Nebraska SHIP (Formerly SHIIP), Aging Partners and Licensed Agents: Who Helps With What

Nebraska has more Medicare help than most people realize, and much of it costs nothing. The hard part is knowing who does what. A counselor, a county aging office, a federal hotline and a licensed agent can all help, in different ways. Here's how they fit together.

What is Nebraska SHIP?

Nebraska SHIP is the state's Medicare counseling program. The name stands for State Health Insurance Assistance Program. It was formerly called SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program, and you'll still see that name on older brochures and some county websites.

SHIP is a division of the Nebraska Department of Insurance, along with Nebraska SMP, the Senior Medicare Patrol, which fights Medicare fraud. The federal Administration for Community Living funds a SHIP and an SMP in every state.

A few things set SHIP apart:

• It's unbiased. The Department of Insurance says SHIP "does not sell insurance, nor does it endorse any insurance company, product, or agent."
• It's confidential, and there's no charge. You don't pay for counseling, and the counselors don't earn commissions.
• The counselors are trained. Nebraska SHIP describes its counselors as members of your local community who've been screened, trained and certified. Many are volunteers.

The Department of Insurance says new volunteers complete training and aim to help at least 24 people with Medicare each year.

What can a SHIP counselor help you with?

SHIP offers one-on-one counseling on almost any Medicare question. According to the Department of Insurance, SHIP:

• Explains eligibility and benefits for Part A, Part B, Medicare Supplements, Part D and Medicare Advantage
• Helps you compare options and supports you while you decide
• Helps solve problems, like a claim that was denied or a bill you don't understand
• Helps people with limited income and resources apply for programs that lower Medicare and drug costs, such as Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs
• Helps you spot and report Medicare fraud, errors and abuse through SMP
• Speaks at community events about Medicare

What SHIP won't do is tell you which policy, company or agent to choose. The decision stays with you.

How do you reach Nebraska SHIP?

Call the statewide hotline at 1-800-234-7119, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, or email [email protected]. The hotline can answer questions by phone or set up a meeting with a counselor near you.

The Department of Insurance lists these local SHIP and SMP offices and partners:

During open enrollment, from October 15 to December 7, 2026, counselors are busiest. Call early for an appointment.

What do Aging Partners and other Area Agencies on Aging do?

Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) serve people 60 and older with a wide range of services, and several include certified SHIP counselors.

Aging Partners is Lincoln's AAA. It's at 600 S 70th Street on the Victory Park campus, and serves Lancaster, Butler, Fillmore, Polk, Saline, Saunders, Seward and York counties. Call 402-441-7070 or 800-247-0938. Aging Partners says its financial counselors are certified SHIP counselors who help people 60 and over with Medicare, Medicare Supplements, Medicare Advantage, Part D and low-income Medicare benefits. Appointments are encouraged. In some of its counties, local aging offices also have SHIP-certified staff, including Seward County Aging Services (402-646-7110) and Saline County Aging Services (402-821-3330).

ENOA, the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, serves Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Dodge and Washington counties. Its information and assistance line is 402-444-6444. In Omaha, the designated SHIP office is Volunteers Assisting Seniors.

Midland Area Agency on Aging in Hastings serves Hall County and seven others in central Nebraska, at 402-463-4565 or 800-955-9714.

AAAs also connect people to senior centers, meals, caregiver support and in-home services. For Lincoln specifics, see our Lincoln page. Omaha and Grand Island details are on the Omaha and Grand Island pages.

What does a licensed Medicare agent do differently?

A licensed agent can do something SHIP doesn't: enroll you in a plan and keep servicing it. An independent agent like Bill Jurey is licensed by the state, appointed with specific insurance companies, and paid commissions by those companies. Your premium is the same whether you use an agent or not.

Agents who don't sell every plan in your area must say so. You'll see that disclaimer on this site, along with the reminder that Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE show every option. Our guide to how Medicare agents get paid explains the commission rules, and a local agent vs Medicare.gov vs a call center compares the experience.

Which other offices handle what?

A few jobs belong to specific agencies:

• Social Security handles Part A and Part B enrollment, Extra Help applications (SSA.gov/extrahelp) and IRMAA appeals.
• Nebraska DHHS handles Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program applications through iServe Nebraska or (855) 632-7633. Bill doesn't enroll people in Medicaid.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) answers Medicare questions and takes fraud reports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
• The Nebraska Department of Insurance takes complaints about agents and insurance companies at 877-564-7323. Our Medicare scams guide lists the fraud numbers.

How do you use them together?

Plenty of people use more than one. You might call SHIP to understand your options, then meet with an agent to compare plans and enroll. Or work with an agent and call SHIP for a second, unbiased opinion. Our Lincoln Medicare resources page gathers the local options in one place.

Whoever you use, bring the same information: your Medicare card, plan cards, your Annual Notice of Change and a full medication list. If you'd like a licensed agent in Lincoln to go through it with you, talk to me.