Paid Advertisement Ask the Medicare Specialist by: Aaron Zolbrod Before I get into the question, I want to say how happy I am to be once again running Ask the Medicare Specialist in the Trib. It will appear every Sunday on Page C2. The columns are designed to help educate those already or soon to be on Medicare. Unfortunately, with all the television advertising, phone calls, solicitations in the mail, choosing a plan that meets one's needs as far as coverage, cost, access to doctors and care, can be overwhelming. Medicare plan advertising and sales tactics have also become extremely deceptive, especially in the past two or three years. The goal of Ask the Medicare Specialist is to enlighten people on all the facets and intricacies of Medi- care, to help clear up the confusion and make sure seniors don't fall victim to bad advice or misleading information. QUESTION: Question from Tom: I'm a 69-year-old male living in Beaver County, Pa. I currently have an Aetna (Continen- tal Life Insurance Co.) Supplement Plan G policy that I'm paying $178.18 a month for. I've had no problems with the coverage and have been on it since I went on Medicare in 2018. I'm wondering if I could do any better. Can you be of any help to me? Answer: We can absolutely help in these circumstances. Tom is overpaying for Plan G. If he can pass underwriting, which I will define and address momentarily, he should move from his current plan immediately. Tom can get Plan G with a premium between $108 to $116/month and Plan N for $84 to $93, saving as much as $840 per year by getting Plan G with another company, or $1,125 by moving to Plan N, which I highly recommend. N has the same coverage as G with two exceptions, a $20 co-pay for a physician's office visit and $50 for a trip to the Emergency Room. That's it. Let's go over some important facts. Changing from one Supplement company or letter plan to another can be done anytime during the year and isn't limited to the Annual Election Period that runs every October 15th through December 7th. Moving from one company or plan to another never changes coverage or access to doctors and hospitals. That's always the same ANSWER: with if problems or issues arise. In other words, how accessible and helpful are their customer and broker services? People can only enroll in a Medi- care Supplement without having their medical history considered the three months prior and six months after going on Part B for the first time with only a couple of somewhat rare exceptions. After this "Open Enrollment Period," as it's known, has expired, Supple- ment companies all use Medical Underwriting to determine if they are going to accept or decline an application. This consists of asking a series of medical questions and looking at what is known as a Medical Information Bureau (MIB), which I consider somewhat similar to a credit report. Your MIB has codes that correlate to practically every claim one has made to any health insurance they've ever had. Companies use computer pro- grams to go over these codes and underwriters, employees who may also look at the MIB to make the final determination of who will be because Supplements are regulated accepted or declined. Supplement the column. Those who join receive providers won't approve those with major health issues such as so that any service Medicare pays for also must be covered by the Supplement company, and the only difference between companies selling the same letter plan is the cost of premiums. exclusive content and information in our weekly series, "Truths, Tips, and Tricks" where we discuss some pitfalls of Medicare and how to avoid them, and "Feel Good Fridays" that describes problems our clients encountered and how we worked to solve them. Visit our website and click the banner at the insulin dependent diabetes, A-Fib, congestive heart failure, history of certain cancers that never go away such as Lymphoma, autoimmune diseases, among a few others. That being said, you might be surprised how liberal underwriting can be. Those who are two to five years re- moved from most cancers, a heart attack, stroke, and additional health issues are very often approved. If you are paying a higher premium for a Supplement or want to leave an Advantage Plan for one and have had some health issues in the 724-603-3403 Connellsville 412-349-8818 Forest Hills No-cost, unbiased Medicare plan review and consultation with local, licensed agents When we have clients who prefer Supplements, we recommend com- panies based on three considera- tions: Which offers the letter plan they want at the lowest or close to the lowest premium at policy inception? What companies have a good reputation for keeping rate increases to a minimum? And lastly, we prefer to place clients with companies who are easy to deal past, don't assume you can't pass underwriting. Give us a call and we can determine that in just a few minutes. I can't count how many times I've written in the column that every- one on Plans C, F, or G who can pass underwriting should move to Plan N. Let me explain it again. Tom is the perfect example. His plan started at around $130 per month when he turned 65 and his monthly premium has increased almost $50 in less than five years. In that same time, Plan N would have only gone up about $15. Based on recent rate increase history, if Tom stays on Plan G, I predict in five years he will be paying over $1,200 a year more than what Plan N will cost, and in 10 years well over $2,000. Paying that much money to get rid of a $20 co-pay for a visit to a doctor doesn't make sense. For those of you who may be unaware, previous columns can be found on our website. Also, a few months ago we started a new Face- book Group with the same title as The Health Insurance Store top of the page to join. If you have any questions regarding this column or any other Medicare or related topic or you would like to set up an appointment for a no cost consultation, give us a call. You can also email me personally at aaron@ getyourbestplan.com. Email your question to: aaron@getyourbestplan.com www.getyourbestplan.com Paid Advertisement Ask the Medicare Specialist by : Aaron Zolbrod Before I get into the question , I want to say how happy I am to be once again running Ask the Medicare Specialist in the Trib . It will appear every Sunday on Page C2 . The columns are designed to help educate those already or soon to be on Medicare . Unfortunately , with all the television advertising , phone calls , solicitations in the mail , choosing a plan that meets one's needs as far as coverage , cost , access to doctors and care , can be overwhelming . Medicare plan advertising and sales tactics have also become extremely deceptive , especially in the past two or three years . The goal of Ask the Medicare Specialist is to enlighten people on all the facets and intricacies of Medi care , to help clear up the confusion and make sure seniors don't fall victim to bad advice or misleading information . QUESTION : Question from Tom : I'm a 69 - year - old male living in Beaver County , Pa . I currently have an Aetna ( Continen tal Life Insurance Co. ) Supplement Plan G policy that I'm paying $ 178.18 a month for . I've had no problems with the coverage and have been on it since I went on Medicare in 2018. I'm wondering if I could do any better . Can you be of any help to me ? Answer : We can absolutely help in these circumstances . Tom is overpaying for Plan G. If he can pass underwriting , which I will define and address momentarily , he should move from his current plan immediately . Tom can get Plan G with a premium between $ 108 to $ 116 / month and Plan N for $ 84 to $ 93 , saving as much as $ 840 per year by getting Plan G with another company , or $ 1,125 by moving to Plan N , which I highly recommend . N has the same coverage as G with two exceptions , a $ 20 co - pay for a physician's office visit and $ 50 for a trip to the Emergency Room . That's it . Let's go over some important facts . Changing from one Supplement company or letter plan to another can be done anytime during the year and isn't limited to the Annual Election Period that runs every October 15th through December 7th . Moving from one company or plan to another never changes coverage or access to doctors and hospitals . That's always the same ANSWER : with if problems or issues arise . In other words , how accessible and helpful are their customer and broker services ? People can only enroll in a Medi care Supplement without having their medical history considered the three months prior and six months after going on Part B for the first time with only a couple of somewhat rare exceptions . After this " Open Enrollment Period , " as it's known , has expired , Supple ment companies all use Medical Underwriting to determine if they are going to accept or decline an application . This consists of asking a series of medical questions and looking at what is known as a Medical Information Bureau ( MIB ) , which I consider somewhat similar to a credit report . Your MIB has codes that correlate to practically every claim one has made to any health insurance they've ever had . Companies use computer pro grams to go over these codes and underwriters , employees who may also look at the MIB to make the final determination of who will be because Supplements are regulated accepted or declined . Supplement the column . Those who join receive providers won't approve those with major health issues such as so that any service Medicare pays for also must be covered by the Supplement company , and the only difference between companies selling the same letter plan is the cost of premiums . exclusive content and information in our weekly series , " Truths , Tips , and Tricks " where we discuss some pitfalls of Medicare and how to avoid them , and " Feel Good Fridays " that describes problems our clients encountered and how we worked to solve them . Visit our website and click the banner at the insulin dependent diabetes , A - Fib , congestive heart failure , history of certain cancers that never go away such as Lymphoma , autoimmune diseases , among a few others . That being said , you might be surprised how liberal underwriting can be . Those who are two to five years re moved from most cancers , a heart attack , stroke , and additional health issues are very often approved . If you are paying a higher premium for a Supplement or want to leave an Advantage Plan for one and have had some health issues in the 724-603-3403 Connellsville 412-349-8818 Forest Hills No - cost , unbiased Medicare plan review and consultation with local , licensed agents When we have clients who prefer Supplements , we recommend com panies based on three considera tions : Which offers the letter plan they want at the lowest or close to the lowest premium at policy inception ? What companies have a good reputation for keeping rate increases to a minimum ? And lastly , we prefer to place clients with companies who are easy to deal past , don't assume you can't pass underwriting . Give us a call and we can determine that in just a few minutes . I can't count how many times I've written in the column that every one on Plans C , F , or G who can pass underwriting should move to Plan N. Let me explain it again . Tom is the perfect example . His plan started at around $ 130 per month when he turned 65 and his monthly premium has increased almost $ 50 in less than five years . In that same time , Plan N would have only gone up about $ 15 . Based on recent rate increase history , if Tom stays on Plan G , I predict in five years he will be paying over $ 1,200 a year more than what Plan N will cost , and in 10 years well over $ 2,000 . Paying that much money to get rid of a $ 20 co - pay for a visit to a doctor doesn't make sense . For those of you who may be unaware , previous columns can be found on our website . Also , a few months ago we started a new Face book Group with the same title as The Health Insurance Store top of the page to join . If you have any questions regarding this column or any other Medicare or related topic or you would like to set up an appointment for a no cost consultation , give us a call . You can also email me personally at aaron @ getyourbestplan.com . Email your question to : aaron@getyourbestplan.com www.getyourbestplan.com