Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (SHINE) is a statewide program in which trained, certified volunteers provide free, unbiased information about Medicare and related health insurance options. This service is available to all Massachusetts residents who either have Medicare or are about to become eligible for Medicare. A SHINE counselor can also assist with enrolling in a Medicare-related plan and applying for Medicare-related benefit programs. The usual wait time for appointments is less than 2 weeks, however during open enrollment from Oct 15th -Dec-7th appointments may take longer to get. Appointments range from 30 minutes to one-hour.
LOCAL SHINE
SHINE counselors are based at many local Councils on Aging or senior centers. Below is a list of those available locally. The statewide SHINE number is 1-800-243-4636.
| Town and Address | Telephone Number |
| Belmont, 266 Beech Street | 617-993-2970 |
| Brookline, 93 Winchester Street | 617-730-2777 |
| Framingham, 535 Union Avenue* | 508-532-5980 |
| Needham, 300 Hillside Avenue* | 781-455-7555 |
| Newton, 345 Walnut Street | 617-796-1660 |
| Waltham, 488 Main Street | 781-314-3499 |
| Watertown, 31 Marshall Street | 617-972-6490 |
| Wellesley, 500 Washington Street | 781-235-3961 |
| Weston, 20 Alphabet Lane, Ground Floor | 781-786-6280 |
| Ashland, 162 West Union Street | 508-881-0140 |
| Dover, 4 Springdale Avenue | 508-315-5735 |
| Holliston, 150 Goulding Street | 508-429-0622 |
| Hopkinton, 28 Mayhew Street | 508-497-9730 |
| Hudson, 29 Church Street | 978-568-9638 |
| Marlborough, 40 New Street | 508-485-6492 |
| Natick, 117 East Central Street | 508-647-6540 |
| Northborough, 119 Bearfoot Road | 508-393-5035 |
| Sherborn, 19 Washington Street | 508-651-7858 |
| Southborough, 9 Cordaville Road | 508-229-4453 |
| Sudbury, 40 Fairbank Road | 978-443-3055 |
| Westborough, 4 Rogers Road | 508-366-3000 |
| *Indicates regional SHINE office location | |