New York's Health Insurance Information, Counseling, and Assistance Program (HIICAP) gives free, objective Medicare counseling, and New York HIICAP counselors can be reached at 1-800-701-0501. New York HIICAP is New York's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), and it's open to people on Medicare, New York residents who'll soon be eligible, and the people who represent them.

In This Guide

What Is New York HIICAP?

So someone told you to "call HIICAP." Good advice, but it helps to know who's on the other end. The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) says HIICAP is New York's state health insurance assistance program (SHIP), and that New York HIICAP provides free, accurate, and objective information, counseling, assistance, and advocacy on Medicare, private health insurance, and related health coverage plans. Our guide to free Medicare counseling through your SHIP explains how the national program works.

The federal Administration for Community Living (ACL) says a person may know their local SHIP by another name depending on their area, but that the support it provides is the same. In New York, that other name is HIICAP. NYSOFA's 2025 HIICAP Guide for Counselors puts it plainly: in New York State, the SHIP program is referred to as the Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program.

New York HIICAP isn't one office. New York HIICAP is made up of NYSOFA HIICAP staff, a network of 59 county-based HIICAPs, and six state-contracted Managed Care Consumer Assistance Programs (MCCAPs). The MCCAPs get their own section further down.

What Can a HIICAP Counselor Help You With?

NYSOFA lists six topics New Yorkers can bring to a HIICAP appointment. The left column below is NYSOFA's wording. The right column is our plain-English take on the kind of question that fits each topic.

NYSOFA's appointment topic The kind of question it covers
Medicare and health insurance questions about benefits, options, paperwork, and resources "What does my coverage include, and what is this form asking me?"
Medicare covered costs, deductibles, and programs "What does Medicare pay for, and what's my deductible?"
Health care costs that clients will be responsible for "What will I owe out of my own pocket?"
Insurance products that may help pay for costs not covered by Medicare alone, such as a Medigap or a Medicare Advantage Plan "Should I look at a supplement policy or a Medicare Advantage Plan?"
How to review and select a Medicare Part D prescription plan "Which drug plan covers my prescriptions?"
Help in resolving specific health insurance problems "My claim was denied or billed wrong. What now?"

NYSOFA's list of New York HIICAP appointment topics names Medigap and Medicare Advantage Plans as insurance products that may help pay for costs not covered by Medicare alone. If Medigap is on your list, New York's own rules are in our New York Medicare Supplement guide.

ACL's national SHIP description fills in how a session works: when you contact your local SHIP, a certified counselor gives you one-on-one guidance based on your situation and needs. SHIPs can also help with navigating access to providers, correcting billing issues, and filing complaints and appeals, according to ACL. Both statements describe SHIPs nationally, and New York HIICAP is New York's SHIP.

Who Can Use New York HIICAP?

New York HIICAP is open to people with Medicare, their representatives, and people living in New York State who will soon become Medicare eligible, according to NYSOFA.

That covers more people than you might think:

  • Someone already on Medicare who wants a second look at their plan or a bill
  • A New Yorker turning 65 who hasn't signed up yet and wants to understand the choices first
  • A representative, such as an adult child who handles a parent's paperwork
  • Family members and caregivers, whom ACL names alongside beneficiaries as people SHIPs give unbiased help to

Is New York HIICAP Really Free and Unbiased?

Yes on free. New Yorkers can schedule free and confidential appointments with highly trained New York HIICAP staff and volunteer counselors, NYSOFA says. New York HIICAP counseling services are funded by federal and New York State sources, and many HIICAP counselors are volunteers.

Unbiased is the part people doubt, so here's what backs it up.

  • How SHIPs are paid: ACL says SHIPs are supported through state and federal partnerships that are not reimbursed by private health insurance plans or entities, and that a SHIP is not paid per enrollment.
  • The federal conflict-of-interest rule: Federal law at 42 U.S.C. 1395b-4 requires each state's SHIP grant plan to provide assurances that staff members, including volunteer staff members, have no conflict of interest in providing the counseling.
  • The volunteer policy: ACL's conflict-of-interest resource says no person with a personal, philosophical, or financial conflict of interest in connection with their SHIP work may serve as a SHIP volunteer.
  • New York's own statement: NYSOFA's 2025 HIICAP Guide for Counselors says nothing in HIICAP information is intended, or should be construed, as an endorsement by the State of New York of any specific insurance product or insurer.

ACL gives one example of a person with an inherent conflict of interest who can't volunteer at a SHIP: anyone who receives compensation for enrolling beneficiaries in a specific insurance plan or plans. That's the real difference from an agent or broker, and our comparison of a SHIP counselor and an insurance broker walks through it. New York's required HIICAP statement also says HIICAP information puts particular emphasis on understanding original Medicare.

How Do You Reach New York HIICAP?

You can reach New York HIICAP counselors by calling 1-800-701-0501, and callers are routed to the county where they live for direct help from the local HIICAP. One number, and it gets you to someone local.

Behind that number, New York HIICAP is a statewide network headquartered at Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) or their subcontractor non-profit agencies, and NYSOFA coordinates HIICAP through its network of 59 area agencies on aging. NYSOFA's 2025 HIICAP Guide for Counselors says trained HIICAP counselors are stationed either at their local area agency on aging or at another community agency.

The same Guide describes New York HIICAP counseling as local, objective, confidential, and knowledgeable, whether in-person or virtual. That's a description of the program as a whole, not a promise about your county, so ask your local HIICAP which kinds of appointments it offers when you call.

A few things make the call go faster:

  1. Have your Medicare card and any plan card nearby.
  2. Write down the prescriptions you take, with doses, if drug coverage is the question.
  3. Keep any letter, bill, or denial notice in front of you if you're calling about a problem.

The rest of New York's Medicare picture, including plan types and costs, is in our New York Medicare plans and coverage guide.

What Happens When a Problem Needs More Than Counseling?

Sometimes a phone conversation won't fix it, like when a Part D plan keeps refusing a drug your doctor says you need. New York built a second layer into HIICAP for that. NYSOFA's 2025 HIICAP Guide for Counselors names the six state-contracted Managed Care Consumer Assistance Programs (MCCAPs) that are part of New York HIICAP: the Medicare Rights Center, New York State Senior Action Council, New York Legal Assistance Group, Legal Aid Society of New York, Empire Justice Center, and Community Service Society.

New York's MCCAPs are available to assist HIICAP counselors and low-income beneficiaries with Part D appeals, exceptions, prior authorization requests, and other health insurance issues, and may provide free legal representation. Two words in that sentence matter. The MCCAPs "may" provide free legal representation, which isn't a promise of a lawyer in every case. And the MCCAP help described in New York's 2025 HIICAP Guide for Counselors goes to HIICAP counselors and to low-income beneficiaries.

So if you're stuck on a Part D denial, tell your HIICAP counselor what's happened and ask whether an MCCAP can get involved. ACL says SHIPs can help with filing complaints and appeals, so the counselor is a reasonable first stop either way. The full Medicare appeals process, level by level, is in our guide to Medicare appeals.

How Does HIICAP Connect You to EPIC and Other New York Help?

Plenty of Medicare questions turn out to be money questions. New York HIICAP also provides information on low-income programs such as the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program, Medicare Savings Programs, "Extra Help" prescription assistance, and pharmacy discount programs, according to NYSOFA. Note the word "information." HIICAP explains these programs, and you still apply to each one. For example, New York seniors apply to EPIC online or by mail or fax.

New York EPIC is the one that surprises people. New York EPIC is a New York State program run by the New York State Department of Health that helps income-eligible residents aged 65 and older pay out-of-pocket Medicare Part D drug costs. To join New York EPIC in 2026, a person must be a New York State resident age 65 or older, be enrolled or eligible to enroll in a Medicare Part D plan, have annual income up to $75,000 if single or $100,000 if married, and not receive full Medicaid benefits. New York seniors can apply for EPIC at any time of the year. The fees, deductibles, and copays are laid out in our New York EPIC guide.

The other two programs HIICAP gives information on have their own guides:

If you're not sure which of these you might fit, that's a good reason to call New York HIICAP before you fill out any applications.

When Is the Best Time to Call HIICAP?

Any time you have a question, honestly. But two windows are worth planning around.

Before your Initial Enrollment Period. Medicare's Initial Enrollment Period is a 7-month window that starts 3 months before the month you turn 65, includes your birthday month, and ends 3 months after it. NYSOFA says New York HIICAP is open to New York residents who will soon become Medicare eligible, so you don't have to wait until your card arrives. Our guide to Medicare enrollment periods covers the rest of the calendar.

Before Open Enrollment closes. Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7 each year, and changes made during Open Enrollment take effect January 1. During Medicare Open Enrollment you can join, drop, or switch a Medicare Advantage Plan or drug plan, or move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Medicare says that if you keep your current coverage, any changes to its benefits or costs for the new year also start on January 1. That's why a fall New York HIICAP call to check your Part D plan against your current prescriptions is time well spent. See our Medicare Open Enrollment guide for what you can change.

Can You Call HIICAP for a Parent?

Yes. NYSOFA says New York HIICAP helps people with Medicare and their representatives. ACL says that, with the person's permission, a SHIP will work with Medicare directly to help solve problems on that person's behalf. The word to notice there is permission.

Medicare has its own paperwork for letting someone else in on the conversation:

  • To let Medicare talk to you: Form CMS-10106, "Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information," is how a person with Medicare gives 1-800-MEDICARE permission to share their personal health information with someone else. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says on Form CMS-10106 that, by law, the person with Medicare must give 1-800-MEDICARE permission in writing before 1-800-MEDICARE can share any information with someone else.
  • To act for them in an appeal: Medicare's appeals guide says a person with Medicare can appoint a representative, such as a family member, friend, advocate, attorney, or doctor, to help with an appeal, using the "Appointment of Representative" form (Form CMS-1696) or a written request with the required details.

Getting the Form CMS-10106 signed early saves a lot of back-and-forth once a problem comes up. Our guide to helping a parent with Medicare goes through the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who pays for New York HIICAP?

Federal and New York State funding. NYSOFA's 2025 HIICAP Guide for Counselors says New York HIICAP is a federally funded program that also receives funding from NYSOFA.

Does New York HIICAP only help with Medicare?

No. NYSOFA says New York HIICAP provides information, counseling, assistance, and advocacy on Medicare, private health insurance, and related health coverage plans.

Is New York HIICAP the same as 1-800-MEDICARE?

No. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is the official Medicare contact line for beneficiaries, operated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and TTY users call 1-877-486-2048. New York HIICAP is New York's state health insurance assistance program, and New York HIICAP counselors can be reached at 1-800-701-0501. For a problem with a specific Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, CMS says to call the plan first, using the number on your member ID card.

How are New York HIICAP counselors trained?

NYSOFA describes New York HIICAP staff and volunteer counselors as highly trained. Nationally, ACL says SHIP counselors are members of the local community who have been screened, trained, and certified as Medicare experts.

Learn More

MedicareFree Medicare Counseling Through Your SHIPSHIP gives free Medicare counseling. Federal law requires its counselors to have no conflict of interest, and ACL bars licensed insurance agents. Find yours. MedicareSHIP Counselor vs. Insurance BrokerA SHIP counselor and a Medicare broker are both free to you, but one is paid by the government and one by the insurer. See who pays each and when to use which. MedicareMedicare Plans and Coverage in New YorkMedicare in New York for 2026: Part A, Part B, Medicare Advantage, Part D, and the year-round Medigap rule, plus programs that help pay your costs. MedicareNew York EPICEPIC accepts New York residents 65 and older with income up to $75,000 single or $100,000 married. See its 2026 fees, deductibles, and Part D copays. MedicareNew York Medicare Supplement GuideNew York Medigap (Medicare Supplement): year-round guaranteed issue, community rating, no medical underwriting, and the Plan G vs N choice explained. MedicaidMedicare Savings Programs in New YorkNew York Medicare Savings Programs in 2026: QMB and QI income limits, no asset test, what each program pays, and how to apply through NY State of Health.

Find personalized help getting free Medicare counseling through New York HIICAP 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.

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