There are four things that we take into consideration when choosing a Medicare Supplement/Medigap Insurance Company: 1. Price – Each company is free to charge different prices for their plans even though Medicare Supplement plans have standardized coverages. That means a Plan F from ABC Company has the exact same coverages as the Plan F […]
IRMAA stands for Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. This is an additional Part B and Part D payment that Medicare recipients must pay if they are higher income earners. What determines if someone is a high income earner? Centers for Medicare Services are going to look at your Adjusted Gross Income and they always look […]
When it comes to Medicare Advantage, I think there are three very important things to be aware of before enrolling in a plan. 1. They Are Mostly HMO’s – The All-In-One Medicare Advantage plans are mostly HMO plans where you need to choose a primary care doctor and will need referrals to go see specialists. […]
There is a rule of thumb that you can use when trying to figure out what services are going to be covered by your Medicare Supplement/Medigap plan. The rule of thumb goes, if Medicare covers the service, the Medigap plan will cover the service. If Medicare does not cover the service then usually the Medigap […]
Most Medicare plans out there that are available on the market today include some sort of program that provides free gym memberships. The one that people hear about the most in Southern California is called Silver Sneakers. With that program, you have access to all sorts of gyms in the area and there is no […]
If you haven’t heard already, I wanted to make sure you know that Medicare will be sending out new Medicare Cards automatically starting in April of 2018 and will be sending them through April of 2019. There are tens of millions of people receiving Medicare benefits so be patient if you don’t receive your new […]
Most people will pay $134/mo for their Part B premiums in 2017, however, people who earned higher incomes in the past could pay an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) up to $428.60/mo. and an extra IRMAA for their Part D Prescription Plan also. If these people have experienced a life changing event (i.e. work […]
June’s Section Having finally reached the age of 65, a client recently received her Medicare card. She noticed the card say it should be carried when away from home. So naturally, she placed it in her wallet. And then she realized that, displayed on the front was her Social Security Number! That made sense. It’s […]
Usual, Customary and Reasonable Charge (UCR) is the amount paid for a medical service based on what providers in a geographic area usually charge. Those are sometimes used to determine the “allowed amount” for payment of claims on health insurance plans from your employer, individual and family plans as well as Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans […]
Combating Waste and Fraud in Medicare: President Trump’s choice for Secretary of the Department of Labor, is Alexander Acosta. There is consensus among both Democrats and Republicans that this is a good choice. He has been described as “just a mild-mannered law school faculty member.” Allison Bell, in an article for LifeHealthPro. In reality, from […]