Great Stories from Missouri SHIP

What are Great Stories?

Great stories show what Missouri SHIP does for Medicare beneficiaries across the state. They are submitted by Missourians we have helped, and by our Missouri SHIP counselors. Read on to see examples of the ways Missouri SHIP helps Missourians with Medicare every day.

We help Missourians through the Medicare enrollment process.

"Today, my anxiety about my healthcare went from 100 to -0-. Here is how that happened. An incredible lady, Joyce W, called to assist me in Medicare enrollment, which I had failed to accomplish after several attempts. When I had called Medicare for assistance, I could never get through to a real person. So I gave up .... Ms. W's reassuring and sage guidance lowered my stress level and erased my hopelessness. Whereas the pile of mail I had received about Medicare and supplements was beyond confusing, Ms. W explained my options and next steps with clear simplicity. In just a matter of minutes the following was accomplished over the phone this morning:

  • got me enrolled
  • got me access to the Medicare website and my account
  • explained coverages and associated costs so I could understand
  • got me signed up for a Medicare supplement

THANK YOU TO KCCARE and THANK YOU TO MS. JOYCE W."

-- Arthur O, from metro Kansas City, MO

We help Missourians save by comparing plans during Open Enrollment.

"I did a plan review for a 90-year-old at the John Knox Open Enrollment Center.  In 2024, his plan cost $9.90 a month and covered his medications. In addition to the premium increasing 4 times the 2024 rate, neither of his insulins would be covered in 2025.  His out-of-pocket costs if he hadn't compared with MO SHIP would have been $7,640!  Instead, we switched him to a plan where all his drugs were covered, and his total out of pocket costs were estimated to be $1,352 for 2025.  That will save a whopping $6,288!"

--Gary G., Missouri SHIP counselor in Kansas City, MO

We help Missourians understand their Medicare options.

"I wanted to reach out and express my deep and heartfelt thanks for the services Missouri SHIP provides in general and in the efforts of Frank, the gentleman who was assigned to me, in particular. Over the past couple of weeks, Frank patiently and persistently kept in touch with me and helped me overcome my fear of dealing with Medicare. He explained (and explained again when necessary) some of the intricacies that I was fumbling with. How ironic, that just as one ages and begins to struggle to maintain focus and attention and to sometimes be a bit confused, they must deal with Medicare. I don’t want to believe that it is intentionally cumbersome to deal with, but cumbersome it was. That is, until I reached out to Missouri SHIP. You really did provide a lifeline. For that, I am grateful."

-- Steve F. from Eastern MO

We help Missourians catch errors and unwanted changes.

"A client asked for help choosing a Part D plan during Open Enrollment. However, when we logged into Medicare.gov, I saw a pending Medicare Advantage plan. He remembered signing up for something with drug coverage over the phone, but he thought he was speaking to someone from Medicare. He did not know that he was speaking to a sales representative or that the change he made would end his Medigap plan. The client's wife typically handles the insurance and did not know about the call or the change!

I was able to get the client back on a Part D plan, and called his insurance agent for the Medigap plan to make sure it stayed active.  Without our help, he and his wife would not have known about the problem until the Medigap plan stopped working."

-- Allyssa H., Missouri SHIP counselor in Central MO

We help Missourians find plans that cover their medications.

"[The beneficiary’s] current Part D plan did not cover an inhaler that her pulmonary doctor wanted her to take, so she had to use a different one that caused side effects. I was able to find her a Part D plan that covered the preferred inhaler as well as save her approximately $5,000 for the year. She called me 3 months after being on the new inhaler. She had just come from a doctor’s appointment and her lung function had greatly improved! The doctor attributed it to the inhaler. She was extremely happy and grateful that I was able to get her coverage for the medication as well as saving her money!"

-- Shannon H., Missouri SHIP counselor in Central MO

We help Missourians afford lifesaving medications and treatments.

"I worked with a cancer patient at Missouri Cancer Associates who had Medicare A and B only with no other coverage. She was facing some very high out-of-pocket costs for her chemotherapy treatments. I found out she qualified for a Special Enrollment Period to enroll in an Advantage Plan. Her spouse had A and B only too and although he's in pretty good health, I used the same 5 Star Special Enrollment Period to enroll him in an Advantage Plan."

-- Kevin W, Missouri SHIP counselor in Central MO

We help Missourians communicate with their insurance companies.

"Ms. W. needed Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery, but there was no doctor in her Medicare Advantage plan network able to do the surgery.  They started the process of trying to get pre-authorization to cover an out-of-network doctor.  She had been working on this for over two months when she called the SHIP phone number.  We called the dedicated SHIP support line with Ms. W’s Medicare Advantage plan, who told us what information was still needed for the pre-authorization.  The lady helping Ms. W. has been on vacation, so we obtained the office number and asked the surgeon's nurse to call with the information. She was approved for this life-saving surgery."

-- Sally K, Missouri SHIP counselor in rural Southwest MO

We help grandparents in tough financial situations.

Roy & Mary faced some unexpected health concerns that made it difficult to continue to help raise grandchildren and make ends meet. A church friend referred them to me. I helped them apply and get approved for Extra Help, QMB Savings Programs, SNAP, and LIHEAP.   The clients were also approved for Meals on Wheels provided by the Medicaid Meal Program through Home & Community Based Services.  The QMB program allowed them to drop their Medicare Supplements.  Once Extra Help was approved, I helped them move to a $0 premium Part D plan.  All these programs saved on monthly expenses, giving them more income to pay bills and have peace of mind.

-- Deanna L, Missouri SHIP counselor in rural Northwest MO

We help caretakers provide for their loved ones on Medicare.

"In 2008, I became my husband’s full-time caregiver following his brain injury in the ICU at the age of 33. Since he is unable to be at home by himself, my work options were limited over the years. After our son left for college, I cut back to only cleaning our church building since Jason can come with me. This means that our income is primarily his social security disability, which leaves very little budget for medications. I began reeling when we logged into the Medicare site early last month to compare part D plans. It showed that no plans covered his insulins and the estimated cost was beyond anything we could afford. I contacted Medicare and his current plan for assistance, without resolution. As I tried to keep panic at bay, I eventually made the right phone call to find Ayron on the other end. I immediately knew that I was no longer alone in finding a solution. She worked tirelessly to figure out the puzzle… I started to lose hope. But not Ayron. She refused to give up and continued assuring me that there had to be an answer. And on the last day of open enrollment, Jason was enrolled in a drug plan that covered every one of his drugs, including both types of insulin. This rather worn-out caregiver is exceedingly grateful to Ayron for the hours and kindness she invested in easing my mind."

-- Donna E., Daviess County, MO

We help Missourians avoid expensive surprises at the pharmacy.

I helped a client who must use [a specific local] Pharmacy because he doesn't have transportation and needs to have his prescriptions delivered. [The pharmacy] won't be in network next year for his prescription drug plan, so he would have paid $26,334.48 for his prescriptions. I helped him enroll in a plan that des have the pharmacy in network, and he will only pay $152.40 in 2023 for his prescriptions.

-- Kevin W, Missouri SHIP counselor in Boone County, MO

We help Missourians navigate overlapping health programs.

"A disabled client on Medicare and Tricare for Life called because they were receiving bills for care from November and January in the thousands of dollars. They were told that an old payer of record should be paying. I was able to help her by contacting the CMS SHIP line where we learned that the old payer of record was indeed on Medicare's record but was corrected in late March. Medicare advised to have the providers resubmit the claim to Medicare for payment and then to Tricare for Life. The client was grateful that we could talk directly with Medicare and confirm accurate payer status on her record."

-- Rebecca P., Missouri SHIP counselor in metro St. Louis, Missouri

We help Missourians find a plan that fits their budget.

"Kay was looking for help lowering her Part D premium, which was going to be over $110 a month in 2024.  We did a plan review, and a different company had an offering just right for her.  Her new premium was zero, and the cost of her drugs for the year was also zero. This resulted in a savings of $1,412.76 for 2024.  She wanted me to print out the savings sheet so she could go brag to her friends."

--Gary G, Missouri SHIP counselor in Eastern MO

We help Missourians save money they need for other bills.

"I enrolled a client in a new Part D plan, saving $160 a month. I received a thank you card two weeks later letting me know that saving $160 a month will allow them to keep their home. Without those savings, they were unable to pay their mortgage."

-- Pat C., Missouri SHIP Counselor in rural West Central MO

We help Missourians find programs that can help.

"The client is taking two high-cost brand name drugs, which have a Prescription Assistance Program (PAP) with the manufacturer.  I advised him of the programs and their eligibility requirements and emailed their applications to him. The client had never been told of any of these programs…  He has been approved for one of the programs and will receive the drug at no cost for 2023, saving about $1,200.  The other program will evaluate the application in January, and if approved it will save an additional $1,200 for 2023. When we take the time to consider different ways that we could help our beneficiaries it can really pay off!"

-- Duane T, Missouri SHIP counselor in Southwest MO

We help caretakers solve problems with their loved one's Medicare coverage.

"This client's mother contacted SHIP because when she went to get her daughter's brand name medications, they had become extremely expensive. She is the lone caregiver for her disabled daughter. The one that was the most critical cost $350. It had cost $11.20 previously. The pharmacy explained it was because she had reached the coverage gap. The mother was using her own funds to purchase her daughter's meds so she could continue to have them. I assisted with creating a Medicare.gov account and found the plan finder indicated there should be no price difference for this medication even in the coverage gap. I asked her mother to call the Medicare Advantage plan to ask why she was being charged the higher prices, and they repeated that it was due to the coverage gap. I also called Medicare using my SHIP Counselor Unique ID. They confirmed the medication should be $11.20 and suggested we should file an urgent complaint to force the plan to respond within 7 days… The client's mother called me 4 days later to say when she went to pharmacy to get her daughter's drugs the medication was $11.20 and she also received a refund of $490!"

-- Evonne S., Missouri SHIP counselor in Northwest MO