Arlene Arkin, Medicare Insurance Agent

Answer: I don't consider myself an agent,I consider myself an independent broker which allows me to be appointed with many companies instead of only one. In this way I can help a person choose both the type of plan that would work for them and make sure their doctors and prescriptions are covered. I am an unbiased advocate for my clients which enables me to put my client first and thus allows me to feel I am doing the best job possible for someone.

Answer: Medicare does not cover all costs. For example the Part B deductible is not covered and normally Medicare will pay about 80% of medically necessary charges after that. Nursing care is limited to a certain number of days.

There is also no Prescription drug coverage with stand alone Medicare Part A and B.

That is why people usually choose a Medicare supplement to help pay for the 20% Medicare does not cover along with the purchase of a prescription drug plan or a Medicare Advantage plans that take over the care, PartA(hospital), Part B(doctors, bloodwork , labs,etc) and Part D (medications) and extended nursing care if necessary

Answer: Yes once you are deemed to qualify for hospice care. Medicare will cover it even if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare steps in and handles the Hospice care for you.

Answer: There is no specific answer to this question.

It depends on if the person is new to Medicare or if they already have Medicare and are looking at options .

If someone is new to Medicare there are different timelines depending on their situation . If they are turning 65 for example or leaving their employment where they currently have health insurance.

If someone currently has a Medicare Advantage plan no information is available until October 1st of each year about new plans and they can make changes from 10/15-12/7 or 1/1/-3/31. They can look at a Medicare supplement during those times also and make a change because they should look at prescription drug plans also which coincide with the Medicare Advantage rules.

As you can see there is not one answer to that question

Answer: Most of the time it is because they did not register for Part B or Part D at the designated times of eligibility. There are specific deadlines for signing up for these two parts of Medicare depending on the individual situation.

Answer: Medicare covers a nursing home for days 1-21, then there are daily charges up until a certain point.

There are Long Term care plans available and other vehicles that can help with nursing home care but you need to qualify healthwise in order to obtain them.

Answer: You would need to be more specific about both the company and plan you currently have in order to see if there was something else out there that was less expensive.

Answer: Medicare is complicated. If someone has Medicare only they are responsible for both Part A and B deductible each year and about 80% of Medicare Part B charges which could become quite costly since there is no Maximum out of Pocket amount as a stop point of charges.

In order to offset this many people choose a Medicare supplement offered by private companies to make up some or all of the remaining 20%. There is a premium associated with these plans. Any doctor who takes Medicare will usually accept a medicare supplement plan as a secondary insurance plan

Other people might go into a Medicare Advantage plan which offers Part A, Part B and usually Part D(which covers medications).

There are co-pays normally with any type of service these plans offer but there is a Maximum Out of Pocket amount. These plans take the place of Medicare and have networks of specific doctors and hospitals. They also offer HMO's and PPO's .

Again if a person only has Medicare the bills can become quite costly.

Answer: No they are two different plans and the wording can be confusing.

Medicare Supplement plans or Medigap are private insurance plans that is secondary to Medicare, it is the second payor .wheras Medicare Secondary insurance is usually affiliated with Medicare and an Employers group or workman's compensation for example. It pays first then Medicare kicks in.

Answer: Medicare will pay a portion of a visit to an eye doctor, then a supplement might pay the remainder.

A Medicare advantage plan will cover an eye exam and usually has partial benefits for glasses and frames

Answer: An independent broker works for you not a particular company and hopefully will help you find the right product or products that fit your needs versus either trying to do it on your own or working with an agent who only deals with one company.

Answer: I would recommend contacting your broker who can check this for you or

if you have a computer you can go directly to the insurance company's website , and look up providers

Contacting your broker is many times easier.