Andre Cabral, Medicare Insurance Agent

Answer: You should always ask beforehand "who will make medical decisions as to what is necessary to me: my Doctor or the insurance company?"

Answer: A: If your doctors are in the network of your new plan, you just keep them seamlessly. Depending on your new plan, you still can see them and pay a higher co-pay as an out-of-network doctor.

Answer: A: Not having asked for a licensed agent's help, facing such a complex maze by themselves, without proper education, considering the great importance of that step.

Answer: A: Most carriers offer their own app, which comes with several functions, including drug management, for free to their members.

Answer: Original Medicare does not cover it. Some Medicare Advantage providers used to offer additional benefits that included wearables, however more and more rare nowadays, due to cost containment.

Answer: It depends on your needs. If you frequently see specialists and needs to do exams many times a year, then MedSup may be your best choice. Your monthly cost will be the Part B, the Drug plan and the Med Sup premium.

If you enjoy fairly good health, you can choose a Medicare Advantage plan that covers parts A, B and D (drugs) that costs $0 monthly premium. Your only cost will be whatever SSA charges for your Original Medicare part B costs (generally $185.00/mo)

Answer: The best way is to schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with a licensed agent, either in person or by phone/video.

Answer: A: the most common misconceptions people have about Medicare are that Medicare is 100% free and it covers 100% of the cost of services.

Answer: As far as Original Medicare Part B, the only way to reduce the monthly premium is to being eligible for L.I.S. (low income subsidy) or for Medicaid. Medicare Advantage covers parts A and B, prescription drugs and some additional benefits at no cost, for certain plans. Consult an agent.

Answer: You may call the Carrier's customer service number, but from THEIR website, instead of from a google search, which may be scammer's phone number.

Answer: You may consult with a licensed agent. The agent's job is to educate you as to how the Medicare works, what are you dues and your options to get safely and affordably covered.

Answer: The carriers generally provide the annual House Call at no charge to the member. They send a nurse to check your vitals and medicines. The information they obtain helps the carrier provide better services to members.

Answer: It's freedom to choose your health care providers without a referral or prior authorization for procedures, exams, etc, as long as they accept Medicare and the medical needs are covered by the Original Medicare.

Answer: When you turn 65 and apply for Medicare part B, you have 6 months from the part B effective date to apply for Medicare Supplement . Within this 6 month period your acceptance is guaranteed. Past 6 months you are subject to underwriting process.

Answer: If your doctor billed you, he/she probably does not take Original Medicare; or he/she takes Medicare, but is out of your plan's network; or his/her rate is above (up to 15%) of Medicare allowed rate.

Answer: Because they miss the Enrollment period, which varies significantly according to the individual situation, as far as health coverage. Pass enrollment period + coverage gap = lifetime penalty.

Answer: Emergency medical services only. Neither original Medicare or Supplement/Advantage plans cover other than emergency medical needs.

Answer: You can learn all about Medicare by calling a licensed agent, faster than reading and researching. Of course I advise you to do your own home work and have questions written down before calling an agent. However, you have 7 months to enroll at: SSA.gov : the month your turn 65, 3 months prior and 3 months after. Wether you go to apply for part A and/or part B, the choice depends of your current health coverage. An agent should never charge you for Medicare information.

Answer: Federal government funds private companies to assist their members and, depending on the plan, it may have a $0 monthly premium. However it doesn't mean $0 cost, for there are co-pays and deductibles, though limited by an annual Maximum out-of-pocket.

Answer: Your individual coverage and eligibility will not be affected; however, depending of your spouse's work history and your after merriage combined income, it may affect part B premium. Also your free part A eligibility may be reviewd.

Answer: If you already have Medicare (and Rx) and it is your only health coverage, you don't have to do anything. If you have an employer's coverage, there are many variables to be considered. It's not a short answer. Consult a licensed agent.

Answer: Better be safe than sorry. Better to be educated than skeptical. For many reasons.

Medigap (Medicare Supplement) has a monthly premium between $100 and $200, on average, and increases every year. If you let it lapse for missing payments, you will go through the underwriting process, should you want to have that coverage back, which frequently leads to higher premiums.

Medicare Advantage (MA) can be of $0 monthly premium with additional benefits that Medigap plans don't have, like vision, dental, hearing, gym clubs, and others.

A licensed agent can provide you with a thorough education and help you make a decision as to what plan will meet your needs and your budget, to avoid regrets. An ethical agent will want to keep you in his book for years, instead of seeking a higher commission.

Answer: You can apply for L.I.S. (Low income subsidy) a.k.a. Extra help" in the SSA.Gov website; you can also apply for Medicaid at https://njfamilycare.dhs.state.nj.us

When you are approved for Medicaid and you have Medicare parts A & B, you are dual eligible for DSNP - dual special needs plans, which will pay for virtually everything, $0 co-pays back to back.

Answer: Part A of Original Medicare covers 80% of the hospital costs, and it still comes with some limitations on the length of certain benefits. You need a complementary plan to cover the remaining 20%. For this purpose, you have the choice of Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage. Either way, you still need to consider the coverage for Doctors, labs, and Prescription Drugs. A licensed agent can help you navigate the pathway to make an educated decision.

Answer: It depends on your particular situation. Original Medicare covers only 80% of Hospital (Part A) and doctors' and labs' (Part B) costs. You still need a provision for the remaining 20% and for Prescription Drugs. There are different choices of Medicare Advantage plans, and most of them include Part A, Part B, and a Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD), besides some additional benefits like Vision, Dental, Hearing, Gym, OTC products allowance, etc. But, again, it depends on your particular situation, for there are other factors to be considered.

Answer: First, we need to know exactly what plans we are talking about. Simply comparing prices is not enough to understand. The lowest cost a normal beneficiary pays for Medicare is $185/mo. for the Part B premium this year. After this, there are many other costs involved that can be reduced with subsidies from the State and/or Federal Government for low-income beneficiaries. Some Medicare Advantage plans may have $0/mo premium.

Answer: A conscious licensed agent should put your interests first and make sure that your health care preferred providers are in the plan's network. Sometimes happens that your preferred Doctor is in the Network when you apply for the plan, but then he/she leaves the Network during the year, and this is out of the carrier's control. For most plans, you can continue seeing your preferred specialist out-of-network for a higher co-pay.

Answer: Licensed agents can search the plans they represent to find the medication you need and inform you of the price at the same time.

Answer: You can either buy a stand-alone plan that covers Dental and Vision (sometimes hearing too) or you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage that comes with these coverages as Additional Benefits.

Consult a license agent to learn about your choices.

Answer: When you have Original Medicare (Parts A and B), you still need a Part D stand-alone plan.

Most beneficiaries in this situation pay a monthly premium over Parts B and D, besides the 20% remaining balance, for Original Medicare (Parts A and B) only covers 80% of your medical bills. When you have Medicare Advantage, and you choose a MAPD (Medicare Advantage+Prescription Drug plan), you are 100% covered for all the benefits covered by the original Medicare, plus the Part D (some co-payments apply). There are MAPD plans which premium costs $O/mo and the only premium you have to pay is the part B monthly premium ($185.00 in 2025)