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Explaining How CHAMPVA, Medicare Work Together

Question: I have Medicare Part A & B and I was just notified I qualify for CHAMPVA. My husband was a veteran and is 100% disabled. What should I do now? Answer: Thank Your husband for his service! His military service gives him the title of veteran and that is something to be proud of. His service also means you can now get your health insurance from Medicare and CHAMPVA. Not all veterans sign up for additional benefits upon discharge. When you are a veteran, you could be eligible for medical care through the VA clinics and hospitals or eligible for a veteran pension. As the spouse ...

Long Term Care Insurance Prompts Questions

Question: We have been considering Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI), and would like to know what you recommend? Answer: Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) can be a useful tool to help pay for healthcare services you or your spouse may need in the future. LTCI has changed significantly in recent years and offers many more options and alternative types of policies. I have talked with individuals who already have LTCI and want to begin using it to help pay for their care, and also helped evaluate whether or not LTCI is a useful purchase. It is important to understand how LTCI protects you ...

Take Note Of All The Options Medicare Offers

Question: I am turning 65 later this year and I am nervous about getting Medicare. Is Medicare good insurance? Will I be happy with it? Answer: I LOVE Medicare! For anyone who knows me, that comes as no surprise. I have been working with seniors and their insurance for 30 years, and I find that the vast majority of individuals are very happy with their Medicare insurance and the accompanying products that go along with it. I can also confidently say that the transition can be stressful and something that most individuals worry about before it happens. Much of that worry and stress ...

Is Insurance Help For Seniors Available?

My budget is getting very difficult to manage, are there any programs to help with paying for my insurance? What is that and How do I get that? Answer: A program I believe is very helpful for many seniors is called the Medicare Savings Program (MSP). This is a Medicaid benefit administered by the Department of Social Services (DSS) in your county. Each year the income levels change, and this is new income information just released from the Federal Government for 2025. Often our gross income is different than our Net income. (I remember the difference with a rhyme, “Net is what you ...

Getting A New Social Security Card Isn’t Hard

Question: We recently discovered that we can’t find my father’s Social Security Card. How do we get a new one? Answer: Your Social Security (SS) Card is such an important piece of paper, and yet we don’t need it that often – once you are an adult you have other forms of ID that are used, like a driver’s license or work ID. Plus many individuals have memorized their SS Number, so they just say it without having to refer to the card itself. However, there are situations where you need to have the actual card. Then when we go to look for it, in that safe place we thought we ...

Insurance Premium Timelines Explained

Question: I’m getting ready to sign up for Medicare, but I don’t want to collect Social Security yet. How will I pay for the Medicare Part B premium? Answer: Social Security and Medicare have been around a long time, and for many of those years, individuals filed for both benefits at the same time. Now many individuals wait to collect their Social Security Benefit until after they sign up for Medicare Part A & B. To understand this trend, I’ll lay out the timing: while you MAY start collecting Social Security as early as age 62, individuals born after 1960 don’t reach “full ...