Nevada's SHIP: free counseling with no sales angle
Every state runs a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) funded to provide free, unbiased Medicare counseling. Nevada's operates through the state's Aging and Disability Services Division, reachable at 1-800-307-4444. SHIP counselors help with enrollment questions, plan comparisons, appeals, and fraud concerns — and because they sell nothing, their only job is explaining your options.
SHIP is especially valuable for complicated situations: coordinating Medicare with Medicaid, sorting out employer-coverage transitions, or contesting a penalty. For rural residents, counseling happens by phone — no trip required.
The federal backbone: Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE
Medicare.gov is the official source for plan lookup, enrollment, and claims history, and its Plan Finder tool shows every plan available at your ZIP code. The 1-800-MEDICARE line (TTY 1-877-486-2048) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can handle enrollments directly.
Social Security — ssa.gov or your local office — handles the other half: enrolling in Parts A and B, premium billing, and the Extra Help application. Keeping straight which agency owns which task saves a lot of hold time: Medicare questions go to Medicare, enrollment in A/B and premiums go to Social Security.
Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs
Two underused programs lower costs for people with limited income and resources. Extra Help (the Part D Low-Income Subsidy) reduces prescription drug plan premiums and copays substantially — you apply through Social Security. Medicare Savings Programs, administered by state Medicaid offices, can pay the Part B premium and sometimes more for those who qualify.
Many eligible Nevadans never apply because they assume they earn too much. The thresholds are higher than most people guess, and applying costs nothing — a SHIP counselor can walk you through both applications for free.
Where independent agents fit
Licensed independent agents are also free to work with — they're compensated by insurance carriers, not by you, and enrolling through an agent costs exactly the same as enrolling directly. What a good agent adds is local specificity: which plans actually work with the providers you use, and year-round service when something goes wrong.
Jenkins Insurance & Retirement serves the Elko area in partnership with a Nevada-licensed agent, alongside our Wyoming and Utah practice. We're educators first — if a SHIP counselor or Medicare.gov serves you better for a given question, we'll say so. Reach out any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nevada's SHIP phone number?
1-800-307-4444 — Nevada's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, run through the Aging and Disability Services Division. Counseling is free and unbiased.
Does using an insurance agent cost me anything?
No. Agents are paid by carriers, and your premium is identical whether you enroll through an agent, through Medicare.gov, or directly with the carrier. The agent's value is comparison work and year-round service.
What does Extra Help cover?
Extra Help — the Part D Low-Income Subsidy — substantially reduces drug plan premiums, deductibles, and copays for people with limited income and resources. Apply free through Social Security; a SHIP counselor can help.
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