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Low-Cost Insurance Programs

Click on each program's name to obtain more information about eligibility and registration. Also, ask insurance carriers in your county if they offer low-cost coverage for young adults.

  • MyTRICARE

    The TRICARE programs are available to family members of active duty military service members and also to military retirees and their dependents. These dependents include:

    • Spouses
    • Unmarried children under age 21
    • Unmarried children under age 23 who are full-time students
    • Stepchildren adopted by the sponsor

    Those who are eligible must be listed in the Defense Department's worldwide, computerized database, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). The following are not eligible for TRICARE benefits:

    • Parents and parents-in-law of active duty service members or retirees
    • People who are eligible for health benefits under CHAMPVA (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs)

    People age 65 or older who are eligible for Medicare can receiveTRICARE For Life benefits.

  • Medicaid

    Medicaid is a health insurance program for certain low-income and needy people paid with federal, state, and county dollars. It covers more than one million people in North Carolina, including children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and people who are eligible to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments.

    For information about eligibility, please click here.

  • Medicare

    Our Medicare section offers comprehensive, official information provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The official government handbook, "Medicare & You," includes sections on Medicare coverage choices, choosing a prescription plan, financial assistance, your Medicare rights, and more.

    For more information about the Medicare Advantage Plans, other Medicare Health Plans, or Medicare Prescription Drug Plans available in your area, visit medicare.gov on the Web or call (800) MEDICARE (800-633-4227). TTY users should call (877) 486-2048.

    Learn more about private insurance enrollment for Medicare D.

SHIP is a free health benefits counseling service for Medicare beneficiaries and their families or caregivers. SHIPs mission is to educate, advocate, counsel and empower people to make informed healthcare benefit decisions. SHIP is an independent program funded by Federal agencies and is not affiliated with the insurance industry.

In North Carolina, the program is known as the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). For more information, please click here or call (855) 408-1212.