AIS Medicare & More

I often hear comments from Medicare beneficiaries about how they considered themselves to be reasonably intelligent people until they started trying to figure out Medicare. Dont worry. That is a normal feeling. Medicare can be confusing.The first step is to choose the type of Medicare plan that fits you. There are two types of Medicare plans. You need to know the difference between Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage. They are not the same in fact, they work very differently. Once you understand how each option works then you can move on to figuring out what plan suits you. It is important to have someone on your side when choosing a Medicare plan. You need to answer a few questions to make sure you are choosing a plan that meets your individual needs. Do your doctors participate in the plan? What insurance is accepted by your preferred hospitals? Do you travel out of the area frequently? Do you want an HMO, PPO or Medigap? Do you prefer to pay for medical expenses as they occur or in predictable payments? Will you incur penalties? How do the private plans compare to employer or state plans? Once youve decided which route works best for you, then you can move on to actually choosing the plan.Choosing a Medicare plan can seem confusing, but an experienced Medicare broker can make it as easy as having a conversation over a cup of coffee. They know what questions to ask, the plan details and how healthcare in your area works, which makes sorting through plan options easier.Take the guess work out of Medicare by working with a local, face to face Medicare broker that represents both types of Medicare plans and multiple insurance carriers. They will get you the information you need to make the right decision. They know the questions to ask, the deadlines you need to meet and what coverage is required. They can help you adapt your coverage every year to meet your changing healthcare needs and provide support for the life of your policy. Editors Note: This article was submitted by Jolynn Allen, Agency Principal, AIS Medicare & More. She may be reached at 719-404-3202 or by email at info@aismedicareandmore.com

Medicare can seem like a confusing web of options. Many seniors choose to rely on licensed professionals for help navigate an average of 24 plans they have to choose from. The amount of choices can be overwhelming. Adding to the confusion not all plans are available in all areas or to all beneficiaries. If you work with an agent, its important to keep in mind that the agent might not be contracted with all insurance companies that offer plans in your area. This means the agent might not take a look at every coverage choice available to you. Make sure they have evaluated your options through multiple carriers. With plans changing from year to year and new ones available in many areas, there could be a better choice out there for you both in terms of cost and coverage. Your agent should check whether your doctor, hospital, preferred pharmacy and other providers are considered in network.Be aware that if you call a number on an ad you see on TV or elsewhere, you will not have a face to face, local agent to assist you if there are problems in future. Also, some Medicare agents focus on selling only supplemental insurance, or Medigap. Those policies help you with copays, deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses, and can only be paired with original Medicare. While original Medicare with Medigap might be the option for you, you wont know if you or your agent doesnt check. You should work with an agent that represents both Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans to be aware of all of your options. There are federal and state laws governing agents or brokers who sell Medicare plans, which include things such as barring them from showing up uninvited at your house to pitch a plan or trying to lure you with a cash offer. They also cannot legally charge you a fee to process your enrollment as agents generally are compensated through commissions from the insurance carriers they are licensed with.Make sure you are working with an actual licensed agent. Unlicensed volunteers can unintentionally cause you big problems. If they help you choose a plan and enroll and there is a mistake, unlicensed volunteers arent held accountable like a licensed agent would be. They do not receive the same annual training as licensed agents and may not be aware of all plan nuances and features because they do not receive carrier to agent communications.Ideally the agents will be well-versed in Medicare matters and should be able to assist clients in applying for Medicare Savings Reimbursement, Extra Help and pharmaceutical prescription assistance programs if applicable.If you pick an Advantage Plan during fall enrollment and realize afterward that its not a good fit, you may be able to switch to another plan or to original Medicare and a stand-alone Part D prescription plan between January 1 and March 31. Reach out to a local agent for assistance if you feel you enrolled in a plan that does not fit your needs.Editors Note: This article was submitted by Jolynn Allen of Allen Insurance Services. She can be reached at 719-404-3202.

Medicare can be confusing. Get your Medicare choice right the first time by avoiding these common mistakes.1) Not Reviewing Your Coverage Yearly Medicare plans change benefits and coverage yearly. The Annual Enrollment Period is your chance to compare options, so you can make the most out of your Medicare coverage.2) Just Choosing the Same Plan as Your Spouse or Friend Choosing your Medicare plan needs to be based on your individual needs.3) Not Understanding In and Out of Network Coverage It is important to understand how claims are paid if you see a doctor that is out of network or need care outside of your local area. 4) Not Claiming All the Benefits Youre Entitled To Apply for all local, state, federal and manufacturer programs that may reduce your premiums, eliminate the cost of Part B or reduce prescription and healthcare copays.5) Not Comparing Both Medigap & Medicare Advantage Options There are two unique options with Medicare and both systems exist for a reason. You should understand how the two systems work, so you can make an informed decision.6) Not Signing Up for Medicare When Eligible Many people delay signing up for Medicare and incur penalties for Part B, Part D or both. Remember to talk to a local broker or Social Security 3 months prior to becoming Medicare eligible to determine if you should sign up for Medicare Part A, Part B or both. Missing deadlines can have permanent penalties.7) Not Contesting the High-Income Surcharge After Retiring If you have been assessed an income related Part B or Part D surcharge and your income changes you may be able to contest the premium surcharge and may be able to have it waived.8) Contributing To an HSA Within 6 Months of Receiving Part A - You can't contribute to a health savings account after you sign up for Medicare Part A and can incur a tax penalty for doing so.9) Not Seeking Help - Contact an experienced broker to go over your unique situation and avoid these common mistakes.Editors Note: This article was submitted by Jolynn Allen, of AIS Medicare & More. She may be reached at 719-404-3202, or by email at info@aismedicareandmore.com

Many Medicare-eligible people report getting a high number of Medicare calls. Robocalls now make up 50% of all calls placed in the United States!Unfortunately, many of these calls are scams designed to obtain personal information, sales calls from telemarketers hired for lead generation, or agents trying to sell seniors a different plan.There are a lot of ways you can help reduce these calls.The first thing to do is add your telephone number to the Do Not Call Registry. To do so, call (888) 382-1222. Be sure to call from the telephone number you want to add to the list. Make sure to register your landline and cell phone number.You can also install call blocking apps on your cell phone or VOIP phone lines. Many new cell phones have built in spam and robo call protection.Next, if you receive calls misleading or fraudulent calls or calls about Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug plans and you did not initiate the call, you can report it to Medicare. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.The most impactful thing you can do is to stop making calling seniors profitable by not participating. Do not give out personal information and do not make plan changes by phone unless you chose to call that business directly. If seniors push back and refuse to purchase plans sold by telemarketers, the calls will begin to go away.Remember how powerful the 65+ demographic is. Right now, 11,000 people a day are turning 65 and there are already 56 million age 65+ seniors in the United States today. You have the power to demand respectful and ethical marketing for seniors.There are legitimate, face to face, local agents that would happily meet you at their office or your home to help you make plan changes. Most importantly you can easily locate that agent should something with your plan change not be correct. For more information go to www.aismedicareandmore.com  Editors Note: This article was submitted by Jolynn Allen, President of AIS Medicare & More, she may be reached at 719-404-3202.

You cant switch Medicare Advantage plans whenever you want, but you may have options if youre unhappy with your plan. Everyone with a Medicare Advantage plan has two opportunities to change plans each year - the Annual Enrollment Period from October 15th to December 7th and the Open Enrollment Period from January 1st to March 31st.After March 31st changing plans is a little trickier and requires a Special Enrollment Period. Special Enrollment Periods include trial right, 5-Star plan, moving, loss of coverage, plan withdrawal, duplicate coverage, moving into or out or a care facility, qualifying for state or federal assistance with Medicare premiums, a mistake was made on your enrollment, a disaster prevented you from making plan changes and many other enrollment periods based on specific situations that may apply to you.Licensed agents can help you determine if a special enrollment period applies to you. They can help you determine if you are eligible for a midyear change or if it is best to change plans during the annual enrollment period.If you want to switch from Medicare Advantage to Medigap there are special considerations and fewer special enrollment periods. Even though you can leave a Medicare Advantage plan and switch to original Medicare during open enrollment and at other times, you may not have a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy as they can require underwriting and can decline to provide you with coverage.  Keep in mind that disenrolling from the Medicare Advantage plan may not open an enrollment period to purchase a prescription drug plan midyear, so making the change from Medicare Advantage to Medigap is often done during the annual enrollment period.If you are considering a plan change, seek advice from a licensed professional just to be sure you are eligible to make the change, you will not be left without coverage, and you qualify for the coverage you are wanting to switch to.Editors Note: This article was submitted by Jolynn Allen, of AIS Medicare & More.  She may be reached at 719-404-3202, or by email at info@aismedicareandmore.com

Some years the annual enrollment period brings little change and plans stay relatively the same as the year prior. The annual enrollment period this year will not be one of those calm years. We are expecting to see a lot of change as multiple Medicare reforms are implemented. One of the biggest changes will be to prescription drug coverage. The Inflation Reduction Act will cap the annual out-of-pocket costs for those with Medicare Part D to $2000 annually. Additionally, the Part D Redesign will change the requirements placed on plans for the number of drugs covered per category in the drug formulary, prior authorization requirements and the availability of interchangeable prescriptions that become available midyear.We will also see plans reacting to multiple other changes affecting how they operate, services provided, reimbursement rates and more. These changes have been called reform and redesign, but the main reason plans will be affected is the broad scope of the changes and the multiple areas affected in one year. There will be changes to the prescriptions covered, changes to copays for procedures, maximum out of pockets and to the providers and hospitals in your plans network. Every year the plans are required to send you an annual notice of change outlining what has changed from the current year to the next year. It can be tempting to ignore those notices. During the annual enrollment period, I encourage you to read through the plan changes, gather your list of healthcare providers, your list of current medications and your list of preferred hospitals and contact your local agent or the carrier directly to review your coverage for next year.If you need assistance reviewing your plan or are struggling to find a plan that meets your needs, feel free to contact AIS Medicare & More at 719-404-3202 to be connected to an agent near you. Our services are provided at no cost to you. For more information visit: aismedicareandmore.com Editors Note: This article was submitted by Jolynn Allen, with AIS Medicare & More.  She may be reached at 719-404-3202.

Reviewing your Medicare plan doesnt have to be complicated. These questions can help you assess your plan and make any changes you need.1.   Have your health care needs changed in the past year? For example, did you sustain an injury that requires ongoing care, or were you diagnosed with a chronic illness?2.   Are your doctors still considered in-network? If you have a Medicare Advantage plan that only covers a specific list of providers, facilities, and/or pharmacies, you'll want to have the most up-to-date network information. Covered providers can change from year to year.3.   Will your prescriptions be covered under your current drug plan? Make a list of the medications you take and check them against the formulary for your Part D or Medicare Advantage plan with prescription coverage.4.   Do you need additional benefits such as transportation, dental, hearing, or vision? These services are usually not covered under Original Medicare. If you think you'll need these additional coverages, you may want to look into a Medicare Advantage plan that offers them.5.   Will you be traveling long term next year? If you have Original Medicare, you're covered nationwide to see any provider that accepts Medicare. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, some plans restrict your coverage to a certain geographic area.6.   Have your financial needs changed? Consider how your plan fits into your current budget, and whether you need something more affordable. In addition to the monthly premium, you'll want to consider deductibles, coinsurance, and co-payments. Theres no one-size-fits-all Medicare plan and no carrier that is right for everyone. Everyones needs and situations are unique. Thats why its essential to do your homework before enrolling in a Medicare plan even if its one recommended by your family or friends. A local, experienced agent can help you compare the plans in your area to find the one that suits you. For more information visit: aismedicareandmore.com Editors Note: This article was submitted by Jolynn Allen, of AIS Medicare & More.  She may be reached at 719-404-3202, or by email at info@aismedicareandmore.com