Episode 1: How to get the Best Medicare Plan for You -Top 10 Tips
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Imagine being 65+ years old, without any worry that you have the Best Medicare Plan for you…
Think about it: Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
Here are the top 10 Tips from a 30-year industry veteran
Firstly, https://www.medicare.gov/ is a very helpful took in this regard where you can compare and analyze your but what you have to keep in mind is effective and feasible your plan will be.
In case you might be asking yourself, “Will this be the particularly Best Medicare Plan for me now and later down the road?”
It’s easier if we understand what are some of the ramifications we need to think of when selecting YOUR initial Medicare coverage.
Now, Medicare Advantage enrollment period is usually in the fall. Medicare plans don’t change benefits once you have made the decision. Sometimes when you do want to change them, you might not be able to make a change if your health deteriorates.
But wait, let me share a checklist that I developed which you can print and use to record the answers yourself when you’re interviewing your broker about Medicare. You should ask these questions to him or her, and if they don’t know the answers to those questions then you really should find somebody that does, because although they are basic, they are critically important questions for you.
Pay attention to these critical questions – you should get each one answered. If you don’t, you could end up selecting the wrong Medicare plan. You’ve got to get this right the first time – and I’m going to give you some tips on making sure that you do just that.
By the way, this is when you’re comparing Medicare Advantage Program versus a Medigap program or Medicare Supplement.
Is my doctor or hospital in the network?
You have got to know this! It’s changing rapidly. Some of these networks are shrinking. You could go to the doctor next door, but you can’t go to the doctor across the street, or you might want to go to a different hospital so is that hospital in the network? Fundamental question! And a good Medicare agent should definitely know the answer to this question.
Episode 2: Medicare Doctors can make House Calls via Telemedicine
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Yes, your Medicare Doctor can make house calls again, thanks to Telemedicine, also known as Telehealth. Remember the good old days when the doctor made house calls? Those days are coming back again. Thanks, unfortunately, to the Covid virus.
What is the most popular and often asked question regarding healthcare today for not only the senior population but also the under-65 population? Is Telemedicine available in my plan?medicare telemedicine
Well, I’m happy to report that not only have insurance companies seen the huge benefit and lower costs of Telemedicine visits, but almost all insurance companies, especially those that work in the Medicare field, are implementing telemedicine in their plans right now. By the way, Telemedicine is also known as Telehealth.
Some companies have implemented it already and most Medicare Insurance plans will have the benefit available to you when you have the opportunity to compare your Medicare Insurance plan for the forth coming year.
A brief disclaimer, however, is important because not all Medicare Insurance Plans will implement this important and significant benefit for you.
Of course, if you’re on a Medicare Advantage program you know that you have the open enrollment period from October 15th December 7th. That is your time to compare plans for the forthcoming year.
I strongly recommend that you compare plans and benefits as well as out of pocket cost access the doctors and hospitals and especially your drug benefits
The changes that are happening in the Medicare world almost make my head spin. Changes are being implemented all the time and frankly unless you devote a good bit of your reading time you may miss some important benefits.
A Telehealth True Story
Here’s a true story. I recently needed to see a doctor; however, due to the pandemic that we all suffer through, I was unable to see a doctor in a reasonable period of time.
I decided to take to take advantage of my Telemedicine benefit and although I was completely skeptical of the outcome of the video visit, I must admit I was totally amazed so well.
Within minutes of making my request for a video visit a retired emergency room physician in the Boston area that had over 40 years experience in the ER was live on my iPhone. Within minutes my call was over, within seconds I had a summary of my visit in my email. In six minutes I received a text message from my pharmacy telling me that my prescription would be ready soon.
All of this took place within a 15 minute time frame without ever having to leave my home, drive to the doctors office, park, put on a mask, and wait to see the doctor.
Telemedicine he’s here to stay. Medicare is also rapidly adopting this for many of their plans as well.
I have seen doctors recently, due to an upcoming surgery, I have even been asked by the physicians if they would like my next visit to be a Telemedicine visit.
This is not only the future of the office visit, this is reality today. Even if your doctor is the only position in the practice, I have found but they all have access to do virtual visits with you in the comfort of your home.
I think we all can agree, that a Telemedicine visit with your doctor is a tremendous to us all.
As I mentioned earlier in this article, people can change their Medicare Advantage program during the open enrollment that we all know happens between October and December.
What if you have a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan? Well, great news, you could look to change plans any day or month of the year. In other words, you’re open enrollment period is year round.
I strongly encourage you to have three things working for you at this stage of your life.
- Have an attorney that you can call year round.
- Have a good accountant, preferably a CPA, to help with your taxes and other financial issues that you can talk to year round.
- Have a dedicated, experienced Medicare insurance agent to help you with your Medicare your round.
Hopefully, you already have the CPA and attorney. But with the rapid, constant changes in Medicare, having direct access to an experienced independent insurance agent ( with at least 10 years in Medicare ) you call your round is huge.
3 Awesome Senior Savings Top Tips
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Here are 3 awesome senior savings top tips for seniors that I myself recently found out, thanks to my children.
Haven’t we all thought we are pretty savvy when it came to the Internet and finding good quality discounts that I could use for not only my family but also for my clients. I even used these awesome senior savings programs myself and unfortunately found these out such a late stage in my life because like you I am officially a senior citizen and soon will be on Medicare myself.
Boy, do I wish I had found these years ago as they would’ve saved me and my family and my clients any huge amount of money.
Every time I talk to or meet with a client I share these savings programs, and I can tell you that they are very happy with the results as well.
So especially in these times, the less time I or anyone of my family spends in a grocery store or pharmacy warehouse the better. Are used to run all over town to try to get our groceries and our medications. That is not the way that we shop anymore. We all use Amazon or something similar to that, so why not do the same thing for the staples of our life like groceries and medications.
Awesome Senior Savings tip #1:
The first awesome senior savings program I want to share with you is one that I have used now dozens of times and can tell you that I never had a problem with any of the items that I have attempted to purchase, the quality of the items or the service. As I am sharing this blog post and podcast with you today I am even out of town at my family’s residence and just used the service again yesterday.
The weather is over 100° and the last thing I wanna do is to get into a car that has been baking in the sun and drive to the grocery store to pick up four items that we needed for dinner. I went online at exactly 2 PM the service told me that the groceries will be delivered within a two hour window from Costco and sure enough they were.
The service that I use is called Instacart. There are many services and competitors to Instacart summer national some regional and some local. If possible of course we always want to use the local services to support our local businesses. I signed up for Instacart about three months ago and have probably used their service for groceries as well as medications at least a dozen or more times.
Yes, they will not only shop and deliver your groceries but in some locations they will even go to theTo the pharmacy and pick up and deliver your medications as well.
How awesome is that?
With Instacart, I know that you could either pay an annual fee of $100 or, in my case, we pay $9.99 per month to use the service. There’s no commitment. I can cancel at any time. So far, at this point, I have no intention of canceling it as it has saved me hours away from important things like family and friends but also a great deal of money because I am not walking out of the store with items that I went into the store to buy.
Here is a link for you to view instant cart yourself and you can even sign up on this link.
Awesome Senior Savings tip #2:
The second great savings program that I have used and recommended a number of times since they began doing business is for all of us to shop for our prescription medications online. I think we all know that different pharmacies have different prices for the exact same medications. The program that I am referring to is called good RX.com. They are one of the pioneers and having the cost of medications at the different pharmacies based on ZIP Code searches. There are others do use however the one I like the best is goodrx.com. Here’s a link to their website.
I was a little upset when I found out that after going to a national pharmacy chain for the last 15 years that when I called and asked for the cost of my medications at a warehouse store such as Costco, I saved over 60% are the cost of my medications by switching from a national chain to a warehouse club by Costco.
On a sidenote, when I went into Costco for the very first time I asked the person who is ringing up my prescriptions why my medication costs were so much less at Costco. He told me it’s really very simple, Costco does not look at the pharmacy as a profit center. He said “ COSTCO makes all their money on the membership fees and the items in the warehouse”.
That all made a lot of sense to me. Now I tell everyone about goodRX.com and COSTCO.
Here are a couple of other websites that are similar to goodrx.com that I encourage you to check out. One is blinkhealth.com and the other one is pharmacychecker.com.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of scam websites out there so please be careful. I recommend you stick to these three websites in particular. Some of the websites will direct you without your knowledge to purchasing your drugs from another country.
Awesome Senior Savings tip #3:
The last great way for seniors to check the cost of medications, especially very expensive medications, is to go to the manufacture of that medication and see if they offer coupons or savings programs on their websites. Now, you will find discounts for the generic medications of course, however, a lot of the medications that you see on TV are very expensive. You normally don’t find out until you go into the group drugstore for the first time just how expensive these medications are.
So what I recommend is when you leave the doctors office or you get a new prescription you first check good RX.com and if you see that the cost of the medication is more than $150 that I recommend you find out who the manufacture of that particular medication is go to the website and almost every one of the major pharmaceutical manufacturers does offer some type of discount program.
Some of the discounts are income-based. However, I did research for a client who takes a medication that costs $1722.43 per month; I went to the manufacturer’s website, and the manufacturer offered a 90-day supply for $30. Needless to say, my client was extremely happy with the research; it took me only two minutes to complete.
Bonus tip: Since I’ve devoted most of my 34-year career to helping seniors find affordable Medicare and prescription drug programs, I’m happy to help you as well.
I know this information can be burdensome for some, so please don’t hesitate to call or email me, and I’ll be glad to help you see if we can save you some money on your healthcare and prescription drug costs.
Feel free to call me at (877) 549-1212.
I am happy to help you. God bless you.
How to compare Medicare Supplement Plan F to Medicare Supplement Plan G
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The 2 most popular Medicare free analysis of your particle situation. The best advice for you. Tracy McManamon will break it all down for you. Hear what this 31 year insurance industry expert has to say. Free consultation to Podcast listeners.
Comparing Medicare Supplement to Medicare Advantage
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Are you so confused as to which Medicare Plan is best for you? This presentation walks you through the many differences in these two Medicare Insurance Plans. Knowing this information is critical before you choose the best Medicare plan for you.
Hey Ohio! How you can change your Medicare Supplement plan which includes Silver Sneakers
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Would you like to change your Medicare Supplement program without any underwriting questions? Hurry, this is for a limited time only in Ohio. Let’s discuss your opportunity. Yes, Silver Sneakers are included at NO Charge!
Disturbing New Trends with Medicare Advantage plans
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Medicare Advantage Plans plans can be confusing, right?
Working with Medicare Insurance plans every day for the past 30 years, I know.
That’s why I continually stay on top of the latest information to help you understand how Medicare Insurance works and show you how to make it work for you. In my constant research, I’ve noticed a very concerning trend with the Medicare Advantage program. I kept hearing that doctors and hospitals were no longer accepting Medicare Advantage patients and this news was very concerning to me. I often say that the decision you make when enrolling in Medicare for the first time may be your only chance to change, move, or enhance your program. So, when you do make that decision, you need to do it right and make sure you fully understand the program in which you’re enrolling.
Limitations of Medicare Advantage
Initially, I thought that doctors and hospitals no longer accepting Medicare Advantage plans were just a rumor. But, when I began to hear the same news from reputable sources, I went into heavy research mode. So, what did I find? I found out that the rumor wasn’t a rumor at all. There are doctors and hospitals across the nation that are no longer accepting Medicare Advantage patients.That means that you could find yourself having to look for a new doctor if your current doctor decides to stop accepting the program, even if you’ve been going to them for years. Adding insult to injury, you wouldn’t be able to switch to a different insurance program until the next open enrollment period comes back around.
What Should You Do?
So, if this describes you, what do you do? Well, you could file a complaint with your state’s insurance department. You could also pay cash for doctor visits and/or surgeries. Or, you could see if you qualify for a Medicare supplement program. With a Medicare Insurance supplement plan, you could apply to enroll at any time without having to wait for open enrollment. A Medicare supplement program will eliminate the issue of not having access to doctors and hospitals because the network is nationwide. You could live in Ohio, choose to see a doctor in Miami, and still be in the network! If you’re already enrolled in the Medicare Advantage plan and don’t understand your benefits or are interested in a Medicare Supplement Insurance program, I strongly recommend that you do not just call any call center or associations. You know who I mean… They will only talk to you about their program, and you won’t receive all of the details you’ll need to make a truly informed decision.
Who To Call?
Call someone who you can trust – an independent agent who understands Medicare and has over 30 years of experience. Call me! We can discuss your needs, your expectations, and what you can afford. From there, I will work hard to find the solution that is best for you. You can reach me toll-free at (877) 549-1212. Or, you can text me at (919) 349-2038. I am not a call center. And I promise I won’t just take your information before handing you off to a junior insurance agent. You will work directly with me. I’ll be there with you and for you through this process, every step of the way .You can even schedule a free consultation by clicking here…. or better yet just call me at (877) 549-1212 now about ALL your Medicare Insurance options!
Shopping for a Medicare Insurance Plan? Two popular areas to avoid
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Not a day goes by that some one doesn’t call me and say ” I can’t believe how bad some of the Medicare advice has been when I called _ _ _ _” ( intentionally blank ).
Just had another call today from Ingrid in Texas. She had been listening to my Podcasts to educate herself and than the problem began. She went to the Internet and started doing her research ( which I recommend…) but made a call and got into a call center and before she knew it, she enrolled into a plan because the sales agent was ” pushing ” her into a particular type of plan. The actual plan she bought is not important but the fact was she did not know what she was buying. As she was going to bed that night, she couldn’t sleep and was troubled. She realized the rate was really just too good to be true. Indeed it was.
Want to switch to a Medicare Insurance Plan from a Medicare Advantage?
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For decades I have had to tell people they could not move from a Medicare Advantage to a Medicare Supplement. We also told people no if they just wanted tho switch Medicare Supplement plans.
Well, great news….. that has all changed now!
I will unpack some of the concerns you should be aware of… better yet, feel free to just call me for your Free Medicare Consultation or Checkup.
Thanks,
Tracy McManamon
Free great Medicare Preventative benefits you are probably not aware of
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Hopefully, you have taken advantage of these services if you are already on Medicare. If not, please be aware of just how great these services are for you and the numerous benefits to your long-term health. Now is the time to know and understand them. This is the top guide (produced by Medicare) I hand out to each and every new client or in my free consultations.
Call (877) 549-1212, or email me tmcmanamon@OneSourceBenefits.com for your free guide. I am happy to provide them to you via email.
Please remember to subscribe to this Podcast if your new or already on a Medicare Plan. My clients love it!!
Thanks,
Tracy
