Medicare help and protection for older adults

Last reviewed August 2026

Short answer: Free, unbiased Medicare help is available from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and from 1-800-MEDICARE. Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs can lower drug and premium costs, and Medicare will never phone you to ask for your number.

Key takeaways

Every state has a SHIP offering free one-to-one Medicare counselling with no sales interest.
Extra Help lowers Part D drug costs; Medicare Savings Programs can cover premiums and cost sharing.
Medicare does not cold-call to sell plans or verify your number — that call is a scam.
Caregivers can get free support through the Eldercare Locator and Area Agencies on Aging.

Free, unbiased counselling

SHIP counsellors are trained volunteers and staff who do not earn commission. They can compare your current plan against alternatives, check your drug list, and explain a denial letter.

1-800-MEDICARE is open 24 hours and can confirm what is on your record, which is the fastest way to check whether a call you received was genuine.

Programmes that lower what you pay

Two federal programmes are widely under-claimed because people assume they will not qualify.

Extra Help (Low-Income Subsidy) reduces Part D premiums, deductibles and copays
Medicare Savings Programs can pay Part B premiums and some cost sharing
State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs exist in some states for additional drug help
Your Area Agency on Aging can screen you for all of them in one conversation

The scams that target older adults

Fraud against seniors usually opens with urgency and a request for a number. Genuine Medicare contact arrives by post, and Medicare will not threaten to cancel your coverage over the phone.

Calls offering a 'new' Medicare card in exchange for your number
Free braces, test kits or genetic screening delivered unrequested
Callers claiming your coverage will be cancelled today unless you confirm details
Door-to-door agents pressing you to switch plans on the spot

Guides in this section

Medicare support, cost-saving programmes, and the scams that target seniors first.

Protecting older adults: free Medicare help and how to spot a scam
Free, unbiased Medicare counselling through your state SHIP, help paying premiums and drug costs, and the scam patterns that target older adults most — plus exactly where to report them.

Frequently asked

Where can I get free Medicare advice that is not a sales call?

Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Counsellors are free, do not sell plans and earn no commission. 1-800-MEDICARE is also free and open 24 hours.

Does Medicare ever call to ask for my number?

No. Medicare contacts you by post. Any caller asking you to confirm or provide your Medicare number is a scam — hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE directly.

What help exists if I cannot afford my prescriptions?

Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy, reduces Part D premiums, deductibles and copays. Some states also run pharmaceutical assistance programmes. A SHIP counsellor can screen you for both free of charge.

Is there free support for family caregivers?

Yes. The Eldercare Locator and your local Area Agency on Aging connect caregivers with respite, transport, meals and benefits screening at no cost.

HealthQuotes AI is not a government agency, a medical provider or a crisis service, and does not provide medical, tax or legal advice. Everything listed here is a free or low-cost public service. See our editorial policy.

This section was last reviewed August 1, 2026

What we check before publishing

Primary sources only: Every rule, deadline and dollar threshold is traced back to HealthCare.gov, Medicare.gov, CMS, Medicaid.gov, the IRS or a state insurance department — never to another blog.
Plan-year accuracy: Figures that change annually (income bands, out-of-pocket caps, enrollment dates) are re-verified before each Open Enrollment period and re-dated when a rule changes.
No price or availability claims: We never publish live premiums, plan counts or carrier availability. Those depend on your ZIP code, age, household and income, and are confirmed by a licensed producer or the official Marketplace.
Neutral routing: Coverage routes are ordered by eligibility, not by what pays us. Referral fees never change the premium you are quoted.
Plain-language review: Each page is read back for readability and for anything that could be mistaken for medical, tax or legal advice, which we do not give.

Spotted something out of date? See our full editorial policy — we re-date pages whenever a federal or state rule changes.