The Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program is a free, state-sponsored service provided by the Ohio Department of Insurance, designed to help Medicare beneficiaries navigate complex health insurance options. As Ohio's official State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), a network funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), OSHIIP offers unbiased, one-on-one counseling to seniors, their families, and caregivers, ensuring informed decisions about coverage without sales pressure.
Key Services Provided by OSHIIPOSHIIP focuses on empowering older adults (65+ or those eligible for Medicare due to disability) to maximize their benefits while minimizing costs. Core offerings include:
- Personalized Counseling: Free phone, email, or in-person sessions to explain Medicare Parts A/B/D, Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans, and long-term care insurance. Counselors review eligibility, compare plans during Open Enrollment (October 15–December 7), and help appeal denials.
- Education and Resources: Workshops, speaker bureaus, and trained volunteers cover topics like prescription drug coverage, fraud prevention, and coordinating benefits with employer plans. They also assist with applications for low-income programs like Extra Help or Medicare Savings Programs.
- Hotline Support: Call 1-800-686-1578 (Monday–Friday, 9 AM–4:30 PM ET) for immediate guidance—no appointment needed. Email: OSHIIPmail@insurance.ohio.gov. Website: insurance.ohio.gov (search "OSHIIP").
- Medicaid Coordination: OSHIIP counselors can explain how Medicare pairs with Ohio's Medicaid (e.g., PASSPORT waiver for home care, income under $2,901/month in 2025), and asset protection strategies like irrevocable trusts to navigate the five-year lookback.
- Avoiding Pitfalls: OSHIIP provided guidance on spotting scams (e.g., fake Medicare cards) and reviewing contracts prevents costly errors, like signing unintended guarantees in facility admissions (as seen in recent cases like Bartley Healthcare v. Ott).
- Estate Planning Synergy: Use OSHIIP to align insurance with trusts or powers of attorney, ensuring assets fund home-based care without estate recovery claims.
Avoiding pitfalls is essential to aging-in-place planning. First, assets lost to scams and mismanagement threaten independence and autonomy by removing financial capability. Second, being subjected to scams can raise questions regarding capacity and capability; a senior who has been taken advantage of is more likely to be deemed incapacitated and in need of guardianship services, legally removing that senior's decision-making authority. Third, agents appointed or nominated by powers of attorney, or trustees of a trust, can be removed for being unable to protect assets from scammers, separating the senior from his or her most trusted advisors.
How to Get Started- Contact OSHIIP: 1-800-686-1578 or visit insurance.ohio.gov/oshii p.
- Local Access: Find counselors via your Area Agency on Aging (e.g., Central Ohio: 614-645-7250) or SHIP locator at shiphelp.org.
- Pro Tip: Schedule a session early in Open Enrollment to lock in 2026 coverage—pair it with an elder law attorney for holistic planning.
