TURNING
65?
MEDICARE IS COMPLICATED
You need to follow the rules when you sign up. For instance, as you approach the month of your 65th birthday, you need to choose between enrolling in Medicare or staying with an employer plan or an employer retirement plan. You have seven months to sign up for your initial enrollment: three months before the month of your 65th birthday, three months after your 65th birthday, and the month of your birthday. (If your birthday is on the first of the month, there is a twist to this rule. You become eligible on the month before your birthday.) If you do not follow these rules, your enrollment will be delayed for months.
MEDICARE HAS PENALTIES IF YOU DON’T PAY ATTENTION
Medicare requires you to be covered with a prescription drug plan (PDP) even if you take no prescriptions. The plan may be from your former employer, it may be included in your Medicare Advantage plan, or it may be a stand-alone plan to be used with your original Medicare or a Medicare Supplement. If you don’t sign up for a PDP when required, you will be assessed a fine to be paid for the rest of your life.
DON’T ASSUME ANYTHING
When you receive your red, white, and blue Medicare card in the mail, you have a choice to accept it or stay on your employer plan, but you must contact Medicare to turn down Part B, which has a monthly premium. (But check with your human resources department: they may require you to sign up for part B.) Then later, a few months before you retire, you must call Medicare to “turn on” your part B. Sometimes it is better to visit your local social security office to sit down with an expert and get a full description of your rights in the language of your choice.
GET THE MEDICARE APP FOR YOUR SMART PHONE
This may answer some of your questions. It is helpful to find answers to what is “covered” by Medicare. For instance, bariatric surgery for obese folks, was not always “covered” by Medicare, but it is now. COVERED means it is addressed with lots of rules and pre-surgery requirements, but you may be responsible for some of the costs.
August Free Medicare Education Meetings
Turning 65? Need a refresher course? Learn ways to save money. Find out what you are entitled to, and more. Answers to your questions. Presentation will be done in English by an experienced Medicare insurance Agent.
No shows booked at the moment.
Who am I ?
I AM YOUR NEIGHBOR. I live within an hour of any location in Maricopa County, probably a lot less. I am a veteran Medicare broker, having served as an in-house agent for a major company for eight years (Presidents Club honoree) then going independent representing 6 companies and all types of Medicare plans. This is my 16th year. It will be nice working with an experienced broker who know the ins and outs of the system.
I was recently recognized as an accredited Better Business Bureau member with no complaints. I observe strict Medicare rules governing my business. I am here to help you. Other Medicare websites are headquartered in other states. You will never see them in person. They cannot come to your home to explain plans. They will not remember you next year when you want to know if there is a better plan for you. And they may not represent the plan that is best for you. It may cost you money over the year with higher costs.
