Oregon SHIBA Medicare Help: Book a Counselor or Class (2026)

For Oregon SHIBA Medicare help, call 800-722-4134, where the ZIP code you key in can route your call to a local agency near you.1 Oregon SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance) is part of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and offers Medicare information and counseling as a free public service, through a statewide network of trained counselors who volunteer their time.2

In This Guide

• What Is Oregon SHIBA, and Who Runs It?
• How to Book an Oregon SHIBA Appointment
• What an Oregon SHIBA Counselor Will Do, and What Only an Agent Can
• Free Medicare Classes and Oregon's Medicare Guide
• Oregon SHIBA and Help Paying for Medicare
• Before Your Oregon SHIBA Appointment
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

What Is Oregon SHIBA, and Who Runs It?

Oregon SHIBA is Oregon's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP.2 Medicare's "Medicare Appeals" guide defines a SHIP as a state program that gets money from the federal government to give free local health insurance counseling to people with Medicare.4 Inside ODHS, Oregon SHIBA's 2026 guide to Medicare plans is produced by the Office of Aging and People with Disabilities.1 Oregon SHIBA serves people of all ages who have Medicare.2

The people you talk to are trained and certified. Oregon SHIBA describes itself as a statewide network of trained counselors who volunteer their time to educate and advocate for people with Medicare.2 Before they counsel anyone, Oregon SHIBA counselors must complete an application, finish SHIBA's training program, pass a background check and work with a SHIBA coordinator in their community.1

Our Oregon Medicare plans and coverage guide covers premiums, plan types and enrollment across the state, and our guide to free Medicare counseling through your SHIP explains how SHIPs work everywhere. This page is about getting help from Oregon SHIBA itself.

How to Book an Oregon SHIBA Appointment

Oregon SHIBA says it works with local partners to provide counseling, and it gives three ways to schedule an appointment:3

1. Call a local office. The Find Help Near You page on SHIBA's site has a search tool for finding an office near you.3 Oregon SHIBA's 2026 guide notes that each local location keeps its own hours.1
2. Call Oregon SHIBA's statewide toll-free line, 800-722-4134. TTY users can dial 711, and Oregon SHIBA accepts all relay calls.3
3. Email Oregon SHIBA at shiba.oregon@odhs.oregon.gov.3

Plan on some waiting right now. Oregon SHIBA's home page currently warns that it is getting more phone and email inquiries than usual, so phone wait times may be longer and email responses may be delayed.3 Oregon SHIBA's 2026 guide adds that in times of high call volume, callers may be redirected to the national Medicare assistance telephone lines.1 National research points the same way: the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reports that SHIP funding has not kept pace with Medicare enrollment and that counselors face capacity constraints as call volumes have risen.5 The same MedPAC report found that beneficiaries who used their SHIP reported positive experiences, so a slow first contact is a reason to start early, not to give up.5

If you're booking for a parent who lives in a different part of Oregon, keep in mind that the statewide line routes by the ZIP code a caller enters.1 Tell whoever answers where your parent lives, so the appointment is set up with help near them rather than near you.

What an Oregon SHIBA Counselor Will Do, and What Only an Agent Can

Oregon SHIBA states the limit of its counselors' role in writing. Oregon SHIBA says its certified counselors provide unbiased information, answer general Medicare questions, help people understand the insurance options available to them, and help them learn whether they qualify for income-related benefits.3 Oregon SHIBA's Find Help Near You page says plainly that its certified counselors "can not recommend a Medicare plan."3

That still leaves a lot of practical help. Oregon SHIBA's 2026 guide says a SHIBA counselor can help you learn about plan options and plan rules, such as how and when you can make changes, and lists free help comparing Medicare Advantage plans, Medigap policies and prescription drug plans, and with filing claims.1 Oregon SHIBA's home page describes the help as local, confidential and one-on-one.3

The recommendation itself is where Oregon SHIBA hands off. Its Find Help Near You page says licensed insurance agents can help you enroll in a Medicare plan, and that only insurance agents can recommend which Medicare plan may be best for you.3 Whether a SHIP counselor will complete an enrollment for you varies by state; MedPAC says some SHIP grantees help enroll beneficiaries in Medicare plans.5 If you want help with the enrollment step itself, ask Oregon SHIBA what it can do when you book.

The line exists for a reason. Federal law (42 U.S.C. 1395b-4) requires each state's SHIP grant plan to provide assurances that SHIP staff members, including volunteers, have no conflict of interest in providing counseling.6 The Administration for Community Living (ACL) gives, as one example of a person with an inherent conflict of interest, anyone who receives compensation for enrolling beneficiaries in a specific insurance plan.6 A practical approach is to use an Oregon SHIBA counselor to understand your choices, then decide yourself or with an agent. Our comparison of SHIP counselors and Medicare brokers explains how brokers are paid and when one may be the right call.

Free Medicare Classes and Oregon's Medicare Guide

If you'd rather learn the basics in a room (or on a screen) before meeting one-on-one, Oregon SHIBA's home page links to free classes near you.1 Many are run by county SHIBA programs. For fall 2026, SHIBA's Events and Presentations page lists Medicare 101 classes taught by Clackamas County SHIBA counselors, Multnomah County SHIBA classes on Medicare basics and how SHIBA can help during fall enrollment, and a Medicare Basics course taught on Zoom by trained volunteers in cooperation with Multnomah County Aging and Disability Services.1 At least one listing encourages spouses and family members to come, which makes a class a good first step for an adult child helping a parent.1 Dates and locations change each season, so check the page for what's near you.

Oregon SHIBA also publishes the "2026 Oregon Guide to Medicare Insurance Plans," which the guide says SHIBA counselors and Oregonians eligible for Medicare can use to decide what plan works best for them.1 SHIBA's Medicare Publications page posts the 2026 guide and a 2026 corrections sheet in English and Spanish, with a tool for finding a place to pick up a printed copy.1 The guide is also available free of charge in other languages, large print, braille or another format you prefer.1 Read the corrections sheet alongside it before relying on any plan detail.

Oregon SHIBA and Help Paying for Medicare

Federal guidance says SHIPs help people with limited income apply for programs such as Medicaid, the Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help.7 Oregon SHIBA spells out what that means for Extra Help: its Help Paying for Medicare Costs page says Oregon SHIBA's counselors can help you complete and submit an application for the Extra Help program.3 Extra Help lowers prescription drug costs, and our Extra Help guide explains who qualifies.

Oregon SHIBA doesn't decide who gets the Medicare Savings Programs. Oregon administers its Medicare Savings Programs through ODHS, and ODHS says Oregon has no asset limits for any of its Medicare Savings Programs.8 For March 2026 through February 2027, ODHS lists a monthly income limit of $1,330 for an individual for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program, which helps pay Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles and coinsurance.8 Our guide to Oregon Medicare Savings Programs has the couple figures and the other three programs.

Before Your Oregon SHIBA Appointment

An Oregon SHIBA counselor can do much more with your actual paperwork than with a description of it. Before the appointment, gather:

• Your Medicare card and any plan member ID cards
• A list of every prescription, with the dose, if you're comparing drug plans
• Any plan notice, bill or denial letter you have questions about
• Your monthly income and a rough total of savings, if you want to check whether you qualify for help paying costs

Timing matters most in the fall. Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7 each year, and changes you make then take effect January 1 of the following year.9 Oregon SHIBA currently warns that phone waits may be longer than usual, so book in October rather than the first week of December.3 Our Medicare Open Enrollment guide explains what you can change.

Learn More

Find personalized help booking Oregon SHIBA Medicare counseling, or a free class near you, 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.