The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have a number of publications on Medicare choices, including Understanding Your Medicare Choices, Worksheet For Comparing Medicare Health Plans, and Your Guide To Private Fee-For-Service Plans. Call the Medicare help line at 800-633-4227 to order, or view them online at www.medicare.gov/Publications/Home.asp .

Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free one-on-one health insurance counseling to people with Medicare. You can find the number for your state by calling Medicare, or searching the “Helpful Contacts” section of the Medicare website at www.medicare.gov . To order a comprehensive Medicare handbook: P.O. Box 350, Willimantic, CT 06226 or call 860-456-7790 or visit www.medicareadvocacy.org .

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program offers insurance counseling in every state on topics such as Medicare, long-term care insurance, and HMOs. The federal and state governments jointly fund SHIP. You can locate the program nearest you by calling the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has information on who is eligible for Medicare, when to apply, the benefits you'll receive, and who pays first when you have Medicare and other health insurance. You can visit the website at www.medicare.gov and view information and publications online. You can also call the toll-free Medicare help line at 800-633-4227 or 877-486-2048 (hearing and speech impaired). Support in Spanish is available. Someone will answer your questions about Medicare, give you the phone number of your SHIP office, and send you free Medicare booklets.

AARP has a booklet that explains Medicare and other health insurance for when you stop working. You can request a copy of Medicare and Other Health Insurance as You Retire by writing to AARP Fulfillment, 601 E. Street, NW, Washington, DC 20049. Ask for the publication by title and include the order number (D17739). For more information on Medicare, health insurance, managed care, long-term care, and other health issues, visit www.aarp.org/hcchoices .