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Price Isn’t The Only Way To Compare Health Plans

Question: My sister in law has a $0 premium HMO, and I have a PPO plan which costs a little bit more for the premium. She thinks I am getting ripped off because I have to pay the company money each month and she doesn’t. What do you say? Answer: I want to say right up front, that the price of the premium is not the only criteria you should measure the value of the plan to buy. You need to evaluate your physicians, your medications, where and how often you seek medical care, are just some of the criteria I would recommend using when choosing your coverage. Both you and your ...

Why Are Some Medications Not Costing Anything?

Question: I just picked up my medication and the cost was $0? Did they charge me the right price? Answer: A little more than a year ago, I wrote an article talking about how Medicare Part D was going to change in 2024. I am beginning to talk with individuals who are benefiting from that change we talked about a year ago. Medicare Part D has four phases of coverage: Deductible, Initial Coverage, Coverage Gap and Catastrophic Coverage. The retail cost of your medication moves you through those phases of coverage. The amount you pay is different in every phase. The Inflation Reduction ...

Question: I recently got a phone call from someone who said they were from Medicare to talk about my insurance. How can I protect myself from Scammers? Answer: In response to that particular question, that individual was definitely not from Medicare. Staff from Medicare (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services- CMS) will not call you ever, unless you have called CMS and they are calling back to address your situation. In that case, you will be expecting the call. In response to your question, how can you protect yourself from Scammers, I want to talk about an upcoming event that will ...

Do I Need Welcome To Medicare Medical Exam?

Question: I got information about a “Welcome to Medicare” medical exam. Do I have to do that? Answer: Medicare provides for the “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit with your primary physician when you first enroll in Medicare. This physical is offered to you in the first year (12 months) of your Medicare Part B enrollment. The idea behind this program is that some individuals have not gone to a physician or the same physician with any regularity. Medicare knows that if you find out about medical problems early on, they are easier to treat. This physician visit may find some ...

Vision Care Is A Common Medicare Question

Question: I need to get new glasses and they are so expensive. Does Medicare help pay for glasses? Answer: The question of vision coverage is a really commonly asked question about Medicare. Original Medicare is a health insurance product. This means that all of your coverage must be based on a medical problem or diagnosis. Most of us have problems with our vision due to age related vision problems. Be sure to talk about your insurance coverage before you consent or decide on any procedure. You should not assume that any procedure is covered by your insurance. Ask about insurance ...

Car Insurance Increases Can Hit Seniors Hard

Question: I just got my car insurance bill, and the price went way up. What should I do? Answer: I just got my car insurance bill, and it also went up! In my research, it seems all the insurance costs are increasing. I also see this with Health Insurance, and the solution is the same: you should research your options and see if another insurance company could offer more reasonable coverage. One difference between Auto Insurance and Health Insurance is the time of year you can change your coverage. Your Auto Insurance renewal date is based on the date you initially took out the ...