SHINE Counselors are available by appointment only to help Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers navigate the complex health insurance system and explain how it works in everyday language. If you have not yet contacted your local Council on Aging, please check there for appointment availability. Offices are closed on all holidays and weekends.
For MassHealth related matters, please call (800) 841-2900.
Below you will find a video link and tip guide to get you started. Feel free to contact the Regional SHINE office with any questions, or to set up a telephonic appointment.
Our number is 508-375-6762.
A one minute video about how annual flu vaccinations and Medicare is involved in the effort to limit the spread of the annual flu viruses. Watch video HERE.
SHINE is very aware of advertising that can often be misleading and result in a beneficiary making changes to their health plans that are not the most beneficial. The state SHINE office produced this video to bring awareness to this advertising.
| Barnstable Council on Aging | 508-862-4750 |
| Bourne Council on Aging | 508-759-0600 x 3500 |
| Brewster Council on Aging | 508-896-2737 |
| Chatham Council on Aging | 508-945-5190 |
| Dennis Council on Aging | 508-385-5067 |
| Eastham Council on Aging | 774-801-3151 |
| Falmouth Council on Aging | 508-540-0196 |
| Harwich Council on Aging | 508-430-7550 |
| Mashpee Council on Aging | 508-539-1440 |
| Nantucket Council on Aging | 508-228-4490 |
| Orleans Council on Aging | 508-255-6333 |
| Provincetown Council on Aging | 508-487-7080 |
| Sandwich Council on Aging | 508-888-4737 |
| Truro Council on Aging | 508-487-2462 |
| Wellfleet Council on Aging | 508-349-2800 |
| Yarmouth Council on Aging | 508-394-7606 |
The Barnstable County Department of Human Services administers the regional office for the Cape and Islands SHINE Program (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone).
A SHINE Volunteer Counselor is trained and certified by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs in the various options available to Medicare beneficiaries—including Medicare Parts A & B, Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D), Medigap, Prescription Advantage , MassHealth, and other programs that help people with limited resources pay for health care costs.
SHINE appointments are free, confidential and available throughout the state at local Councils on Aging, senior centers, elder service agencies, hospitals and other community-based agencies.
Contact the Barnstable County Regional SHINE office:
SHINE@capecod.gov
508-375-6762
508-362-5885 TTY
Contact the Massachusetts SHINE office:
SHINE@state.ma.us
1-800-AGE-INFO (1-800-243-4636) and option 3
Contact your local site:
SHINE Cape & Islands Brochure
Barnstable County Department of Human Services provides critical documents, resources, and related links relating to substance use.
Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (SHINE) provides free health insurance information, counseling, and assistance to Massachusetts residents with Medicare and their caregivers.
Related Local Publications and Data
The Official Site for Medicare Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD).
United States Social Security Office Social Security is based on a simple concept: While you work, you pay taxes into the Social Security system, and when you retire or become disabled, you, your spouse and your dependent children receive monthly benefits that are based on your reported earnings. Also, your survivors can collect benefits if you die. For more information read A Snapshot (05-10006).
Click below to view the Cape and Islands Regional SHINE Program, July 2021 fact sheet.
Do you have Medicare? Are you a caregiver for someone who has Medicare? Maybe your health-care needs are evolving. Maybe your life circumstances have changed. Or maybe you just need […]
Read More
BARNSTABLE – In researching the issue of homelessness and housing instability on the Cape and Islands, Barnstable County officials came upon what Dan Gray called a “hidden population,” namely teens […]
Read More
Ryan Bray | Cape Cod Chronicle When Ellenmarie Rhone retired full time to Chatham from New York City with her husband this past summer, one of the first things on […]
Read More
Please be Advised! SHINE Notice: Medicare Open Enrollment has ended. SHINE Counselors are available by appointment only to help Medicare beneficiaries, and their caregivers navigate the complex health insurance system […]
Read More
Open Enrollment for Medicare takes place October 15th through December 7th! Meeting with a certified SHINE volunteer during open enrollment may reduce your out-of-pocket medical and/or prescription drug costs. Additionally, […]
Read More
September 18, 2023 (Barnstable, MA) – Open Enrollment for Medicare is available from October 15th to December 7th, and during this period, state-certified SHINE counselors are at your service by appointment at your local […]
Read More
