What many Medicare Beneficiaries need most in their ‘Golden Years’ is Dental, Vision and Hearing coverage.  This can sometimes be the largest expense as we age.  Ironically, Medicare does not cover Dental, Vision or Hearing at all; at least not yet as of 2023.  This has been a topic of discussion in many recent legislative sessions.  However, nothing has officially been done by the federal government to care for our Seniors’ teeth, eyes, and ears.  But all is not lost!  There are optional supplemental benefit plans offered by many insurance carriers.  In addition, Medicare Beneficiaries can get D/V/H coverage through Part C or Advantage Plans.  And finally, there are some providers that offer their own discount program for services.  Let’s take a closer look at your options.

You did it!  You have been working towards this your whole life.  You get to travel the country and even the world in some cases!  Now that you are finally here, you want to be sure you can enjoy traveling with the security of knowing should a health emergency arise, you are covered with your Medicare benefits. 

Whether you are celebrating your new retirement status with a trip, living your retired life in two different states, or still tied down but taking well-earned trips throughout the year, we have you covered. 

Let’s start with the fact that most people don’t realize that Advantage Plans are the same things as ‘Part C’, which is what Medicare calls them.  So if you see an advertisement on TV saying you may be eligible for Part C, and you should call so you don’t miss out, they are usually intentionally misleading you.  The fact is, you probably already have Part C, but you know it as an ‘Advantage Plan’.  The terms are interchangeable.  However, there are many different types of Advantage Plans through many different carriers.  Here is a bit of help on deciphering what is available and what you may or may NOT be eligible for……

One of the things that sets me apart from other local Independent Insurance Brokers is that I am also a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator or ‘HFA’ in the state of Indiana.  I was responsible for the entirety of the Nursing Home operations in multiple facilities over my 15 years in the industry.  This included overseeing the insurance contracts and ensuring residents on short term rehab stays got the therapy and nursing care needed while also billing all the different Medicare benefit carriers.  This gives me a unique and justified perspective on managing a Rehab stay for Medicare Beneficiaries who have Advantage Plans.  I promise you; it is doable!  I hope that the following points help debunk any myths or negative things you may have heard about Advantage Plans and Nursing Home Rehab! 

Medicare Open Enrollment occurs every year from October 15th through December 7th.  It is an opportunity for all existing Medicare Beneficiaries to make a plan change for the next year.  It is important because drug formularies change, premiums change, and many insurance companies bring new plans to the market with better features and benefits to take advantage of.  However, this is not the only time in the year a change can be made.  It happens to be the most publicized and marketed, but we agents are busy all year long assisting Medicare Beneficiaries with enrollments.  

Each year as we head toward the last quarter of the year, the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services or ‘CMS’ begins to announce changes to Medicare for the coming year. Sometimes the changes are new regulations put in place by CMS, and sometimes there are changes written and signed into law by the acting government. So, what is coming up for 2023? Here is a sneak peek at the exciting and maybe not-so-exciting changes.

With the market getting very competitive in the Medicare space, there seem to be more cards showing up in the mail once you have selected and enrolled in your plan or plans. The good news is that this is because plans are adding more and more benefits, such as flex spending cards, over-the-counter cards, etc. However, be cautioned about what card or cards you show a provider or front office person. No offense to any administrative staff, but they often do not understand the difference in those cards any more than you do as a beneficiary. If they bill or charge incorrectly, getting everything corrected can be a nightmare. The following tidbits are going to hopefully make your experience smooth!

We all know that Medicare isn’t free…. don’t we? Well, there are two parts to Original Medicare – Part A and Part B. Part A covers Hospital Room and Board, Home Health and Hospice and generally has no premium. HOWEVER, Part B covers medical visits, procedures, and tests, but is not free. Unless you qualify for full Medicaid [State Income Assistance], you will owe a monthly premium for Part B. It is paid directly back to the Social Security Administration. But how much will you pay and why is the amount different for different people? And why are there so many premium changes? Let’s take a deeper dive into this Part B premium!