Hamm announces Insurance Department performance award Posted on 9/29/2008
BISMARCK, N.D.-North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm announced today that the North Dakota Insurance Department's State Health Insurance Counseling program (SHIC) received a performance award of $32,319 for outstanding achievements in 2007 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
North Dakota's SHIC program performance ranked number two in the nation and number one in a group of nine similar-sized states, mostly in the Midwest.
"This award will allow us to reach out to more North Dakotans with questions about Medicare, medications and health insurance," Hamm said. "I'm proud of the people in the Insurance Department and in our partnering organizations as well as our dedicated volunteers whose hard work achieved this recognition from the federal government."
CMS has distributed performance awards since 2006 using data reported through a national performance reporting system. Performance criteria include the number of beneficiaries that SHIC serves in one-on-one counseling sessions and in public education and outreach events, and the number of counselors recruited and trained to provide community-based assistance to Medicare beneficiaries.
SHIC offers free and confidential help with Medicare and other health insurance. For more information, call 1-888-575-6611 or visit www.nd.gov/ndins.
