April 3, 2021

Last week, I asked for questions and I wasn’t sure if I would get any responses, but you all certainly delivered and I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for reading this column and thank you for the questions.

Why do I need to look at any other plan if I’m happy with the plan that I have?

Great question that I hear frequently. If I could have you sit down with every person that has said that to me and then I showed them why they should compare their plans to other companies plans I think you would be as amazed or even angered as some of them were. They weren’t getting all of the ancillary benefits with their plan that other plans are offering.

Did you know that there are over the counter benefits that can be delivered to your front door every quarter? The dollar amount really depends on your plan but the vast majority of these plans are a $0 monthly premium. There are also plans that also include some dental, vision and hearing aid benefits at no additional charge, free transportation visits to the doctor, $0 copays on almost everything and most prescriptions are $0 as well depending on the particular plan. There are many, many more benefits that are included as well.

I hope that encourages you to look and see if you are currently getting benefits like this with your current plan. If you are not, it might be time to give me a call or email me. Together, we can compare your plan to other plans and see if there’s a better fit for you or if your plan is where you should stay.

Why do I need anything other than original Medicare?

Original Medicare has coverage for hospital stays, coverage for some medical care, like doctor visits and preventive services like flu shots.

With a plan like a Medicare Advantage plan, for example, you get all of the above because that is required by Medicare to provide all of those things to each person who is on Medicare. But you also get prescription drug coverage which is not available with original Medicare, unless you purchase a separate private prescription drug plan. Depending on the selected plan you also get routine vision coverage, routine hearing exams and hearing aid coverage and there is no maximum out of pocket protection with original Medicare only but with an Advantage plan there is an out of pocket maximum per year. The majority of Advantage plans have a $0 monthly premium.

So the answer to the question is, why wouldn’t you add to your original Medicare especially if it had a $0 monthly premium and you got the same thing you are already receiving plus these additional valuable benefits?

I really appreciate the questions and getting to talk to new people so keep those questions coming. Remember there are not any silly questions, because if you don’t know you never will know if you don’t ask. Let’s navigate these waters together and if nothing else, you can be armed with more knowledge to make the best decision for you, whether with me or someone else, I just want to help you get through this maze called Medicare.
Nick Swearngin
Licensed Sales Representative
[email protected]
816.835.0345