Your Medicare Benefits

Helping you navigate, understand and properly enroll into the Best Medicare Insurance Plan. He knows how to make Medicare Supplement Plans and Medicare Advantage plans work for you. With more than thirty years of experience, Tracy McManamon answers all of your Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement Insurance questions. Free Expert Consultations exclusively to Podcast listeners by calling 877-549-1212. OneSourceBenefits.com 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. What if I need care at a different facility? Let’s say, I go to the local hospital, but when I get there, they tell me “we can’t treat you here.” They say “We need to send you to a specialist, e.g. a cancer hospital or a hospital for heart procedures.” Will this new facility be in network? Again, you need to know those kinds of questions. Do I need a referral to see a specialist? The number of people who think that their primary care can do it all is incredible. But what happens if they have a cardiac problem and need to see a cardiologist. Some of these plans require you to get a referral to see a cardiologist, and it may not be the cardiologist of your choice. Which Medicare Advantage program and what Medicare Supplement programs do you offer? You see, if you call some of the folks that you see on TV all the time, they are only going to offer that particular product or that one insurance company. You need to get about five different carrier quotes from different companies. Some of the companies you may not ever hear of, some hopefully will be on the list, which are name brand companies or national companies that you’ve heard of. If you cannot receive quotes for five companies, then three for sure. And be sure to ask these questions on all three programs. Is there a premium charge, and if so, is dental covered? What about vision? Don’t just ask if it is covered. You want to know what is covered in dental or what is covered in vision. Many companies say they cover dental and vision, whereas all they cover is an eye exam for $10, or they might give you dental cleaning once a year only. They don’t give you any glasses, lenses, or contacts. Make sure you know what exactly will be covered. Do you offer Silver Sneakers? So, what is Silver Sneakers? It is a nationwide program specifically for senior citize…