Get help with your rights & protections
If you feel your rights have been violated, you can contact these offices and programs for help:
- The Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman
- Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
- The Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO)
- Your State Survey Agency
The Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman
The Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman helps you with Medicare-related complaints, grievances, and information requests. They make sure you have Medicare rights and protections information and understand how to get your concerns resolved. If you have a concern that hasn't been resolved by Medicare or your plan, ask 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to submit your inquiry to the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
SHIPs are state programs that get money from the federal government to give local health insurance counseling to people with Medicare. SHIPs aren’t connected to any insurance company or health plan. They provide free, personalized counseling to you and your family to help with these and other Medicare questions:
- Your Medicare rights
- Billing problems
- Complaints about your medical care or treatment
- How Medicare works with other insurance
- Finding help paying for your health care costs
Get your local SHIP’s contact information.
Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO)
The BFCC-QIOs are committed to helping you get the care you need with Medicare. They review Medicare complaints and monitor your quality of care to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and quality of health care services. They can help you with:
- Filing appeals
- Complaints (grievances)
- Quality of care reviews
- Medical necessity reviews
Contact your state’s BFCC-QIO for help or more information.
State Survey Agency
State Survey Agencies oversee health care facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. They inspect health care facilities and investigate complaints to ensure these facilities meet health and safety standards. Contact your
State Survey Agency
if:
- You have a complaint about improper care or unsafe conditions in a hospital, home health agency, hospice, or nursing home.
- You’re concerned about the health care, treatment, or services that you or another person got or didn’t get in a health care setting.
Your State Survey Agency can also help with things like:
- Abuse
- Neglect
- Mistreatment
- Poor care
- Not enough staff
- Unsafe or unsanitary conditions
- Dietary problems
Contact your State Survey Agency for more information.