“… a huge thanks for cluing us in to the EPIC ..program.” “…we now estimate yearly savings to be $7,000+/-” “…we’d never heard of this program until one of your newsletter emails..” When Mary became eligible for Medicare I helped her enroll in the Medicare Supplement Plan G she selected as secondary to Original Medicare. […]
If receiving your Social Security retirement benefits before age 65, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. The coverage usually begins the month of your 65th birthday and the Part B Medicare premium is withheld from your Social Security benefit payment. Many individuals working past age 65 and still insured through […]
Medicare Supplement Plan G, also called Medigap, coverage is very similar to Plan F. It offers great value for beneficiaries who are willing to pay a small annual deductible. After that, Plan G provides full coverage for all of the gaps in Medicare. It pays for your hospital deductible, copays and coinsurance. It also covers […]
This month I received this wonderful thank you note from Nancy. She had recently relocated and needed to find new doctors along with a Medicare Advantage plan covering those doctors and her medications. Nancy was concerned that she would have to remain on her current plan and wait until the Annual Open Enrollment Period in […]
“Medicare spends $86,300 a year per patient on dialysis” “The upfront cost of a kidney transplant is about $110,000.” “…coverage of immunotherapy under Medicare Part B is approximately $2,300 per year.” But, apparently, Medicare Part B limits immunotherapy to three years after which the transplant patient must choose between i) paying for the immunotherapy out […]
medicare advantage plans for veterans >>> FOUR “MA ONLY” PLANS WE REPRESENT <<< We often receive calls from veterans who are paying a monthly premium to be enrolled in a MAPD, a Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Plan while having their prescription medications filled through the VA (Veterans Affairs) These veterans are enrolled in Medicare […]
If you, a loved one, friend or neighbor has experienced “sticker shock” with your Medicare Part D prescription drug co-payment, the following case study may interest you. Earlier this week, I received this message from an Albany New York County couple: “We were talking with our neighbor Kathy about the sudden and unaffordable cost of […]
A client called this morning and asked this question: “Dan, I went to refill my prescription and was quoted almost double what I paid in 2018.“ Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plans reset each year on January 1. What that means is the prescription drug benefit levels start over at what is called the Deductible […]
Beware of the “Admitted for Observation” Billing Code A daughter’s story: “An ER doctor examined her, saw that she couldn’t move her leg, couldn’t really even hold her body upright and had trouble with her memory. He said he would admit her to the hospital’s observation unit to figure out what was going on. He […]
It’s early January which means Medicare Prescription Drug payment phases have just reset. And I hear this question: “Dan, I just went to refill my medication and the pharmacist quoted me a co-pay almost double what I paid in December.” Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plans reset each year on January 1. What that means […]