Contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to get free personalized help making decisions about your health coverage. To get the number for your local SHIP, call 1-800-MEDICARE. Get information from Medicare: Contact 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
How can I learn more about Medicare?
Mar 31, 2014 · One of the best is Allsup Inc., which offers a Medicare Advisor service that takes your personal information online or over the phone, such as the prescription drugs you take and the doctors you use, and provides you customized advice on the best Medicare plans that match your needs and budget. They'll even help you enroll in the plan(s) you select.
How do I choose the best Medicare plan?
Mar 30, 2014 · One of the best is Allsup Inc. (ama.allsup.com, 866-521-7655), which offers a Medicare Advisor service that takes your personal information online or over the phone, such as the prescription drugs...
What should I do if I'm turning 65 and want Medicare?
Feb 27, 2019 · Send your questions to Phil. United Income, an online personal financial management and planning service, is launching a free Medicare Advice tool to help people determine the kind of Medicare...
Where can I get help with my Medicare questions?
Oct 02, 2020 · SHIPs can help with questions about all levels of Medicare. "SHIPs are comprehensive – they help with enrolling in Medicare, knowing the enrollment periods, understanding what's covered under...
How can Medicare problems be solved?
You can call 1-800-MEDICARE and speak with a representative to ask questions about Medicare or get help resolving problems with Medicare. We made a test call to this number and were greeted by a polite Medicare representative after being on hold for about 90 seconds.Sep 19, 2021
What could be done to strengthen the Medicare program?
How satisfied are people with Medicare?
How do I make Medicare decisions?
How can Medicare be more sustainable?
Who is Medicare through?
Is Medicare popular with seniors?
What percentage of older adults are on Medicare?
Who would be a good candidate for a high deductible health plan?
Who is the best person to talk to about Medicare?
What are the 4 types of Medicare?
- Part A provides inpatient/hospital coverage.
- Part B provides outpatient/medical coverage.
- Part C offers an alternate way to receive your Medicare benefits (see below for more information).
- Part D provides prescription drug coverage.
What is the best Medicare program?
Watch enrollment deadlines
The initial enrollment period runs from three months before someone’s 65 th birthday to three months after.
Have resources ready
One thing you’ll want to have still-employed 60-something clients consider: Sometimes Medicare coverage is the better choice over an employer plan, Votava said.
What are the toughest issues about Medicare?
For example, some of the toughest issues about making the move into Medicare involve decisions about how to deal with employer health plans. With more people continuing to work past the age of 65, Medicare choices increasingly are affected by issues of how employer plans work with Medicare. These matters are addressed by the United Income tool but providing accurate answers can involve doing some extra homework beforehand.
Can Medicare be reproduced?
None of them can reproduce a person’s unique health, financial and lifestyle traits. In the end, those variables will drive many Medicare decisions. Given the expense and importance of health care for retirees, however, United Income officials said it made sense to include Medicare support tools on their platform.
Who can help with Medicare prescriptions?
SHIP counselors can also help people figure out if they're eligible for extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs or other programs to help with their premiums and expenses. Some organizations do screening for low-income extra help programs automatically as part of other services, but you can also contact the SHIP to find out if you are eligible for any programs. "Anyone who is struggling or concerned about their Medicare costs can contact us," says Hohl. "Even if they don't qualify for a program, maybe they could do a plan review and save some money."
How complicated is Medicare?
Medicare can be complicated. It's easy to make mistakes when signing up that could result in lifelong penalties or coverage gaps, and people who lose their jobs after age 65 have an extra layer of complexity. Everyone on Medicare has the opportunity to choose a Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan during open enrollment each year, and the plan you select could make thousands of dollars of difference in your out-of-pocket costs. Low-income people often don't realize that they're eligible for extra help to pay Medicare drug costs. And if your care or drug is denied, you can appeal and fight back. You can get help with all of these complicated Medicare issues from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or SHIP.
When is open enrollment for Medicare?
Open Enrollment Help. The busiest time for SHIP counselors is during open enrollment from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, when people can choose a Part D prescription drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan for the upcoming year.
Can a ship counselor help with Medicare?
How SHIPs Can Help With Your Medicare Questions and Problems. Medicare is complicated, but SHIP counselors can provide free help with open enrollment decisions, sign-up questions and appeals in every state. SHIP counselors can answer personal Medicare questions over the phone. (Getty Images)
Can a counselor talk on the phone?
For people who aren't comfortable with the technology, the counselors may talk on the phone, get a list of their medications and mail the Plan Finder results showing the premiums and out-of-pocket costs for their medications from the plans in their area.
Do you need to sign up for Medicare if you are 65?
SHIPs also provide help with Medicare sign-up issues. Unless you're already receiving early Social Security benefits at 65, you need to proactively sign up for Medicare. Your sign-up decisions can be complicated if you're still working past age 65 and have health insurance through your employer, especially if you lose your job ...
Can a ship counselor appeal a decision?
"It could be a mistake on the provider's part, the way they coded it," says Paulson. If they do need to appeal a decision, the SHIP counselors have been trained in Medicare's specific appeals process.
What is Medicare consists of?
Medicare consists of an alphabet soup of plans, coverage choices, premium levels and enrollment rules. All that said, there are a few key decisions your client will be required to make regarding their Medicare coverage:
When does Medicare start?
For most people, Medicare coverage begins the first day of the month they turn age 65 . If your client has already started receiving Social Security benefits, they’ll automatically be signed up for Medicare Part A and Part B. If they haven’t yet made a Social Security benefit claim, they’ll need to submit a Medicare application.
How long do you have to pay Medicare premiums if you wait two years?
So, if your client waits two years beyond their first eligibility to enroll, they’ll be required to pay the higher premiums for four years. Part D: While typically small, penalties for late enrollment in a Medicare prescription plan are assessed for as long as individuals have coverage.
What is a Medigap plan?
Medigap is offered by private insurers to help fill any coverage gaps in Part A and Part B such as copayments, coinsurance, deductibles and potentially foreign travel health emergencies. There are 10 different types of Medigap plans—some cover more out-of-pocket costs than others.
How old do you have to be to get Medicare?
Medicare is generally available to anyone age 65 or older (as well as to younger people with qualifying disabilities). Part A is available premium-free if your client paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years (40 quarters) of their working life.
How long do you have to sign up for a health insurance plan?
To avoid any coverage gaps or potentially higher premiums, if they’re not still covered by their employer’s plan, they must sign up during their seven-month initial enrollment period (IEP) spanning the three months preceding and following the month in which they turn age 65.
When does Medicare enrollment start?
General enrollment period: Those who missed their IEP and SEP can sign up during Medicare’s General Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 to March 31) with coverage taking effect on July 1.
A Reason to Be Cautious
Is the new "Medicare and You 2000" handbook enough to help seniors makethe right choice?
Help Beyond HCFA
Archer recommends that people who are considering changing their healthcare option under Medicare seek advice. Every state has a SHIP, or StateHealth Insurance Program, which provides free health insurance counselingon Medicare.
Rising Costs
Even with Medicare and the new managed care options, older Americans arefinding health care expenses rising.
What happens if you don't sign up for Medicare?
If you don’t sign up within seven months of turning 65 (three months before your 65 th birthday, your birthday month, and three months after), you will pay a 10% penalty for every year you delay. Enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, which is a privately-run health plan approved by the government to provide Medicare benefits.
What is a Medigap plan?
If you have Original Medicare, you might also consider a Medigap plan, which will fill in other the gaps in Medicare coverage, reducing how much you spend each time you go for medical care.
Does Part D cover prescriptions?
It will help cover the cost of your prescription medications. Similar to Part B, there is a financial penalty if you do not sign up for a Part D plan when you are first eligible, unless you have other prescription drug coverage.
