Wyoming WSHIIP Medicare Help: Reach a Local Volunteer (2026)

For Wyoming WSHIIP Medicare help, call 1-800-856-4398, the toll-free number CMS lists for the Wyoming State Health Insurance Information Program (WSHIIP).1 WSHIIP's program page says Wyoming's program has more than eighty volunteer counselors in almost every county, and that their help with Medicare questions is free of charge.2 Medicare's own handbook says State Health Insurance Assistance Programs such as WSHIIP are not connected to any insurance company or health plan.3

In This Guide

• Who Runs WSHIIP, and Why You May See Two Names
• What a WSHIIP Volunteer Can Help You Sort Out
• Your Birthday Opens a 63-Day Medigap Window in Wyoming
• Wyoming Has No State Drug Program, So Start With Extra Help
• When the Problem Is a Policy, a Denial or a Scam
• Does a WSHIIP Volunteer Have Anything to Sell?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Who Runs WSHIIP, and Why You May See Two Names

Wyoming's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is the Wyoming State Health Insurance Information Program, or WSHIIP.1 Notice the word "Information" where the federal program name says "Assistance." WSHIIP is Wyoming's SHIP under a Wyoming name, so it helps to search for WSHIIP rather than "Wyoming SHIP."

The program's web page is published by Wyoming Senior Citizens, Inc. (WSCI), which describes itself as a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1975. That page calls WSHIIP a federally mandated program set up to help seniors and others on Medicare understand their rights, and it says the project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.2 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) directory, for its part, gives WSHIIP's address as the Wyoming Department of Insurance at 106 West Adams Ave in Riverton, and its website as wyomingseniors.com.1 Neither source says outright which organization holds Wyoming's federal SHIP grant, and for a caller it doesn't change anything: the number and the counselors are the same.

The second name turns up on the Wyoming Department of Insurance's consumer page. Under its "Medicare and SHIIP" heading, the Department links to the same wyomingseniors.com site as "Wyoming Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) General Information."2 So if a letter, a pharmacist or a state web page says SHIIP and another says WSHIIP, they are pointing you to the same Wyoming program.

What a WSHIIP Volunteer Can Help You Sort Out

WSHIIP's page describes its trained counselors as helping people understand Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare supplement and long-term care insurance, and as helping solve problems.2 Medicare.gov describes the same national program as helping people with Medicare and their families choose a plan, review coverage, understand costs, apply for Extra Help, and file a complaint or an appeal.4 SHIP counselors are trained to help people get coverage through Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Part D drug plans and Medigap, and to help people with limited income apply for Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Programs.5

One thing is worth asking about directly on your first call. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which advises Congress on Medicare, reports that some SHIP grantees help enroll beneficiaries in Medicare plans, so whether a WSHIIP volunteer will submit an enrollment for you, or help you compare and then have you enroll yourself, is something to ask WSHIIP rather than assume.6 The same MedPAC report says SHIP funding has not kept pace with Medicare enrollment, that grantees depend on volunteer staff, and that counselors have faced capacity constraints as call volumes rose. It also found that people who used their SHIP reported positive experiences.6 Because WSHIIP depends on volunteers spread across Wyoming, calling well before a deadline is the safer plan.

The deadline most people plan around is fall open enrollment, October 15 through December 7, when you can switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage or change a Part D drug plan for the coming January.7 If you are approaching 65, your Initial Enrollment Period runs for seven months around your 65th birthday, and that is also a good time to call.7

Your Birthday Opens a 63-Day Medigap Window in Wyoming

If you already have a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy, Wyoming gives you a chance to change it every year. The Wyoming Department of Insurance says that in 2025 it put in place a Birthday Rule letting Wyoming Medigap policyholders choose another Medicare Supplement plan, starting on their birthday and continuing for 63 days, without medical underwriting.8 Under the rule text the Wyoming Department of Insurance proposed, Wyoming's Medigap Birthday Rule covers a switch to a Medicare Supplement plan with comparable or lesser benefits, and the Department says a Wyoming policyholder who wants better coverage than their current plan still goes through medical underwriting.8

That makes the weeks before your birthday a practical time to ask a WSHIIP volunteer to compare Medigap premiums with you, since understanding Medicare supplement insurance is part of what WSHIIP's page says its counselors do.2 The Wyoming Medigap guide covers open enrollment, the pre-existing condition rules and options under 65 in detail.

Wyoming Has No State Drug Program, So Start With Extra Help

Wyoming once had a state-funded Prescription Drug Assistance Program for people at or below 100% of the federal poverty level. The Wyoming Department of Health ended it on August 1, 2016, as part of a budget reduction, so it is not a current Wyoming drug-help program.9 For a Wyoming resident struggling with drug costs, the programs to ask WSHIIP about are Extra Help with Part D costs and the Medicare Savings Programs, which help pay Medicare costs.

Wyoming administers the Medicare Savings Programs through the Wyoming Department of Health Medicaid program, with these income tests: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) for countable income at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level, Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) above 100% and up to 120%, and Qualifying Individual (QI) above 120% and up to 135%. Medicare.gov says people who qualify for QMB, SLMB or QI also get Extra Help paying for prescription drugs.10 In 2026 the federal QMB monthly income limit is $1,350 for one person and $1,824 for a married couple, and QMB pays the Part B premium (and the Part A premium if you don't have premium-free Part A) plus Part A and Part B cost-sharing.11 Wyoming residents apply through the Wyoming Department of Health, online at www.wesystem.wyo.gov or by calling the WDH Customer Service Center at 855-294-2127.10

A WSHIIP counselor can help with that application, because SHIP's role includes helping people with limited income apply for the Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help.5 The Wyoming Medicare Savings Programs guide covers the income and resource rules in full.

When the Problem Is a Policy, a Denial or a Scam

A dispute with an insurance company. If you have a question about an insurance policy or claim, the Wyoming Department of Insurance's Consumer Affairs Section is available at 307-777-7402 or toll-free at 800-438-5768.1 Medicare's own Medigap guide points people to both their State Insurance Department and their SHIP for state-specific information, so it is reasonable to call WSHIIP first and the Department when an insurer won't resolve a problem.1

A Medicare denial. Medicare's official appeals guide tells people with Medicare to call their SHIP for free, personalized counseling, including help with appeals.12 The Medicare appeals guide walks through the levels and deadlines.

A charge you don't recognize. Several of the coordinators WSHIIP's page lists carry combined WSHIIP and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) titles.2 SMP is the federal program that helps people with Medicare prevent, detect and report suspected health care fraud, errors and abuse. If someone calls asking for your Medicare Number or threatening to cancel your benefits, Medicare.gov says to hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).13

Does a WSHIIP Volunteer Have Anything to Sell?

Federal law requires every state's SHIP plan to assure that its staff, including volunteer staff, have no conflict of interest in providing counseling. ACL's conflict-of-interest guidance adds that a person with a conflict of interest may not serve as a SHIP volunteer, and it names anyone who receives compensation for enrolling people in a specific insurance plan as an example of an inherent conflict.14 Because the statute names volunteer staff, it covers the WSHIIP volunteers you are connected with, not only paid staff. If you are weighing a WSHIIP volunteer against a licensed agent or broker, the comparison of SHIP and a broker lays out when each makes sense.

Learn More

Find personalized help sorting out Wyoming Medicare choices for yourself or a parent 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.