New to Medicare or Shopping for a new Plan?  First you must have both Medicare Parts A and B before you can enroll into any Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D Rx plan.  Then you must decide which type of Medicare plan (Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage) plan will fit your needs best.

Rates …

Anthem,  Mutual of Omaha,  Aetna,  Blue Shield, Health Net,  Medicare Advantage PPO & HMO

What to Consider … Access, do you have access to most physicians and hospitals or are you limited to a specific network of providers?  What is the monthly premium, is it within your budget?  Company financial strength, A rated companies are the best, B carriers are still fine in my opinion.  A “B” rated company typically doesn’t have enough Life insurance premium on their books to be considered an A rated company.

That is what you will usually find as being the difference between an A rating or B rating.  Customer service needs to be strong, and of course a great source of information is your friends and neighbors.  I will also be happy to provide a little more information regarding these plans to help with your decision.

Links …

• Medicare Supplement Rates
• Medicare Advantage
• Guaranteed Issue Info
• Medicare Part D Rx plans
• Medicare Excess Charges

Enroll Today … Remember, you can change your Medicare Supplement plan and company anytime of the year.  Why wait if you can start saving money today by switching companies.

Guarantee-Issue & Open Enrollment … Please be aware that “Guarantee-Issue” opportunities are different for Medicare Supplement Plans and Medicare Advantage plans.  The end-of-year open enrollment periods which you most likely hear about on TV and radio are for the Medicare Advantage (HMO & PPO) plans and Medicare Part D Rx plans.  This is a time you may change companies and plans for the coming year (October 15 through December 7th).  Medicare Supplement plans also have “guarantee-issue” times and situations.

Medicare Medicare Advantage Plans  … Medicare Advantage plans are typically either HMO or PPO plans.  he Anthem Medicare Preferred PPO is a Medicare Advantage PPO which allows you to see any physician, specialist or hospital within the PPO network to receive the maximum benefits.

If you see a provider “outside” the PPO network, then you will have to pay higher copays and deductibles.  Although your out-of-pocket maximum will remain the same whether you see a provider in or out of the network.  The out-of-pocket maximum is the total amount of medical copays, coinsurance and deductibles you pay throughout the year.  When this amount reaches the maximum, Anthem Blue Cross is responsible to pay 100% of the approved medical costs for the balance of the calendar year.

Medicare Supplement “Access”  With a Medicare Supplement plan you can see any physician, specialist and hospital in the United States who accepts Medicare.  That is a fantastic benefit when you desire to see a particular provider when you have a certain condition.  Also when traveling, if you become ill or have an accident, there are no referrals necessary, you simply go to a local doctor or hospital, and Medicare and the Medicare Supplement pays as as if you are in your local area. 

One of the biggest decisions when choosing between a Medicare Supplement Plan or a Medicare Advantage plan usually comes down to premium.  If premiums were equal the Medicare Supplement plan is considered far superior, because of the greater access to physicians and hospitals nationwide.  Also the coverage is virtually 100% (Plan F).

Remember a Medicare Supplement plan offers freedom of choice with Medicare-Approved physicians, specialists and hospitals, along with the fact that you will not have deductibles, copays or coinsurance with a Plan F.

Medicare Part D Rx Plans … You will also need to enroll in a separate Medicare part D Rx plan, which will help you pay for your prescription costs.  A good place to start you search is right here.  Simply email a list of your current medications along with the dosage and frequency.  I’ll enter the information into the Medicare system, to come up with the top plan for your prescription list.  The results will show the best Rx plan for coverage and cost for your medications.

Applying is easy … simply let me know which company company you would like to enroll in, I will email or mail you the enrollment forms, when complete you can mail, fax or email it back to me.  That’s it, I will make sure the process is quick and accurate with your desired effective date.

John Conner
916-682-1117
[email protected]