Since my Dad started helping folks with Medicare in the 90s, Martin and Associates have been partial to Original Medicare paired with a Med Supp and Part D policy. Why? It gives folks the most freedom of choice: you can see almost any doctor anywhere in the country. There are no network restrictions. Med Supps […]
Author Archives: Becky Hatfield
The Grey Gap Year
When I was about to depart for college, some of my friends went a different route. The “Gap-Year.” At the time, it felt a little self-indulgent to take a whole year to travel and “find myself” before embarking on true adulthood. What I found is that many of my friends found it transformative. Now as […]
Medicare and Big Pharma go Toe to Toe
Have you been staying up to date with Medicare’s drug price negotiations? It’s sure to be a wild ride when you combine money and prescriptions. AstraZeneca is a pharmaceutical giant based in the U.K. that produces the blockbuster drug, Farxiga. Farxiga treats Type 2 diabetes, heart failure, and chronic kidney failure. The price tag without […]
Mind the Gap
Once you turn 65, it’s easy to feel like you’re made in the shade. Part A is premium-free if you’ve paid into Medicare for ten years. Part B is reasonable, with a monthly premium of only $174.70. Even Part D, prescription insurance, is affordable. Some plans start at only $10 a month! If your adult […]
Medicare’s Sneaky Equation
This is a question we get quite frequently: “If I don’t take any prescriptions, why do I need to sign up for Part D?” In a perfect world, there would be no need for Rx coverage if you didn’t need an Rx! In the world of Medicare though, delaying Part D can cost you. Remember […]
Why is Medicare SO Complicated??
I would just like to take a moment and apologize on behalf of the Federal Government here. They really are trying to help – in their clunky way. Signed into law in 1965 by President Johnson, Medicare began with only two parts: A and B. Things stayed that way for quite a long time. Fast forward to 1997 (!), more than […]
How to WIN with Medicare
When is the best time to prepare for Medicare? I hope you didn’t say 65! Yes – you don’t become Medicare eligible until three months before you turn 65; but Medicare is full of complicated terminology, weighty decisions, and confusing “windows” of time in which to enroll or disenroll in different plans. The Medicare Early-Bird gets the worm. Show up […]
How to Delay Part B Penalty-Free
As someone gets closer to 65, there seems to be a hushed roar all around them; quietly in office corners and in huddled groups at the gym: “Did you hear about the Part B late-enrollment penalty?” “Yes. My aunt waited too long to sign up and had to pay an extra 10% each month for […]
An Unnecessary Predicament
Who else remembers being sick as a kid? Maybe you were from a “rough n’ tough” type of family who made you do chores even when you were ill. I came from a home where being sick was code for being king for a day. My mom would attend to me at the drop of […]
Medicare and Mental Health
I stumbled upon something disturbing in my inbox the other day. The suicide rates had been steadily declining since 2018. But in 2021 – those rates took a sharp turn upward and the trend continues to grow. As of right now, the rate is at 14.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 total deaths – the highest it’s been […]