William Gray, Medicare Insurance Broker

Answer: I enjoy helping provide solutions that they may not have known were available. I have made many life long friends who started as clients.

Since, all I do is Medicare I am able to do a deep dive into their situation and help them get the most out of their benefits.

Answer: You should not be receiving unsolicited calls from an insurance agent it is not allowed regarding Medicare Advantage plans.

The benefit that is being discussed is available under certain plans but should not in my opinion be the main reason to choose a plan.

I think the primary concern is that there are people who willfully violate marketing rules and this is one of them if not solicited by you.

Answer: , Medicare premiums are tax deductible as a medical expense as long as you meet two requirements.

First, you must itemize your deductions on your tax return to deduct them from your taxable income.

Second, only medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) are deductible.

Answer: Original Medicare is a point of service plan you do not have to choose a network provider and can go to any doctor who accepts Medicare.

With a supplement to Medicare you can reduce your liability to a few hundred dollars per year.

These plans will have a premium.

Medicare part C "Advantage" plans are Medicare replacement plans.

You will likely need to use network doctors to receive the best rates or to be covered at all.

There are more significant copays and out of pocket limits. But many plans have zero additional premium.

Answer: Medicare supplements have multiple options. But one of the easiest way to reduce cost of coverage is to consier one of the plans with a deductible.

Medicar plan G is considered the cadillac policy it covers 100% after the $257 par B deductible but it also has the highest price tag.

The Medicare plan G has an option to add a deductible of $2,885 this works more like an out of pocket maximum.

Think about it like this, you have a $257 part B deductible then Medicare pays 80% of your bills until you reach an out of pocket of $2885 then it's 100% coverage.

Answer: If you are over the age of 65 in order to avoid the penalties imposed you will need to submit the CMS-L564 form

If you have income from 24 months ago that will put you in a high income earner you will need to fill out the form SSA-44 for an IRRMA reduction.

Answer: There are people who have special circumstances that CMS has determined qualify for extra help and benefits.

There are several different categories.

Dual Special Needs - Medicare / Medicaid eligible.

Chronic Special Needs - Those with listed health conditions

SNP - facility plasn - Those who are confined to a facility.

each case is different it is best to talk with a professional

Answer: Plan K will likely cost less than a plan G in upfront premiums.

However, in plan benefits it is substantially higher out of pocket expense on a major health condition.

It would consider a Plan N or a Plan HDG to get the most bang for your buck.

Answer: Medicare Advantage plans have netwrork restrictions and can cost more out of pocket for deductibles and copays. Your doctor who is in network now may not be next year and the plans change annually.

If you are on a Medicare Advantage plan and exceed your first 12 months and have health problems you may never be able to apply for a Medicare Supplement in the future.

Answer: You can still enroll at 65. You will need to do this from the SSA website or by visitin your SSA office.

If you don't enroll at 65 and don't have coverage through a group plan you will be penalized 1% per month for each month you don't have coverage.

You will be billed by Medicare for your part B premium 3 months at a time.

Answer: It's not necessary but you could face pretty high out of pocket costs.

Advantage plans have deductibles and copays. The indemnity plan pays you a set amount by plan

Answer: Puerto Rico is a US territory so there would be coverage. If you are travelling outside the country to a non terrritory then no.

Some Medigap plans (C, D, F, G, M, and N) offer foreign travel emergency coverage, but these plans often have limitations, such as a $250 deductible, a 80% coverage rate, and a lifetime maximum benefit of $50,000.

Answer: Medicare does NOT cover dental implants. There are some Med on care Advantage programs that might but there are limits.

There are stand alone Dental plans that do cover implants.

Answer: If you are getting bills for part B it means you are not taking social security benefits.

Medicare will bill you quarterly if they cannot deduct it from social security payments.

Part B is $186 a month in 2025.

Answer: In your summary of benefits and your annual plan book there will be a list of costs associated with lab tests

You should not be getting surprised billing you should only have to pay your co pay.

Answer: Medicare Advantage Plans are different in almost every county in the country..some plans cover multiple counties.

Medicare Supplement Plans are standardized by CMS and cannot be different based on state or county.

Answer: Medicare does not include dental and vision

Many companies offer stand alone plans I offer coverage that includes dentures and implants.

Answer: Medicare Parts A and B will not be affected.

If you have a Medicare Supplement you will not need to do anything other than inform your provider of the address change.

You will have a Two month open enrollment to choose a new Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.

Answer: To can go to Medicare.gov and compare part d drugs.

When you put them into the plan finder you will be given the lowest prices plan and lowest cost.

Answer: Originial Medicare does not have a Network, you can use your red white and blue Medicare card at any Dr. or Hospital that accepts Medicare.

Medicare Advantage replaces Originial Medicare and has in most cases a network of Dr. and Hospitals that you must use to ge the best rates avaialble.

Answer: if you did not take medicare at 65 you will be penalized at 1% per month for each month that you did not have coverage under the Medicare program.

If you had qaulifying coverage you will need to submit Form CMS L564/R297 (09/23) to get the penalty removed before you apply for Part A, B, and D.

William

Answer: The Biggest mistake that people make with part D is not reviewing it annually.

Cost per company and Formulary teirs change every year.

You may be paying for more than you need to without an annual review.

Answer: The Part A deductible applies to those in original Medicare.

If you have a Medicare Part C plan you would love pay according to the terms of your plan.

Answer: You have not provided enough information.

If you have original Medicare and chose a plan like the HDG - or the N plan or K / L there will be copays and deductibles. Medicare will pay after the deductible of 257$ 80/20. These plans all have different variations of copays so it will likely cost you different copays when you go to the dr.

If you chose a Medicare Advantage plan you have replaced original Medicare with this plan and therefore you will have to read that plans summary of benefits to determine your copays and out of pocket costs.

You can reach out to me if you need help understanding what you have and what costs you can expect.

Answer: There is really no advantage or dissadvantage of a local agent vs a remote agent. Let me explain there are tools that make the world a lot smaller now.

If you have the proper license and contracts you may find that a VERY EXPERIENCED Broker will likely do most of their work remote.

I will see most of my clients remote after 28 years of bellying up to the table I am at a point in my career where my phone rings and I don't chase new clients. I am able to offer my clients the experience of nearly 30 years of work.

You may find a local agent who Is brand new who will drive hours to meet people at the table. This doesn't make them better it doesn't make them worse. It simply is a different model.

Answer: Medicare plan G is the most comprehensive Medicare Supplement available today.

Once you meet the 257$ deductible for part B your medicare supplement will cover your remaining cost of care at 100%.

This is assuming you are on the G and not the HDG (the HDG has a 2870) then its 100% covered.

Answer: Medicare is an entitlement benefit.

As an entitlement benefit you cannot be canceled unless you don't pay for your premium.

Answer: Medicare covers up to 12 treatments for accupunture for " low back pain that has lasted 12 weeks or longer) it is covered only in this situation.

A Medicare Advantage plan has to offer at least what Medicare offers and can offer extra coverage.

So while all Medicare advantage plans have to offers "accupunture" in this situation it is up to the plan whether they offer additional coverage outside of the Original Medicare Benefit.

Answer: This is a very loaded question.

Here is what I tell my clients, when choosing a Medicare plan. It is important to realize that while I can move you from one Medicare Advantage plan to another year to year.

You many not have this option with Medicare supplement once in you cannot be cancelled but the company is not required to accept new clients without underwriting them based on health.