Beneficiary Advocates Criticize Senate Appropriators For Defunding SHIP Programs

Beneficiary advocates are upset by the Senate appropriators' move to eliminate Medicare State Health Insurance Assistance Program funding in the fiscal 2017 HHS spending bill they passed June 9, and one advocate is urging the House not to follow suit. “Eliminating SHIPs would leave millions of older Americans, people with disabilities, and families who need help comparing coverage options, appealing denials, applying for financial assistance, and navigating an evolving and increasingly complex program stranded--with nowhere to turn,” said Joe Baker,...