Maine health program receives federal funds

WASHINGTON – Maine will receive $305,915 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced.

SHIP is a national program that offers one-on-one counseling and assistance to people with Medicare and their families. In Maine, it is administered through the Augusta-based nonprofit organization Legal Services for the Elderly.

“In a time when the rising cost of health care has overwhelmed seniors across the nation, Maine’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program has consistently provided helpful and informative health care support to the state’s most vulnerable citizens,” Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement. “Continued federal funding for this vital program is essential to ensure a healthy and vibrant future for Maine’s senior citizens.”

The Maine SHIP program can be contacted by calling Legal Services for the Elderly at 621-0087 or toll-free at 877-353-3771.