Nevada Medicare Assistance Program (MAP): Free Help and Phone Lines

The Nevada Medicare Assistance Program (MAP) gives free, unbiased Medicare counseling to Nevadans at 800-307-4444.1 If you're comparing plans before Open Enrollment, sorting out a parent's drug costs, or wondering why a Medicare bill looks wrong, MAP is the state's door to all three kinds of help. In Nevada, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is delivered as part of MAP, so MAP is the name to ask for.1

In This Guide

• What Is the Nevada Medicare Assistance Program?
• How Do You Reach Nevada MAP?
• What Can a Nevada MAP Counselor Help You With?
• What Happened to Nevada Senior Rx and Disability Rx?
• Can Nevada MAP Help You Pay Medicare Costs?
• Where Do You Report Medicare Fraud in Nevada?
• How Do You Get the Most From a Nevada MAP Call?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

What Is the Nevada Medicare Assistance Program?

The Nevada Medicare Assistance Program is how Nevada delivers three federally funded Medicare programs under one name: the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), and outreach under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA).1 Nevada's Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD) runs MAP, and trained volunteers, community partners, and team members deliver it across the state.1

Each of the three programs has its own job, and knowing which is which helps you ask for the right kind of help when you call:

• SHIP: ADSD says Nevada's SHIP provides personalized Medicare counseling to help people understand their options and make informed health insurance decisions.1
• SMP: ADSD says the Senior Medicare Patrol empowers, assists, and increases awareness to prevent, detect and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse.3
• MIPPA: ADSD says Nevada's MIPPA program provides information and application assistance to low-income Medicare beneficiaries who may qualify for programs that help with Medicare costs, and it also runs wellness and disease-prevention outreach.3

Nevada MAP isn't limited to people already on Medicare. ADSD says MAP services are free and unbiased, and are available to all Medicare-eligible individuals, pre-enrollees, their family members, and caregivers.1 So an adult child calling for a parent, or someone a few months away from turning 65, can use Nevada MAP too.

Nevada MAP is Nevada's piece of the national State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) network. Our guide to free Medicare counseling through your SHIP explains how SHIPs work in every state, and our Nevada Medicare plans and coverage guide covers Nevada's costs and plan choices. This page goes deeper into what Nevada MAP itself offers.

How Do You Reach Nevada MAP?

You can reach Nevada MAP through one statewide toll-free line, by email, or through the regional community partner closest to you.1

ADSD lists these phone numbers and the email address on its Nevada MAP page.1 If you don't know which regional partner covers your area, start with the Nevada MAP statewide line at 800-307-4444.1 ADSD says Nevada's SHIP counseling is offered by phone, virtually, and in person, so you aren't limited to an office visit.1

What Can a Nevada MAP Counselor Help You With?

ADSD lists five services under Nevada's SHIP: phone, virtual, and in-person counseling; Medicare and coverage options; enrollment into Part D and Medicare Advantage plans; screening for Medicare cost savings programs with application assistance; and help understanding rights and options.1,3

The enrollment item matters more than it looks. Nationally, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reports that only some SHIP grantees help enroll beneficiaries in Medicare plans, so a SHIP counselor helping with the enrollment itself is not a given everywhere.4 Nevada's ADSD lists enrollment into Part D and Medicare Advantage plans among Nevada SHIP's services, so ask your Nevada MAP counselor about it directly when you call.1

Beyond what ADSD's page lists, the national SHIP program covers a wider set of questions. Medicare.gov describes SHIP counseling on your Medicare rights, billing problems, complaints about your medical care or treatment, how Medicare works with other insurance, and finding help paying for health care costs.1 The Administration for Community Living (ACL) says SHIP team members are trained and certified to help people get coverage through Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medicare Supplement (Medigap).1 If you hold a Medigap policy, our Nevada Medigap birthday rule guide explains Nevada's yearly window to switch policies, and a Nevada MAP counselor can help you think through your options before you switch.

Timing. Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7 each year, and changes made during Open Enrollment take effect January 1 of the following year.5 People already in a Medicare Advantage plan get a second window from January 1 to March 31, when they can make one change.5 A Nevada MAP call well before December 7 leaves time to compare Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage choices without a deadline pressing on you. Our guides to Medicare Open Enrollment and Medicare Part D explain what you can change and how drug plans are built.

What Happened to Nevada Senior Rx and Disability Rx?

Nevada Senior Rx and Disability Rx no longer exist. ADSD states that "The Senior Rx and Disability Rx Program ended on December 31, 2023."2

Before December 2023, Nevada's Senior and Disability Prescription Drug Program (SRx/DRx) was the state's pharmaceutical assistance program, and it paid a monthly subsidy of up to $37.00 toward Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage Part D premiums for eligible people.2 ADSD's 2026 funding notice says SRx/DRx membership declined significantly "due to changes in Medicare options for individuals with low-income," and that Nevada replaced the program model with the Healthcare Support and Assistance (HSA) Program, under which ADSD funds partner organizations to provide prescription assistance to priority populations.2 ADSD's notice describes HSA as funding for partner organizations, not as a program you apply to yourself, so don't expect an HSA application form.

For help with your Part D plan benefits, or to sign up for a Part D plan, ADSD directs Nevadans to Nevada MAP at 800-307-4444.2 If drug costs are the real worry, ask the Nevada MAP counselor about Extra Help, the federal program ADSD describes as help for Part D beneficiaries in paying their monthly prescription drug costs.3 Our guide to state pharmaceutical assistance programs explains how these state programs work where they still operate, and our Extra Help guide covers the federal subsidy.

Can Nevada MAP Help You Pay Medicare Costs?

Yes, that's what Nevada's MIPPA program is for. ADSD says MIPPA assists with two programs: the Low Income Subsidy (LIS), also known as Extra Help, and the Medicare Savings Programs (MSP), which are available through the state Medicaid agency and help people with low incomes pay their Medicare costs.3 Nationally, ACL says SHIP also helps people with limited income apply for Medicaid, the Medicare Savings Programs, and Extra Help.1

A Nevada MAP counselor screens and helps with the application, but the decision belongs to the state. Nevada's Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS) publishes the income charts and the B-300 manual that govern Nevada's three Medicare Savings Programs: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualifying Individual (QI).6

DWSS publishes those 2026 monthly income bands on its Medicare Beneficiary chart, and Nevada's B-300 manual says QMB covers Part A and Part B premiums plus deductibles and coinsurance, while SLMB and QI cover Part B only.6 DWSS says on the chart page that the charts are a general guideline and that final eligibility is based on gross monthly income and allowable expenses.6 On resources, Nevada's B-300 manual states $9,430 for an individual and $14,130 for a married couple, while the Social Security Administration's 2026 federal figure is $9,950 and $14,910, and Nevada's sources don't say which pair DWSS applies today.6 Because both tests count only countable income and resources, a Nevadan near either figure should apply rather than rule themselves out, and a Nevada MAP counselor can help with that application.6,1 Our guide to Nevada Medicare Savings Programs covers the rules and how to apply through DWSS.

Where Do You Report Medicare Fraud in Nevada?

In Nevada, the Senior Medicare Patrol is part of Nevada MAP, so the Nevada MAP statewide line at 800-307-4444 is a place to start with a fraud or billing worry.1 Before you call, pull up the charge that worries you: Medicare.gov says a secure Medicare.gov account lets you view your Original Medicare claims as soon as they're processed, which helps you spot mistakes sooner.7 If the worry involves a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare drug plan, Medicare.gov says you can also call the Investigations Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor (I-MEDIC) at 1-877-7SAFERX (1-877-772-3379).7

The federal reporting routes are open to Nevadans too. If you suspect fraud, Medicare.gov says to call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or report it online, and the online route goes to the hotline of the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477).7 The OIG warns that not every report leads to an investigation and that its hotline is not the route to a refund, so a report and a fix for your own bill can be two separate steps.7

Medicare.gov's advice on unexpected callers is simple to follow: Medicare will never call you uninvited to ask for personal information, and if someone calls asking for your information or money, hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE.7 Medicare.gov also suggests comparing the dates and services on your calendar with your Medicare statements to make sure you got each service listed.7 Our guide to Medicare fraud protection walks through common scams, and Medicare.gov's page on reporting Medicare fraud covers the federal route in full.

How Do You Get the Most From a Nevada MAP Call?

Plan for the possibility that help takes more than one call. Nationally, MedPAC reports that SHIP funding has not kept pace with growth in Medicare enrollment, that grantees depend on volunteer staff, and that counselors face capacity constraints as call volumes have risen.4 MedPAC also reports that the people who used their SHIP described positive experiences, so a slow first call is a reason to call early, not a reason to skip it.4

Having your Medicare card, your current plan's member ID card, and a list of your prescriptions within reach lets a Nevada MAP counselor spend the call on your choices instead of gathering basics. If you're calling for a parent, ask whether the counselor needs your parent on the line.

If you need a second route, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is the official Medicare contact line, operated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and TTY users call 1-877-486-2048.8 Medicare.gov says 1-800-MEDICARE callers can talk or live chat with a real person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays.8 For a problem with a specific Part D or Medicare Advantage plan, CMS directs beneficiaries to call their plan first, using the number on their member ID card.8

Learn More

For free, unbiased Medicare help anywhere in Nevada, call Nevada MAP at 800-307-4444 or email NevadaMAP@adsd.nv.gov.1

Find personalized help getting free Medicare counseling through the Nevada Medicare Assistance Program at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.