OH NO! My Doctor! – 2021

Marty has been on his Medicare Advantage Plan for years and enjoyed the many benefits of an all-in-one network plan. Doctors, hospitals, labs, and prescriptions all rolled into one card. He has had his primary care physician for years and didn’t see any reason to switch plans. So, he never checked his plan during the Annual Election Period and just assumed it would be the same for the next calendar year.

So as the new year started, he called his primary care doctor and asked for an appointment and the receptionist asked what his insurance company plan was as they were updating his client file. “Why it’s the same plan I’ve had for years” he replied.

“Oh, your doctor is no longer on that plan, so you’ll have to go somewhere else” the receptionist calmly explained to him. “But I’ve been coming here for years” Marty was quick to exclaim! Faced with having to pick a new Primary Care Physician left Marty in a funk and he muttered to himself “now what”? Later that day while he was taking the trash can to the street, he bumped into his neighbor, Nash, and was lamenting his issue with his doctor. Nash was kind enough to let him know he hasn’t necessarily lost his doctor. “You need help and I know just the folks that can help” as he gave Marty a business card he fished out of his wallet.

“American Retirement Advisors”? Marty said out loud. “Yep! Give them a call” Nash encouraged.

As with all phone calls, we asked how can we help? After hearing Marty’s dilemma, we performed quick research on his Primary Care Physician and found that he was on several other Medicare Advantage plans in Marty’s geographic area. “But I missed AEP so I can’t change until next year”, he complained. We took this opportunity to let him know that as of last year there is a new enrollment period called Open Enrollment Period and it’s for people like Marty who lost their Doctors on a Medicare Advantage Plan. Each year, from January 1 through March 31, you get a sort of a “do-over” if you meet the requirements.

In the end, Marty was very happy he made the call, and we found a different Medicare Advantage Plan for him so that he could keep his doctor. In fact, the great news was that his new Medicare Advantage plan had some extra benefits his old plan didn’t!

If you have this situation happening to you? Call us! We can help.

TOUGH! – 2021

Happy? New Year? – 2021

Welcome to 2021! I think we will all agree we are ready for a fresh start! Many of us had several challenges in 2020. Loss of income, family member sickness, and toilet paper shortages? Yikes! No one wants a repeat in 2021.

So, a fresh start! The big unanswered question is what are you going to do differently? What upgrades and changes to your daily routine will make an improvement? And those changes? Is it just for you or for the entire family?

Washing our hands and wearing a mask is no guarantee that you can avoid getting sick. If you don’t want those choices, then what? Living in a bubble is not an option. Many of us are working from home and using some sort of computer program that allows us to still meet with clients virtually while both parties of the conversation are safe.

Hmmm …working from home? One of the aspects of this pandemic is that it has taught us that there are alternatives for each of us and we can still be productive. An example is home delivery services are growing at a substantial rate never seen before in our economy. You can have just about anything delivered.

Groceries, medicine, furniture, it’s a whole new world that delivers. It’s not your parents’ US Postal service anymore just delivering the mail. While some jobs have disappeared, others have been created. Some of us will have to move out of our comfort zone and find one of these
new opportunities.

If you have a roof over your head, food on the table, and your family is safe, count your blessings. Many times, it’s all in your attitude.

Find a way to have a Happy New Year!

Positive Thoughts? – 2020

Merry, Happy, Wishing! – 2020

Ahhhh, the wonderful time of year! Christmas! Were we good little boys and girls this year? So, what’s on your list wish?

We could pretend we are in a pageant and wish for “world peace” but that’s just a tad cliché……

What we would like to see is peace and harmony out of our media and just possibly they could start reporting something positive?

I don’t know about you but I’m watching less and less of the alphabet channels and stopped reading most of the newspaper over this past year, as the only
thing in the paper is something hateful or negative about one thing or another. Or there is the other tack they’ve taken to over the past few years of hunting out all the “poor me” stories. I want happy, uplifting news! I want a Holly Jolly good time Santa experience! So, don’t wait for one to come to you, you make your own! Be
that Secret Santa to someone who really needs it. When is the last time you went caroling to a shut-in? Trust me! We have loads of shut-in folks this year that would love a warm fuzzy. Deliver a bag of fruit, a fresh cake, or a pie.

Be Festive!

Can’t sing or carry a tune in a bucket?
Yes, you can! Play that fun song on your phone or iPad as you make a delivery! Wear bright holiday colors with a silly hat! In other words
…...be fun! 

In this season of hope, there’s hope for all of us to have a better 2021!      Merry Christmas!

Excessive Co-Pays! – 2020

Bill and Teresa were on a Medicare Advantage plan that they were extremely happy with. Since they were both healthy and only took a few prescription medications, the co-pays on their plan were very reasonable. They also had the same Primary Care Physician for years and were comfortable with that relationship.

In October, they received their “Annual Notice of Change” (ANOC) and were surprised that the co-pays had been raised and the maximum out-of-pocket had also increased. The next notice they got was from their long-time primary doctor who informed them that he was retiring! Loss of doctor, higher co-pays, and higher max out-of-pocket. It was a triple loss!

They had received their email from American Retirement Advisors and had responded with their current list of prescriptions and their doctors so we could check their plan for 2021. On top of that, they also let us know of the loss of their PCP.

No problem! They had an appointment with one of our advisors who reviewed all the Medicare Advantage plans for 2021, and since they had no doctor, they would select a new one. They were pleasantly surprised when we found a new plan that had lower co-pays and lower maximum out-of-pocket than their 2020 plan. The icing on the cake was that all their prescription medications had a $0 co-pay! Yea! Free drugs!

Not only that, but we also researched and found a new top-notch primary doctor who was right in their zip code who was accepting new patients.
Bill and Teresa were relieved that the process of comparing new plans was laid out in such a manner that they felt educated about their selections for the new year.

Are you sure you are on the right plan for you?

Stocking up? – 2020

Do you remember your grandparents having a root cellar? If you were city folk, you probably never experienced this issue. But if you grew up or visited people in rural areas of the country, this was a room built into the earth (usually below the house) where dirt kept the room moist and cool. So however you put up goods, or stocked up for the winter, made you…you.

Canned goods were usually prepared by your family and stored in glass jars and then carefully placed on shelves where you would stock up on items not available during the winter. As kids, I distinctly remember that there would be entire weekends spent at my grandparents’ farm where the garden would be harvested at the end of the summer. After picking bushels of garden items, we would spend days where all the vegetables would be cooked and placed into glass jars. This was no simple task as the jars had to be sterilized by placing them in pans of water and into the oven to cook at a high temperature to make sure all the germs would be killed. Then you filled them with everything you can imagine from a garden: corn, green beans, squash, peas, and all kinds of fruit. Some items were just stored without any fuss, like sacks of potatoes and onions. Then there would be the days where you shelled pecans or walnuts by the bag full. Of course, it would be all but impossible not to sneak a bite or two while shelling.

When we returned to school, our classmates would be amazed to learn what we had been up to those weeks leading up to fall. “Why don’t you just go to the store?” we would often hear. Well, the country store might be 40-50 miles away, and, even if you made the trip, there was no guarantee the store would have vegetables to sell!

So, when was the last time you had to do without something because the store was out? We’ve all had recent experiences with items such as toilet paper, disinfectant, and maybe one or two of your favorite food items.

Whatever way you dealt with stocking up, makes you…you!

Finally! – 2020

When will it all stop? The year 2020 has continued with all sorts of disappointments, and it appears this trend will continue well into the New Year. But we can dream, can’t we?

So many dreams went unrealized this past year with graduates not being able to hold graduation ceremonies, no homecoming, no King or Queen of the court. University graduates getting diplomas but no jobs due to many companies shutting down. And the list goes on and on.

Thankfully, we are seeing some progress in many areas. Jobless unemployment claims are on the decline as many are returning to work. More and more businesses are reopening. Online services and commodities are booming!

By the time this newsletter is read, we will hopefully know who our next president is and have no idea of what those results will bring. Prosperity or more death and taxes? One way or the other, it will all be over, and we can hopefully have a nice Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. Then maybe, just maybe, we can finally move on!

Keep positive, stay in touch with family, friends, and loved ones as we look forward to a fresh start for 2021. I know I will!

No! Mine’s Better!!! – 2020

This is a Tale of Two Brothers.

We have these two brothers who are both clients of ours. Being brothers, they have always been extremely competitive, even when it comes to selecting their medical care. Barry always claims he made the smarter choice with his Medicare Advantage plan and his brother Larry (yeah, Barry & Larry, I know, it rhymes), has always felt he made the superior decision with a Medigap and a Part D to go with his original Medicare.

It seemed that every family get together would eventually have these two reviewing and discussing which had the better medical plan. Truth is, they were both correct!

Barry hardly ever goes to the doctor and is the epitome of health. He feels he made the right choice because his Medicare Advantage plan had no monthly premium and no deductible. It also included his Part D drug plan. It was free to see his primary doctor and even his labs, x-rays, and diagnostics were free. He even gets dental services and vision coverage for his glasses. In addition, all the hospitals he wanted was in his network. “I don’t pay anything unless I have a co-pay for a medical service. I’m saving lots of money each year because I don’t have any premiums”! he crowed.

Not to be outdone, Larry fires right back with even though he pays a monthly premium for his Medicare Medigap and Part D drug plan, he can go to any doctor, any hospital, with no referrals, and has no medical co-pays except for his prescription medications. “I might pay a little more than you every month but the benefits I get are better than yours” he claims.

Point is that neither brother is wrong. When selecting a Medicare health plan, the choice is yours. There are pros and cons to each plan type. When selecting the most appropriate plan for you, what is important is that you are educated about the differences in the plans and which insurance carrier is the correct one for you. Remember: it’s the plan, not the brand.

Not sure you’re selecting the correct plan for you, or maybe you are already on a plan and just want to shop and compare? Make sure that whoever assists you in selecting plans has access to all the plans in your geographic area! Remember, knowledge is power! Call us! We can help!

The Unexpected – 2020

You Fibber!

Liar, liar, pants on fire! Wouldn’t it be funny to see the politicians as they are constantly lying about one thing or another, have their pants catch on fire when they lie? These days that would be a full-time job for a fireman at the congressional building. A comedian said on TV “if their lips are moving, their lying”.

It seems we can’t pick up the newspaper or watch the news without it being all about an opinion. What has happened to actual reporting? How we each react to what we read, see, and hear, it makes you......you!

I constantly see articles written by folks and hear reporters on TV or the radio using outdated facts and information to make a point. The latest one that a real reporter was trying to make a point about was that the Social Security fund is going to be bankrupt by 2034. Not true. Changes made to move the full retirement age by a few months for people born after 1955 made the fund viable years beyond 2034. But it was just too convenient, or the reporter was just too lazy, to perform a little research for more up-to-date facts. Their passion and plea and emotions were far more important than to give some basic facts.

Same thing with Medicare and funding. Folks, there are over 63 million people on Medicare and they each pay the minimum Part B premium of $144.60 a month into the Medicare fund. Let’s do the math, 63 million x $144.60 = over $9 billion being paid into the Medicare fund each month! Add to this number the payroll taxes of working folks also paying into both Social Security and Medicare programs.

Do you remember the last time you were lied to? What was your reaction? Too many times we just let it slide and vow to never do anything with that person again. But in many cases, time heals all wounds and we find ourselves going back to them and giving them a second chance. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me? That saying goes all the way back to 1651 by Author Anthony Weldon.

Apparently, fibbing has been around since Biblical times although lying is not one of the original 10 commandments. But some would argue bearing false witness against your neighbor comes pretty close.

So, do you remember the first time you were fibbed too? How about recently? Whatever your reaction, it makes you.......you