Abigail Turner, Medicare Insurance Broker
Abigail Turner
Inspired Advisors
Medicare Broker Licensed in KS, AZ, KY, MO, NC, NE, NM, OK, PA, VA and WA
Contact Details
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Location
Wichita, KS
About Me
Abigail has been working in the insurance industry for over eight years. After several years in the non-profit sector, her passion to help people followed her to insurance and more specifically, Medicare. She loves educating clients and referral partners on Medicare and the options available to those who are eligible. As an independent advisor, she has access to nearly every company offering coverage and ensures clients are in the right plan for them, based on their unique needs and wants.
She is married to her best friend, Jake, and they own and run Inspired Advisors together.
Q&A with Abigail Turner
What do you like most about being a Medicare agent?
Answer: I love helping people but more specifically, I'd have to say I love clearing up mis-information and providing solid education. Medicare is actually a pretty simple program but it has been made out to be complicated and confusing and I love breaking it down for clients, helping them understand it in a way that they feel confident to make a decision for their themselves.
Are Medicare Advantage plans really "free," or is that just clever marketing?
Answer: Nothing worthwhile is free and that certainly goes for your insurance. In the world of Medicare, $0 premium does NOT mean free. There are going to be costs for services received while on a Medicare Advantage plan. However, the $0 premium does mean you will only pay for services when you need them, as you need them, and not automatically every month.
As a general rule, if it's marketing, proceed with caution! An independent agent can help you see through the "noise" of marketing and get to the real info that matters.
Will my Medicare plan work when traveling to Europe?
Answer: This is going to vary and be dependent on what plan you have. Original Medicare is not an international health insurance program so the coverage available internationally will be based on your Medicare plan.
Several Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans (specifically Plans C, D, F, G, M, and N) offer 80% "foreign travel emergency" coverage, subject to plan limits.
Many Medicare Advantage plan companies also offer some international coverage. In general, Emergency Room and Urgent Care is covered by some companies and may or may not have a copay associated. At least one other company also covers ground ambulance transportation internationally for a copay.
Checking with your broker/agent or going through your plan's full Explanation of Benefits documentation will give you the coverage available with your specific plan.
I picked the plan with the lowest premium, but now every doctor visit feels like a surprise bill. Should I have gone with a higher premium instead?
Answer: This is definitely going to depend on the type of Medicare plan you've chosen and frequency of doctor visits. With Medicare supplement (also known as Medigap) plans, typically the higher the premium payment means greater coverage from plan letter to plan letter (such as Plan N costs more AND covers more than Plan A but Plan G costs more AND covers more than Plan N). So price can certainly determine coverage.
With a Medicare Advantage plan, many are $0 premium per month but you WILL be billed or charged copays for any services rendered or doctor visits made.
How can I verify if a Medicare Advantage plan's advertised benefits are legit?
Answer: The first place I'd go to check would be the carrier's website. With a few clicks and putting in your zip code, you can review plans available in your area, including the one you're trying to verify. You can see the summary of benefits that would confirm the benefits available in the plan and you'd know from there if the benefits were "legit". If you have a broker/agent, I'd give them a call as a second opinion to make sure they explain ALL of the plans available to you so you don't miss anything.
I don't understand how my friend pays nothing for their plan and I pay over $200-are these plans just totally random by ZIP code?
Answer: Yes, your zip code definitely matters but I wouldn't use the word "random". There are two different Medicare plan options and from your question, you and your friend have two different Medicare options. Plans that are $0 premium are nice but you will get bills and/or have to pay copays for doctor visits, ER, ambulance, etc. If you're paying a high monthly premium of $200/month, you likely don't pay copays or get bills; paying your monthly premium takes care of most or all of your medical expenses. Talking with a licensed Medicare broker/independent agent will be key to help you understand the different options, the pros and cons of each option, and ultimately deciding which option is the best fit for you personally.
How do Medicare Advantage star ratings affect the quality of care I can expect?
Answer: Star ratings are based on a number of factors. In general, we feel comfortable recommending a plan with three stars or higher. That means they are doing their job at least at an average level and have met CMS (Medicare) expectations. The higher the star rating, the "better" they're doing at the metrics CMS has set up for measuring plan success. Anything lower than a three star, we are a bit leery. Those ratings aren't given lightly so that plan/company has some work to do.
What does Medicare Part B cover? Is it enough?
Answer: Medicare Part B is your Medical coverage, providing coverage for most things you will have done. This is where every provider bills Medicare (from your primary doctor, to any specialists, to surgeons and anesthesiologists) as well as your durable medical equipment (DME - CPAP, nebulizers, CGMs, oxygen, etc) and Part B medications (Chemo, dialysis, infusions, etc). So outside of being admitted to the hospital, many of your charges are coming through Part B.
Is it enough...certainly not. What Part B will NOT cover is anything in-patient in the hospital as well as in-patient rehab (Skilled Nursing). So if you ever need hospital or in-patient rehab care, you need Medicare Part A as well.
Shouldn't Medicare expand to cover more alternative treatments that actually help seniors?
Answer: My personal answer to this question is YES! While Medicare is pretty proactive and preventative friendly in coverage, it's not so much "alternative treatment" friendly in most cases. But I don't think this is just a Medicare issue and is a health insurance issue at large. We are more educated than ever and have access to information that confirms things like diet, certain vitamins/supplements, hormone therapies, etc are hugely successful and cost effective but are currently not covered by insurance or approved by the FDA for general medical use. I hope this changes as I have seen the benefits in my own life. For now, the best answer I can give is use your insurance for traditional treatments and if you can, put a little extra cash aside to pay out of pocket for some of those "alterative" treatments.