Medicare Made Easy
- Get Tip-Top Gold Standard Care
- Greatly Reduce Healthcare Costs
- Know You’re Protected for Life
- Avoid Costly Mistakes
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You’ve Made it… Now, Enjoy the Gold Standard of the United States Healthcare System
Age Has Its Perks
The right Medicare supplement plan can cover you for the rest of your life and reduce your current and future medical costs to almost zero. Your one-time free pass to qualify for any level of Medicare supplement plan is not something you want to miss out on. That’s right, you can qualify, no questions asked, for any of the best plans no matter your medical history.
One and Done
At Southwest Health Options, we recommend getting your Medicare plan & supplement right the first time so you never have to worry about it again. This helps our clients avoid unnecessary expenses in retirement.
The Right Doctors
The doctors and care you need will change over time. It’s the dream that we’ll never have a medical problem as long as we live, but that’s just not a reality. Even smaller things like sprained ankles can happen to the healthiest of people and end up having a large impact on their life. Make sure you have a plan that covers you for life whether you’re in your home town or on the road.
Key Point
Avoid the Medicare Advantage HMO plans. It’s likely that you will have to change doctors and it will slow down how quickly you can see doctors because of the “referral” process. You’ll end up having to do more appointments and will get hit with higher bills.
The Right Coverage
If, for any reason, in the future you develop some sort of care need and then try to change your coverage and plan reactively, you will not qualify. This is why it’s important to get your coverage right from the start so you never have to worry about it ever again.
Key Point
We care deeply for our client’s well-being and it pains us when we meet people who could have avoided their problem if they had just talked to us first. Bad Medicare advice dominates the mish-mash of hearsay and speculation that clogs up the internet. Instead, we encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others and just call us first to get it right the first time.
The Right Price
In addition to gold-standard care, the Medicare system has the potential to reduce your healthcare costs drastically as well as reduce the costs of your premiums, especially when you compare it to the cost of healthcare plans during your working life.
It’s important to avoid making decisions based on what you hear. The contracts are long and lengthy and there is a lot of fine print. Some plans are much worse than others, but the marketing material can make it sound so attractive. They’ll make it sound like their plan costs you nothing and pays for all of your care, but that’s not the case. The fine print is that these plans, like the various Medicare Advantage plans that are advertised heavily, don’t charge you upfront. Instead, they charge you when you receive care, so you’re not really saving much money by choosing them.
Key Point
The “Free” Medicare Advantage plans aren’t actually free, they just don’t bill you up front. Instead they hit you with higher fees later after you receive care.
Ready to Find the Right Medicare Supplement?
Medicare FAQs
Medicare has several parts: A, B, C, and D
Part A: Hospital Insurance
With few exceptions, this is free. It helps cover inpatient care in hospitals, as well as skilled nursing care, hospice, and home health care. However, it may not pay 100% of these costs.
To cover the difference, you might buy a Medicare insurance Supplement Plan, or Medigap policy. Same thing.
Part B: Medical Insurance
Part B covers doctors’ services, hospital outpatient care, home health care, and some preventive services to help support your health and to keep certain illnesses from getting worse.
Again, to cover the difference, you might buy a Supplement Plan (or Medigap policy).
Part C: Advantage Plans
These are insurance plans offered by private companies that are approved by Medicare.
An Advantage Plan offers all of your Part A and all of your Part B coverage. By law, Medicare Advantage Plans must cover all the services covered by Original Medicare, except hospice.
So what about hospice care?
Original Medicare covers that, even if you have an Advantage Plan.
Are Medicare Advantage Plans supplemental coverage?
No
Part D: Prescription Drug Coverage
This helps cover the cost of your prescription drugs. Part D is run by private insurance companies that are approved by Medicare. It may not cover the complete cost, but offers a very significant discount.
Advantage Plan or Supplement Plan?
You have two options.
When you turn 65 and go on to Medicare Part B, you come to a fork in the road. You get to choose one path:
- If you choose an Advantage Plan (see “Part C” above), you are actually opting out of the Medicare System and choosing a private insurer. Depending on which company you choose, there may or may not be a monthly charge, and coverages and co-pays will vary.
- If you choose a Supplement (or Medigap) Plan, you still get to choose a private insurer but, oddly enough, you are staying within the Medicare System. You will pay monthly installments — this varies according to the insurance company you choose — but zero copays.
When Should I Sign Up?
If you already receive Social Security and are nearing 65, you’ll get your Medicare card in the mail three months before your 65th birthday. If you wait until age 66 or later to apply for Social Security, you should apply for Medicare two months prior to needing coverage.
When Can You Get Medicare?
Your Medicare card will arrive in an envelope from CMS (Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services). It will have the effective dates of both Part A and Part B already filled in. Keep this – and any further information you receive from CMS – for future reference.
If you don’t want Part B, then follow the card’s instructions and send it back. Otherwise you will have to pay the Part B premium.
Can You Say No to Part B?
Yes. Let’s say you work for a business that has a good medical plan, and you don’t want to lose it after you turn 65. You may decide not to sign up for Part B quite yet. Check with HR to decide what’s best.
Later, when you leave the company, you can apply for Part B. In most cases, Part B will be effective the first day of the month after your company health benefits end.
Key Point
You only get six months to decide, don’t let this time slip by!
From the time you go on Part B, you have only six months for the Open Enrollment Period. During this time you have the guaranteed right to:
- Enroll in any Medicare Advantage Plan available in your service area
- Buy any Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy sold in your state.
Key Point
You cannot be turned down for coverage during your initial six month open enrollment. But it only comes around once. When this six-month period is over, your option to buy a Supplement policy may be limited, it may cost you more, and you will probably have to pass medical tests to apply for one in the future.
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- Avoid Health & Medicare Mistakes
- Explore Top Rated Options
- Feel Confidence in Your Health Plan
Shelley’s super friendly and ready to answer all of your questions!
Why Choose Southwest Health Options?
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