Vermont SHIP awarded $270,000 for 2010 grant funding

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced the first installment of funding to the Vermont State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to help Medicare beneficiaries in Vermont get more information about their health care choices. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 grants are continuation funds available to 54 existing SHIP organizations in the United States and its territories. The funding is available to SHIPs for the grant year starting April 1, 2010 and ending March 31, 2011.
The Vermont State Health Insurance Assistance Program will receive $269,120, part of the nearly $41.6 million being distributed to SHIPs today as part of the total $45 million that is available to SHIPs in 2010 for direct grants and support contracts. Performance awards will be distributed to SHIPs in September.
CMS expects the SHIPs to use the FY 2010 funding to provide one-on-one counseling and conduct targeted community-based outreach to an increasing number and diversity of beneficiaries who may be unable to access other sources of information.
SHIPs are expected to increase their efforts to provide outreach and assistance to current and newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers, reach people who are most likely eligible for Medicare s low-income subsidy and may be able to benefit from lower prescription drug costs, beneficiaries with disabilities, and diverse racial and ethnic groups, particularly those individuals with limited English proficiency.
Over the past twenty years, the faces of our Medicare beneficiaries have changed, representing more diverse groups with diverse needs, said Marilyn Tavenner, CMS principal deputy administrator. The way we identify these diverse groups and meet their needs must also change and the SHIPs are best positioned to reach them in the communities where they live.
CMS will continue to support the SHIPs with training and technical assistance. This will help to ensure that the community networks remain fully capable of accessing and using CMS 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), regional office resources, as well as the online tools at www.medicare.gov and www.SHIPtalk.org to provide assistance to Medicare beneficiaries.
Source: Vermont SHIP. 4.5.2010
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