independent living centers at http://www.cfilc.org, or by calling (voice) 916-325-1690 or (TTY) 916-325-1695.

The AIDS Hotline database contains 1,300 organizations providing HIV/AIDS services throughout California. Some of these organizations offer case management, benefits planning, and benefits counseling services that can include assistance with public and private benefits programs.

Find the list of AIDS organizations at http://www.aidshotline.org, or by calling (voice) 800-367-AIDS (2437) or (TTY) 888-225-AIDS (2437).

Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI), a federally funded program in all states, provides representation for consumers of public programs who are disabled. Website publications include topics on health care, benefit programs, and In Home Supportive Services. PAI’s Protection & Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) Program protects the legal rights of Social Security beneficiaries in their efforts to return to work.