APPRISE has Rebranded – now PA MEDI

Effective July 1, 2021, APPRISE is now Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight – PA MEDI.  Their announcement about the rebranding says, “Same Program, Same Services for Pennsylvania’s Medicare Beneficiaries, now with a New Name.” 

As a reminder, PA MEDI is Pennsylvania’s federally-funded State Health Insurance Program (SHIP), administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.  The mission of State Health Insurance Programs is to empower, educate, and assist Medicare-eligible individuals, their families, and caregivers to make informed health insurance decisions. They do this through objective outreach, one-on-one counseling, and trainings.  

Although Pennsylvania’s SHIP has been around for many years, people are not always aware of the program or what they do. PA MEDI works with Medicare beneficiaries of any age and their services are free. PA MEDI can help current Medicare beneficiaries or people who will be going on Medicare soon in the following ways:  

• Understand Medicare benefits, 

• Compare and enroll in appropriate Medicare coverage, through Original Medicare (Parts A & B), Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D), and Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigaps),  

• Apply for the Medicare Savings Program and the Extra Help program, which can reduce healthcare costs for qualifying individuals, 

• Understand and help with the Medicare appeal process, 

• Understand benefits under Long-Term Care policies, 

• Make presentations on Medicare to groups or organizations.   
   

PHLP has had a long partnership with APPRISE and we look forward to continuing our work with them as PA MEDI.  Medicare beneficiaries with questions or who need help are encouraged to call the PA MEDI Helpline at 1-800-783-7067 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.