Paid Advertisement Ask the Medicare Specialist by: Aaron Zolbrod Welcome to Part 5 of the series, "New to Medicare," which I'm writing to help those who will be going on Medicare Part A, B, or both for the first time in the near future. The last two weeks I went over the pros and cons of Supplements and Advantage Plans. I suggest reading Part 4 again prior to today's column if you've been following. If you're new to the series, Ialso recommend reading our website. QUESTION: Who is best to choose a Supplement and who an Advantage Plan? ANSWER: Remember, what's best for your mother, father, brother, sister or neighbor may not be best for you. There are so many factors that go into choosing a Medicare plan. Plans that bear the same name can (OTC) allowances, free gym have completely different benetits memberships (Silver Sneakers), from one person to another. There are up to 11 Supplement plan letters and approximately 80 Medicare Advantage Plans to choose from in Western PA. decade compared to a Supplement. virtually every Supplement Select Advantage Plans also come with ancillary benefits such as comprehensive dental and vision, Over the Counter company. What this means is those who are going on Medicare Part B for the first time and have any of these conditions really should enroll in Supplements in my opinion because it's very the only opportunity to do so in their etc., which Supplements don't provide. Those who find them to be lifetime. important often choose Advantage There are other reasons people Plan HMO's or PPO's. Ancillary benefits are currently more generous than at any time in my 13 years in the Medicare field, and almost no choice but to choose when adding the true dollar value of them to piremium savings, the figures can be eyepopping. There are plans that annually offer as much as $3.000 in comprehensive make their cholces Those who spend a significant time outside of Western PA also have Unfortunately, many people enroll in a plan when first going on Medicare not understanding how they differ or without being given the Supplement option by an agent or Advantage Plan company representative, an egregious omission in my opinion, dental benefits, almost S00 in OTC not pay for any out of network especially when not explained to those who have health problems. However, if both Supplements and value of a gym membership which with almost every PPO, even if a Advantage plans are gone over in detail, which myself and the other Advantage Plans have more agents of The Health Insurance Store do every time we sit down with someone new to Medicare, I believe one's personality has a Jot to do with making the initial choice between the two Medicare options. a Supplement, which provide unrestricted nationwide access to virtually all doctors and every non-VA medical hospital at no additional cost. HMO's will allowances, and up to $300 a year for eyeglasses, not to mention the medical service other than those provided in an emergency And doctor or hospital agrees to take someone as a patient, the costs can be dramatically higher out of network, as much as $6.500 or more out of pocket than the same service performed in network. Those on a fixed income are often is over $400 per year. risks as I mentioned, the first of which is the possibility of paying thousands of dollars in bills each year. Another is that benefits can change from one year to the next, which can include increased best to choose an Advantage Plan. co-pays and other out of pocket costs, as well as the elimínation or reduction in ancillary benefits. This happened for the benefit year 2021 and as many as 200.000 Western Pennsylvaníans had their $100/month at age 65, costs can annual Maximum Out of Pocket (MOOP) limit, the cap on what one in their late 30's or early 90's can be billed for medical services in a calendar year, raised to over $7,000, an increase of more than $1,000 on many plans. Some people simply can't afford Supplements, which generally cost more than Advantage Plans, especially as one gets older Although they start at just $75 to Those who are more risk adverse tend to go with Supplements because they're very predictable as far as what one can be billed for medical services, both now and in the future. With very few exceptions we recommend only two upplement plans, Gand N, which keep out of pocket medical expenses to a bare minimum. One of the Federal regulations on Supplements is benefits can never change as long as one remains on the same plan letter. For example, those who have G today can be assured that in 20 years, they will never pay any bill other than the Part Bdeductible, which is currently $203. Those who don't mind taking a couple calculated risks, are healthy at the time they make their initial choice, and believe they will stay that wag often choose Advantage Plans. Those who remain what l would consider Emphysema, Heart Disease, just relatively healthy and avoid serious or chronic health conditions can reap the reward of Immune Disorders, and other premium savings to the tune of $5,000, $7,00, S10,000, or more in a result in automatic denials from creep up towards $300 for those I personally consider the biggest rísk of choosing an Advantage Plan to be the possibility of never being able to enroll in a Supplement again. For almost everyone, the only time one can enroll in a Supplement without preexisting conditions being considered is up to a year after going on Part B for the first time After that, Supplements can discriminate and deny applications based on current or previous health. COPD, Advantage Plans offer a much better value for older Medicare beneficiaries. We always have a significant number of clients who reach a breaking point, so to speak, as far as premlums go and make a change from a Supplement to Advantage Plan during the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP). AEP runs from October 15th to December 7th and is the one time during the year when every Medicare beneficiary can make a change in their plan lineup If you would like to make an appointment for a no cost consultation, have questions regarding this column, any other in the series, or others related to Atrial Fibrillation, Lymphoma, Insulin Dependent Diabetes, Auto Medicare, please give us a call or reach out to me personally via email at serious diseases and diagnoses aaronagetyuourbestplan.com. 724-603-3403 The Health Insurance Store.e Connellsville 412-349-8818 Forest Hills Email your question to: aaron@getyourbestplan.com www.getyourbestplan.com No-cost, unbiased Medicare plan review and consultation with local, licensed agents Paid Advertisement Ask the Medicare Specialist by: Aaron Zolbrod Welcome to Part 5 of the series, "New to Medicare," which I'm writing to help those who will be going on Medicare Part A, B, or both for the first time in the near future. The last two weeks I went over the pros and cons of Supplements and Advantage Plans. I suggest reading Part 4 again prior to today's column if you've been following. If you're new to the series, Ialso recommend reading our website. QUESTION: Who is best to choose a Supplement and who an Advantage Plan? ANSWER: Remember, what's best for your mother, father, brother, sister or neighbor may not be best for you. There are so many factors that go into choosing a Medicare plan. Plans that bear the same name can (OTC) allowances, free gym have completely different benetits memberships (Silver Sneakers), from one person to another. There are up to 11 Supplement plan letters and approximately 80 Medicare Advantage Plans to choose from in Western PA. decade compared to a Supplement. virtually every Supplement Select Advantage Plans also come with ancillary benefits such as comprehensive dental and vision, Over the Counter company. What this means is those who are going on Medicare Part B for the first time and have any of these conditions really should enroll in Supplements in my opinion because it's very the only opportunity to do so in their etc., which Supplements don't provide. Those who find them to be lifetime. important often choose Advantage There are other reasons people Plan HMO's or PPO's. Ancillary benefits are currently more generous than at any time in my 13 years in the Medicare field, and almost no choice but to choose when adding the true dollar value of them to piremium savings, the figures can be eyepopping. There are plans that annually offer as much as $3.000 in comprehensive make their cholces Those who spend a significant time outside of Western PA also have Unfortunately, many people enroll in a plan when first going on Medicare not understanding how they differ or without being given the Supplement option by an agent or Advantage Plan company representative, an egregious omission in my opinion, dental benefits, almost S00 in OTC not pay for any out of network especially when not explained to those who have health problems. However, if both Supplements and value of a gym membership which with almost every PPO, even if a Advantage plans are gone over in detail, which myself and the other Advantage Plans have more agents of The Health Insurance Store do every time we sit down with someone new to Medicare, I believe one's personality has a Jot to do with making the initial choice between the two Medicare options. a Supplement, which provide unrestricted nationwide access to virtually all doctors and every non-VA medical hospital at no additional cost. HMO's will allowances, and up to $300 a year for eyeglasses, not to mention the medical service other than those provided in an emergency And doctor or hospital agrees to take someone as a patient, the costs can be dramatically higher out of network, as much as $6.500 or more out of pocket than the same service performed in network. Those on a fixed income are often is over $400 per year. risks as I mentioned, the first of which is the possibility of paying thousands of dollars in bills each year. Another is that benefits can change from one year to the next, which can include increased best to choose an Advantage Plan. co-pays and other out of pocket costs, as well as the elimínation or reduction in ancillary benefits. This happened for the benefit year 2021 and as many as 200.000 Western Pennsylvaníans had their $100/month at age 65, costs can annual Maximum Out of Pocket (MOOP) limit, the cap on what one in their late 30's or early 90's can be billed for medical services in a calendar year, raised to over $7,000, an increase of more than $1,000 on many plans. Some people simply can't afford Supplements, which generally cost more than Advantage Plans, especially as one gets older Although they start at just $75 to Those who are more risk adverse tend to go with Supplements because they're very predictable as far as what one can be billed for medical services, both now and in the future. With very few exceptions we recommend only two upplement plans, Gand N, which keep out of pocket medical expenses to a bare minimum. One of the Federal regulations on Supplements is benefits can never change as long as one remains on the same plan letter. For example, those who have G today can be assured that in 20 years, they will never pay any bill other than the Part Bdeductible, which is currently $203. Those who don't mind taking a couple calculated risks, are healthy at the time they make their initial choice, and believe they will stay that wag often choose Advantage Plans. Those who remain what l would consider Emphysema, Heart Disease, just relatively healthy and avoid serious or chronic health conditions can reap the reward of Immune Disorders, and other premium savings to the tune of $5,000, $7,00, S10,000, or more in a result in automatic denials from creep up towards $300 for those I personally consider the biggest rísk of choosing an Advantage Plan to be the possibility of never being able to enroll in a Supplement again. For almost everyone, the only time one can enroll in a Supplement without preexisting conditions being considered is up to a year after going on Part B for the first time After that, Supplements can discriminate and deny applications based on current or previous health. COPD, Advantage Plans offer a much better value for older Medicare beneficiaries. We always have a significant number of clients who reach a breaking point, so to speak, as far as premlums go and make a change from a Supplement to Advantage Plan during the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP). AEP runs from October 15th to December 7th and is the one time during the year when every Medicare beneficiary can make a change in their plan lineup If you would like to make an appointment for a no cost consultation, have questions regarding this column, any other in the series, or others related to Atrial Fibrillation, Lymphoma, Insulin Dependent Diabetes, Auto Medicare, please give us a call or reach out to me personally via email at serious diseases and diagnoses aaronagetyuourbestplan.com. 724-603-3403 The Health Insurance Store.e Connellsville 412-349-8818 Forest Hills Email your question to: aaron@getyourbestplan.com www.getyourbestplan.com No-cost, unbiased Medicare plan review and consultation with local, licensed agents