SHIP-SMP Survey of One-on-One Assistance

Abstract (2000 characters maximum) The SHIP-SMP Survey of One-on-One Assistance, formerly the National Beneficiary Survey of State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) will gauge individuals’ satisfaction with the services they receive from the State Health Insurance Assistance (SHIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Programs. The survey will be the first of its kind to ascertain the quality and effectiveness of the services provided by the SHIP and SMP and to determine if beneficiaries are receiving accurate, relevant and timely information. The survey will be conducted over a three-year period with multiple sites in each of the 50 states and the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands being surveyed once. The SHIP program satisfaction survey will be conducted on a sample of beneficiaries who received assistance/counseling during two points in the year (one week in the spring and one week during the Annual Medicare Open Enrollment Period). The SMP program satisfaction survey will focus on education session presentations to determine if the target audience is satisfied with the information they are receiving. The results from these surveys will be used to measure satisfaction among individuals who receive assistance/counseling or among individuals who attend SMP education sessions, as well, as how the program can be improved to provide better service to its target population. The information obtained from this survey will be used by federal and regional employees of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Specifically, the information will be used to assess customer satisfaction with one on one assistance services delivered by ACL’s SHIP and SMP programs. The results of the survey will be used to assess the need for overall agency improvements, including the reallocation of resources, revisions to certain agency processes and policies, and/or development of guidance related to the agency’s customer services. The results of the survey could also lead to improvements for individual Medicare beneficiaries, as improved customer service by the agency will lead to more appropriate Medicare choices for individual citizens, leading to monetary savings for both the individual and the SHIP/SMP program. Ultimately, these changes should improve the services ACL provides to the public.

The latest form for SHIP-SMP Survey of One-on-One Assistance expires 2023-07-31 and can be found here.