Barbara Hawes, Medicare Insurance Broker
Barbara Hawes
Protect Your Health Insurance
Medicare Broker Licensed in NJ, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, NC, NV, NY, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT and VA
9+ Years of Experience
Contact Details
-
Location
Brielle, NJ
About Me
Greetings! I'm Barbara, a Medicare insurance agent dedicated to serving your local area. Medicare is my area of expertise, and I'm committed to helping you pinpoint the most suitable plan for your individual needs and budget. I'll handle the research and comparison of plans from top national and local companies, so you can relax. Plus, my assistance comes at absolutely no cost to you. Reach out to me today to discuss your Medicare insurance possibilities, and remember to mention you found me through Medicare Agents Hub!
Q&A with Barbara Hawes
What are the red flags I should look for when interviewing agents? I want to make sure I'm not just getting sold to but genuinely advised.
Answer: Really good question!
A responsible agent in my opinion will educate first and then let you decide what's best for you. They need to learn about you a bit first as to what's important to you in a plan, what you expect, and then present the advantages and disadvantages of each type of plan. Once you decide whether medicare advantage or medicare supplement, then the selections can whittle down to something more manageable. You should never be pushed; if you don't understand something then you need to get answers until you feel comfortable. And after you enroll, that agent needs to be your right hand person to help answer questions, provide suggestions, or help mediate a solution if needed.
I picked a Medicare Advantage plan because of the dental and now I found out it only covers cleanings. Why didn't anyone tell me this upfront?
Answer: Im so sorry you had that experience! Its always important to review not only the brochure carefully, but if working with an agent, have a list of things you are specifically looking for in your plan to ask the agent. You can't plan for everything so do the best you can. And do you know that from Jan 1 to March 31, you can change to another medicare advantage plan ? So use those 3 months to " test drive" a plan.. see your dr, scout out dental and other providers ... if you have problems you can't resolve, then find another plan. You can change it once during that time.
You can add a separate dental plan at any time.
I signed up for a Medicare Advantage HMO, and I'm wondering if I can see a cardiologist out of network without paying everything myself.
Answer: It seems that you already are aware that HMOs require that you stay in network. The only exceptions to this are for urgent care, emergencies, or in certain cases where your insurance company has pre-authorized the out of network provider. Even so, out of network providers can balance bill, so you may still end up paying a substantial part of the cost. For more freedom to choose that cardiologist, change to a PPO at the next open enrollment unless you have a qualifying event that opens you to a special enrollment.
Can Medicare pay for my groceries?
Answer: In certain Medicare Advantage plans, there are extra benefits, among which are over the counter (OTC) and healthy groceries. OTC gives you access to medical-type supplies from aspirin to canes and vitamins. You usually can either order them online through their catalogue or go to a major pharmacy chain such as CVS and buy off the shelf.
Healthy groceries will give you access to specific categories of foods: dairy, meat, fresh veggies, etc. up to a limit. Most times you will find this benefit for lower income Medicare recipients but occasionally they will be found among the general Medicare Advantage plans.
Here are a few hints to look for in these benefits:
1. How often does the card replenish-- monthly? quarterly?
2. If you don't use the entire amount by the end of the benefit period (monthly or quarterly), will the remaining amount roll over to the new cycle?
3. Is there a way to ADD to the benefit amount? Some companies will give specific amounts more to that credit if you do certain tasks, such as get your wellness exam, fill out a survey, watch a wellness video.
4. Buying the items especially the OTC items in person is convenient for some, but you have to watch the brand and size specifically. If it's not on the approved list, you will be charged for that item when you get to the cash register.
In this economy, I can understand the importance of the question. Other avenues to consider would be to see where else you can save money so you can buy more groceries. Prescription assistance programs, Medicare financial assistance and other resources are available if you are eligible. Call us or your local Department of Aging for more information.