IL SENIOR HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM HONORED

Springfield, IL Illinois Director of Insurance Mark Boozell announced today that the Insurance Department's Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) has received the 1997 Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) Beneficiary Services Honor Award.

Bruce Vladeck, HCFA Administrator, presented the Certificate of Merit to Kathy Claunch, SHIP Program Director, at an awards ceremony held in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 22, 1997. The award recognizes SHIP's "sustained achievement and excellence in providing insurance counseling and assistance to the citizens of Illinois."

SHIP provides free health insurance counseling to the state's Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers. Trained volunteers assist beneficiaries in understanding their health insurance, resolving problems with claims, and analyzing insurance policies. SHIP has 800 volunteer counselors located in 180 local offices throughout the state.

Each year HCFA recognizes individuals, groups, organizations and programs that have played an exceptional role in assuring that Medicare beneficiaries have access to high quality health care. "Illinois' senior counseling program is one of the most successful in the country," Boozell said. "This national recognition underscores our commitment to meeting the insurance needs of our senior population."

For further information on the Senior Health Insurance Program, call 1-800-548-9034.