Ibrahim Afyon Licensed Insurance Agent & Broker · RSSA®
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Medicare · Free counseling

HIICAP: free Medicare counseling, county by county

Every county in New York has a free Medicare counseling office that covers every plan and sells nothing. People search for it, most don't know its name, and a good agent should tell you where it is. Here is where, with phone numbers, and an honest account of what a counselor does that I don't, and the reverse.

Ask me for a comparisonSocial Security offices
Ibrahim Afyon
Published by Ibrahim Afyon, RSSA® New York–licensed insurance agent · NPN 21711447 · Clifton Park, NYLast updated
In short

HIICAP (the Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program) is New York's free, unbiased Medicare counseling service, run by the State Office for the Aging through each county's Office for the Aging, with trained counselors who cover every plan and sell nothing. In the Capital Region: Albany County Department for Aging, 420 Western Avenue, Albany; Schenectady County Senior and Long Term Care Services, 797 Broadway, Schenectady (HIICAP appointments 518-382-8481, ext. 1); Saratoga County Office for the Aging, 152 West High Street, Ballston Spa (518-884-4100); Rensselaer County Department for the Aging, 99 Troy Road, Suite 306, East Greenbush (518-270-2730). North of the Capital Region: Warren/Hamilton Counties Office for the Aging, 1340 State Route 9, Lake George (518-761-6347); Washington County Office for the Aging and Disability Resource Center, 383 Broadway, Building B, Fort Edward (518-746-2420). The table on this page has the offices for the other eleven counties I cover, from Montgomery and Fulton to Ulster and Dutchess. The statewide HIICAP line is 1-800-701-0501. A licensed agent like me does something different: I compare and enroll you in the plans I'm appointed with, at no fee, and stay on afterwards; HIICAP is the second opinion I recommend to anyone who wants one.

I am a licensed insurance agent, not HIICAP. HIICAP counselors are free and unbiased and work for the county; I am an agent, paid by the carriers whose plans I enroll you in. I list their offices here because I think everyone should know where to find them.

HIICAP offices in the counties I cover

The first six counties below are where I meet people in person, and the rest I work with by phone and video; in every county, HIICAP counseling is by phone or appointment.

CountyOfficePhone
AlbanyAlbany County Department for Aging, 420 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203Counseling appointments (518) 447-7177 (also NY Connects); main line (518) 447-7198
SchenectadySchenectady County Senior and Long Term Care Services, 797 Broadway, Schenectady, NY 12305Appointments through NY Connects (518) 382-8481, ext. 1
SaratogaSaratoga County Office for the Aging (Department of Aging and Youth Services), 152 West High Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020(518) 884-4100
RensselaerRensselaer County Department for the Aging, Unified Family Services, 99 Troy Road, Suite 306, East Greenbush, NY 12061(518) 270-2730
WarrenWarren/Hamilton Counties Office for the Aging, Human Services Building, 1340 State Route 9, Lake George, NY 12845(518) 761-6347
WashingtonWashington County Office for the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), Municipal Center, 383 Broadway, Building B, Fort Edward, NY 12828(518) 746-2420
MontgomeryMontgomery County Office for the Aging, Inc., 135 Guy Park Avenue, Amsterdam, NY 12010 (second location at 50 Front Street, Canajoharie); HIICAP by appointment only(518) 843-2300
FultonFulton County Office for Aging and Youth, 19 North William Street, Johnstown, NY 12095; insurance counseling, including Medicare claims and bills, by appointment(518) 736-5650
ColumbiaColumbia County Office for the Aging, 325 Columbia Street, Hudson, NY 12534(518) 828-4258
GreeneGreene County Department for the Aging, 411 Main Street, Catskill, NY 12414; appointments required(518) 719-3555
SchoharieSchoharie County Office for the Aging, 113 Park Place, Suite 3, Schoharie, NY 12157(518) 295-2001
OtsegoOtsego County Office for the Aging, Meadows Office Complex, 140 County Highway 33W, Suite 5, Cooperstown, NY 13326(607) 547-4232
HerkimerHerkimer County Office for the Aging, 109 Mary Street, Suite 1101, Herkimer, NY 13350; HIICAP is provided under contract by Catholic Charities of Herkimer County, by appointment(315) 867-1121
HamiltonServed by the Warren/Hamilton Counties Office for the Aging in Lake George (see Warren above)Hamilton County line 1-888-553-4994; (518) 761-6347
EssexEssex County Office for the Aging, Elizabethtown, NY 12932(518) 873-3695
UlsterUlster County Office for the Aging, 1003 Development Court, Kingston, NY 12401; one-on-one appointments at the office or in the community(845) 340-3456
DutchessDutchess County Office for the Aging, 114 Delafield Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601HIICAP hotline (845) 486-2566; office (845) 486-2555
StatewideHIICAP helpline, routes to your county1-800-701-0501

Addresses and numbers from the county websites and the State Office for the Aging, checked October 27, 2026; confirm before visiting. Where the county's site and the State's directory give different street addresses, I give the town only. Many counties also run walk-in sessions at libraries and senior centers during the Annual Enrollment Period.

What a HIICAP counselor does

  • Explains Original Medicare, Advantage, Medigap and Part D without selling any of them.
  • Runs your drugs through Medicare's Plan Finder and shows every plan sold in your county, including ones no local agent offers.
  • Screens for the Medicare Savings Program, Extra Help and EPIC, and helps with the applications.
  • Helps with appeals, denied claims, billing disputes and Medicare fraud reports.

What a licensed agent does

  • Compares the plans I'm appointed with (eleven carriers in the Capital Region; not every plan in the area) against your doctors, hospital and prescriptions, and enrolls you. HIICAP can point at a Medigap policy; it can't write one.
  • Is paid by the carrier, not by you, at commission rates Medicare caps for Advantage and Part D.
  • Stays on the file: the prior-authorization problem in March, the Annual Notice of Change in September, the re-check every fall.
  • Works in English and Turkish, weekdays and weekend mornings, with evening appointments by arrangement, by phone or at your kitchen table.

The honest summary: HIICAP is the right first call if you want a view of every plan with no sales interest; I'm the right call if you want the comparison done, the enrollment handled and someone to phone afterwards. Using both costs nothing and offends no one. If a counselor tells you the right plan is one I don't sell, take it; I'll say the same.

Other free help

  • 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227): claims, coverage questions, Plan Finder help, 24 hours.
  • Social Security, for Part A and B enrollment and Extra Help: the four Capital Region offices or 1-800-772-1213.
  • Medicare Rights Center helpline, 1-800-333-4114: a New York nonprofit that handles appeals and complicated eligibility questions.
  • Senior centers and libraries: the Clifton Park-Halfmoon library, the Saratoga Senior Center, the Troy and Schenectady senior centers host Medicare 101 sessions each fall; the county offices above keep the schedules.
Sources

How these pages are prepared · How I'm paid

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 10 organizations which offer 81 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Insurers' legal names and home offices: carriers page.

Questions

Common questions

Short answers to what people ask before they call.

Still have a question? Call (518) 902-8822 or book a call.

What is HIICAP?

New York's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), funded federally and run by the New York State Office for the Aging through county Offices for the Aging. Volunteer and staff counselors explain Medicare, compare Advantage, Medigap and Part D plans on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder, screen for the Medicare Savings Program, Extra Help and EPIC, and help with appeals and billing problems. It's free and unbiased: counselors are not licensed to sell and represent no carrier.

Is HIICAP better than a Medicare agent?

Different. HIICAP covers every plan and has no financial interest; it can't enroll you in a Medigap policy or most Advantage plans, and appointments fill up in the fall. A licensed agent compares and enrolls you in the plans they're appointed with (I don't offer every plan in the area), is paid by the carrier rather than by you, and is the person you call in March when a claim is denied. You can use both; I encourage it.

How do I reach HIICAP in Albany County?

Through the Albany County Department for Aging at 420 Western Avenue, Albany: one-on-one counseling sessions are booked at 518-447-7177 (the same number as NY Connects; the department's main line is 518-447-7198), or the statewide line 1-800-701-0501, which routes to your county. Counseling is by phone or appointment; during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 to December 7) book early.

Is there a Medicare office I can walk into?

No; Medicare has no local offices. Enrollment in Parts A and B goes through Social Security (four Capital Region offices, see the office guide), plan counseling through HIICAP or an agent, and plan or claim questions through 1-800-MEDICARE.

Agent, counselor, or both

Use HIICAP for an unbiased second opinion and me for the comparison, the enrollment and the follow-up. Tell me what they told you and I'll show it against the plans I can offer, no fee.

Call (518) 902-8822 Book a call

Quick replyUsually within 30 minutes during office hours

How should I reach you?

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