Medicare Help
CLAIM - Free Missouri State Health Insurance Program
Toll-Free (800) 390-3330
What We Do!
CLAIM is the Missouri state health insurance assistance program that meets the needs of Missouri's Medicare population. Certified volunteer counselors assist people locally to help them work through health care issues and understand Medicare options or changes. CLAIM is not affiliated with any insurance company and sells nothing. Our counselors can answer questions about:
- Medicare eligibility, enrollment and claims forms
- Employment and retirement health benefit questions
- Supplemental insurance policies
- Medicare Advantage (Choice) options, such as HMOs and PPOs
- Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage)
- Long-term care planning
- Public benefit programs
Who We Are
Working hand-in-hand with local community partners, CLAIM provides free, confidential and unbiased health insurance counseling to Medicare recipients. With the materials and assistance our counselors provide, people can make the most informed decisions about their health care options. To date, CLAIM has saved Missouri's beneficiaries over $8 million in out-of-pocket expenses and has brought peace of mind to thousands across the state.
Primaris, the Medicare quality improvement organization for Missouri, provides CLAIM services. CLAIM is Missouri's state health insurance assistance program (SHIP). Funding is received through a grant from the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Federal Medicare agency, and is administered through the
Missouri Department of Insurance Financial Institutions & Professional Registration.
How We Do It
CLAIM has more than 200 volunteers throughout Missouri providing local Medicare counseling in their communities. Volunteers receive extensive training by participating in a four-day comprehensive Medicare training course, as well as by receiving quarterly updates.
People who have concerns or questions call CLAIM's toll-free helpline, 1-800 -390-3330. We gather information from the caller, and then relay that information to a local volunteer. Within days, a volunteer calls the client to set up an appointment or provide the information by phone. A contact form is completed by the volunteer for every counseling session.
For more information about becoming a CLAIM volunteer, click this volunteer button.