CHECK TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR MEDICAID ASSISTANCE

Medicaid is a program run in conjunction with Federal and State governments to assist low income people with medical assistance.  There are different levels of medicaid assistance and you must check to see if you qualify and which level you qualify.  Those with the greatest need have the majority or all of their expenses paid.

If you are on medicare and eligible for medicaid there are plans that are called dual eligible plans for those that qualify for both medicaid and medicare.   Medicare will pay first and then medicaid may assist with other costs.

Below are the phone numbers for each states office that handles medicaid assistance.  You can call the number for your state and see if and what level of medicaid you qualify.

Alabama	Toll Free: (800) 362-1504
	Local: (334) 242-5000
Alaska	Toll Free: (800) 780-9972
	Local: (907) 465-3030
American Samoa	Toll Free: (800) 316-8005
	Local: (808) 524-3370
	Toll Free TTY: (800) 603-1201
	Spanish: (800) 316-8005
Arizona	Toll Free: (800) 523-0231
	Local: (602) 417-4000
	Spanish: (602) 417-4000
Arkansas	Toll Free: (800) 482-5431
	Local: (501) 682-8233
	TTY: (501) 682-8820
	Spanish: (800) 482-8988
California	Local: (916) 636-1980
Colorado	Toll Free: (800) 221-3943
	Local: (303) 866-3513
Connecticut	Toll Free: (800) 842-1508
	Local: (860) 424-4908
Delaware	Toll Free: (800) 372-2022
	Local: (302) 255-9500
Florida	Toll Free: (866) 762-2237
	Local: (850) 487-1111
Georgia	Toll Free: (800) 869-1150
	Local: (404) 656-4507
Hawaii	Toll Free: (800) 316-8005
	Local: (808) 524-3370
	Toll Free TTY: (800) 603-1201
	Spanish: (800) 316-8005
Idaho	Local: (208) 334-6700
Illinois	Toll Free: (800) 226-0768
	Local: (217) 782-4977
	(8008436154) TTY: (800) 547-0466
	Toll Free TTY: (800) 526-5812
Indiana	Toll Free: (800) 403-0864
	Local: (317) 233-4454
Iowa	Toll Free: (800) 338-8366
	Local: (515) 256-4606
Kansas	Toll Free: (800) 766-9012
	Local: (785) 296-3981
Kentucky	Toll Free: (800) 635-2570
	Local: (502) 564-4321
Louisiana	Toll Free: (888) 342-6207
	Local: (855) 229-6848
	Spanish: (877) 252-2447
Maine	Toll Free: (800) 977-6740
	(option 2 TTY #711)
Maryland	Toll Free: (800) 456-8900
	Local: (410) 767-5800
Massachusetts	Toll Free: (800) 841-2900
Michigan	Toll Free: (800) 642-3195
	Local: (517) 373-3740
Minnesota	Toll Free: (800) 657-3672
	Local: (651) 431-2801
Mississippi	Toll Free: (800) 421-2408
	Local: (601) 359-6050
Missouri	Toll Free: (800) 392-2161
	Local: (573) 751-3425
Montana	Toll Free: (800) 362-8312
Nebraska	Toll Free: (855) 632-7633
	Local: (402) 471-3121
	Toll Free TTY: (800) 833-7352
Nevada	Toll Free: (800) 992-0900
	Local: (702) 631-7098
New Hampshire	Toll Free: (800) 852-3345
	Local: (603) 271-4344
New Jersey	Toll Free: (800) 356-1561
	Spanish: (800) 356-1561
New Mexico	Toll Free: (888) 997-2583
	Local: (505) 827-3100
	Spanish: (800) 432-6217
New York	Toll Free: (800) 541-2831
	Local: (518) 473-3782
North Carolina	Toll Free: (800) 662-7030
	Local: (919) 855-4100
North Dakota	Toll Free: (800) 755-2604
	Local: (701) 328-2321
Northern Mariana Islands	Toll Free: (800) 316-8005
	Local: (808) 524-3370
	Toll Free TTY: (800) 603-1201
	Spanish: (800) 316-8005
Ohio	Toll Free: (800) 324-8680
Oklahoma	Toll Free: (800) 522-0310
	Local: (405) 522-7171
Oregon	Toll Free: (800) 527-5772
	Local: (503) 945-5712
Pennsylvania	Toll Free: (800) 692-7462
Puerto Rico	Local: (787) 765-2929
Rhode Island	Local: (401) 462-5300
South Carolina	Toll Free: (888) 549-0820
	Local: (803) 898-2500
South Dakota	Toll Free: (800) 597-1603
	Local: (605) 773-3495
	Spanish: (800) 305-9673
Tennessee	Toll Free: (800) 342-3145
	Toll Free TTY: (877) 779-3103
	Spanish: (866) 311-4290
Texas	Toll Free: (877) 541-7905
	Local: (512) 424-6500
	TTY: (512) 407-3250
Utah	Toll Free: (800) 662-9651
	Local: (801) 538-6155
	Spanish: (800) 662-9651
Vermont	Toll Free: (800) 250-8427
Virginia	Local: (804) 786-7933
Virgin Islands	Local: (787) 765-2929
Washington	Toll Free: (800) 562-3022
	(TTY now using 711 Washington Relay)
Washington D.C.	Local: (202) 639-4030
West Virginia	Toll Free: (800) 642-8589
	Local: (304) 558-1700
Wisconsin	Toll Free: (800) 362-3002
	Local: (608) 266-1865
Wyoming	Local: (307) 777-7656

source: www.medicare.gov

MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT PLANS EXPLAINED

What Is Medicare Supplement Insurance?

A Medicare Supplement (also referred to as Medigap) insurance, sold by private companies, can help pay some of the health care costs that Original Medicare doesn't cover, like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.

If you have Original Medicare and you buy a Medigare supplement policy, Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amount for covered health care costs. Your Medicare supplement policy pays its share.

A Medicare supplement policy is different from a Medicare Advantage Plan. Medicare supplement is different from medicare advantage plans.  Medicare supplement plans work in conjunction with original medicare (part A and part B).  As the name indicates it offers coverage to supplement costs that are not covered under original medicare.  Medicare advantage plans replace original medicare and offer some additional benefits but typically plans are not as inclusive as medicare supplement in covering your costs.

What you need to know about Medicare Supplement policies
1. You must have Medicare Part A and Part B before enrolling in a medicare supplement policy.
2. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can apply for a Medicare Supplement insurance policy, but make sure you can leave the Medicare Advantage Plan before your Medicare Supplement insurance policy begins.  You can not have both a medicare advantage and a medicare supplement policy at the same time.
3. You pay the private insurance company a monthly premium for your Medicare Supplement insurance policy in addition to the monthly Part B premium that you pay to Medicare.
4. You can buy a Medicare Supplement insurance policy from any insurance company that's licensed in your state to sell one.
5. Any standardized Medicare Supplement insurance policy is guaranteed renewable even if you have health problems. This means the insurance company can't cancel your Medicare Supplment insurance policy as long as you pay the premium.
6. Medicare Supplement insurance policies sold after January 1, 2006 aren't allowed to include prescription drug coverage. If you want prescription drug coverage, you can join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D).
7. It's illegal for anyone to sell you a Medicare supplement policy if you have a Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plan.

Very important, there are several different medicare supplement plans available depending on the state that you live in.  These are standardized plans and will have the exact same coverage no matter what insurance company you purchase the plan from.  So it is very important to shop around and find the best rate on your supplement plan.

Compare Medicare Supplement Plans Side-By-Side

The chart below shows basic information about the different benefits Medicare supplement policies cover.

Yes = the plan covers 100% of this benefit
No = the policy doesn't cover that benefit
% = the plan covers that percentage of this benefit
N/A = not applicable

Medigare Supplement Plans
	A	B	C	D	F*	G	K	L	M	N
Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used up	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Part B coinsurance or copayment	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	50%	75%	Yes	Yes***
Blood (first 3 pints)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	50%	75%	Yes	Yes
Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	50%	75%	Yes	Yes
Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	50%	75%	Yes	Yes
Part A deductible	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	50%	75%	50%	Yes
Part B deductible	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Part B excess charge	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Foreign travel exchange (up to plan limits)	No	No	80%	80%	80%	80%	No	No	80%	80%
Out-of-pocket limit**	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	5120	2560	N/A	N/A

* Plan F also offers a high-deductible plan. If you choose this option, this means you must pay for Medicare-covered costs up to the deductible amount of $2,200 in 2017 before your Medigap plan pays anything.

** After you meet your out-of-pocket yearly limit and your yearly Part B deductible, the Medigap plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the calendar year.

*** Plan N pays 100% of the Part B coinsurance, except for a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to a $50 copayment for emergency room visits that don't result in inpatient admission.

Source: www.medicare.gov

PART D PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

If you are enrolling in medicare part A and part B, you must also enroll in part D which is prescription drug coverage.   You are not required to sign up for a prescription drug plan, but there is a penalty if you don't sign up for a prescription drug plan when you are first eligible for medicare.

The initial enrollment period for medicare is 3 months before the month you turn 65, includes the month you turn 65, and 3 months after you turn 65.  After this initial enrollment period, if you have not signed up for a prescription drug plan, part D, you will pay a penalty of 1% for each month that you did not have prescription drug coverage.  This will be in effect when you sign up for a prescription drug plan and will not go away.  For example, if you wait 10 months your premium will be 10% higher than what the plan would normally cost.  So if the prescription drug plan premium was $50 per month, you would pay $55 per month.  Forever.............

When you shop for a prescription drug plan it is important to check a few things:

• Are you prescriptions covered under the plans formulary?   Each prescription drug plan has a formulary or list of drugs that it covers.  You want to make sure that your prescription drugs are covered under the plan.
• What is the cost of your prescription drug?  Each plan will separate prescription drugs into tiers from tier 1 to tier 5.  Tier 1 is the least expensive and tier 5 is the most expensive.  Check what tier your prescription drugs are covered in and what the exact cost will be for a 30, 60, 90 day supply.
• What pharmacies can you use with the prescription drug plan?  Check to see what pharmacies you can use to fill your prescriptions.  It makes no sense to sign up for a plan that you have to drive 30 miles to fill a prescription.  Many part D plans offer mail order refills at a discount as well.  Research the plan and see what your options are.
• Shop all plans in your area.  On medicare.gov you can enter your zip code, pharmacy, prescriptions you take and you will see all drug plans available and the annual cost to refill your prescriptions along with the monthly premium cost.
• Check the prescription drug star rating.  All prescription drug plans, part D, have a star rating of 1-5 with 5 stars being rated highest.  These ratings are based on customer satisfaction with the plan.  Beware of low rated plans.

I hope that this information is helpful.  As you age and begin taking more medications it is important to reevaluate your plan to make sure all prescription drugs are covered.

TOP 8 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN ENROLLING IN MEDICARE

Enrolling is medicare can be a daunting task.  Many people turning 65 are overwhelmed by the number of choices they have in choosing their health care coverage.

Below is a list of the top 8 mistakes that people make when enrolling in medicare.  Avoid these or it could cost you.

MISTAKE #1 -  FAILING TO ENROLL DURING INTIAL ELIGIBILITY

• You have a 7 month window to sign up for medicare.  It begins 3 months before the month you turn 65 and extends 3 months after the month you turn 65.   This is considered your intial enrollment period. Failure to enroll during this period could result in penalties when you do sign up.  There are exclusions such as if you are still working and covered under your employers health plan.

MISTAKE #2 - FAILING TO ENROLL IN A PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

• When you enroll in medicare part A and part B you must also enroll in some type of prescription drug plan within 63 days of the end of your initial enrollment period or you will be penalized when you do enroll.  There is a 1% penalty per month that you do not have credible prescription drug coverage.  So for instance, if you do not sign up for a prescription drug plan until 10 months after your initial enrollment period you will have to pay 10% higher premium.  Warning this penalty does not go away.

MISTAKE #3 - SIGNING UP FOR THE WRONG MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN

• Medicare advantage plans are network plans that are administered by an insurance company.  In many cases your benefits are only able to be used within the network of doctors and hospitals.  Before signing up for a medicare advantage plan make sure that your doctor and hospital are in the network.  If the plan has prescription drug coverage make sure that your drugs are covered and you have verified the cost to fill.

MISTAKE #4 - FAILURE TO CHECK FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OPTIONS

• Depending on your income you may be eligible to receive assistance for your part B premium and Part D prescription drug coverage.  You can fill out an application to see if you qualify by copying and pasting this link in your browser https://secure.ssa.gov/i1020/start

MISTAKE #5 - SIGNING UP FOR THE WRONG PLAN

• There are 3 choices when you enroll in medicare.  You can either choose original medicare and add a prescription drug plan, choose a medicare advantage plan that combines part A, part B and part D into one plan, or you can choose original medicare and add a medicare supplement and prescription drug plan.  Each individual is different and depending on your lifestyle, health, amount of travel and financial situation you must pick a plan that suits you best.  Before signing up for any plan, compare the coverage and costs of each plan.

MISTAKE #6 - PAYING TOO MUCH FOR A MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT PLAN

• Medicare supplement plans are standardized plans with the exact same coverage no matter where you purchase.  But the costs can be different depending on which insurance company you buy from.  Make sure to shop around before signing up for a plan.

MISTAKE #7 - FAILING TO USE WWW.MEDICARE.GOV AS A RESOURCE

• There is a wonderful website with a plethora of information provided by the centers for medicare services that will answer any question you may have regarding medicare.  Be sure to visit this site to learn about all of your options.

MISTAKE #8 - FAILING TO UNDERSTAND OUT OF POCKET MAXIMUM

• This is very important for anyone enrolling in medicare.  There is no out of pocket maximum if you are enrolled in original medicare (part A and part B).  That means there is no limit on how much you will have to pay out of your own pocket if you were to undergo an expensive medical procedure.  All medicare advantage plans and medicare supplement plans have an out of pocket limit.  It is important you understand the financial predicament you could be putting yourself in if you only sign up for original medicare.

I hope that this information is useful to you and that you will take the time necessary to make the best decisions for your healthcare when you become eligible for medicare.  Best of luck in finding the right plan for your needs!!

HOW TO SIGN UP FOR MEDICARE PART A AND PART B

Are you turning 65 this year?  You have many exciting days ahead as you approach retirement.  It is important that you sign up for medicare part A and part B so that you have the health coverage available to you.  There is an initial enrollment period when you are eligible to apply for benefits.  If you fail to enroll during this period you may have to pay a penalty when you do complete your initial enrollment.

You can enroll in medicare online which is the easiest way to complete the process.  Most people that are eligible for benefits are automatically enrolled in medicare part A.  In most cases this benefit is provided at no cost although there are exceptions.  If you have been automatically enrolled in medicare part A you should receive your medicare card in the mail 3 months prior to your 65th birthday.  

You must enroll in medicare part B on your own.  This can be done online and I will provide a link below that you can apply.  For most people the premium for 2017 for medicare part B is $134/month.  This can go up if you earn more than $85000/year as an individual or $170,000 per year as a couple.

To enroll in medicare copy and paste the link below into your browser.  This will take you directly to the social security benefits site where you can complete your application.

https://secure.ssa.gov/iClaim/rib

Once you complete enrollment you will be eligible to receive benefits.  You benefits will begin depending on when you turn 65 and when you complete your application.  

If you sign up for medicare part A and part B prior to your the month you turn 65 your coverage will begin the 1st of the month you turn 65.  For example if you turn 65 on March 10 and you signed up in the 3 months prior to march, your coverage will begin on March 1st.    The exception to this is if your birthday is on the 1st of the month for instance March 1st, and you signed up in the 3 months prior, your coverage will begin February 1st.  

Depending when you sign up for medicare will change the coverage start date.  See below for more information.

If you sign up for Part A (if you have to buy it) and/or Part B in this month:	Your coverage starts:
The month you turn 65	1 month after you sign up
1 month after you turn 65	2 months after you sign up
2 months after you turn 65	3 months after you sign up
3 months after you turn 65	3 months after you sign up
During the January 1–March 31 General Enrollment Period	July 1

This information is from www.medicare.gov