Bill Filer, Medicare Insurance Agent
Bill Filer
Core360 Benefits Group
Medicare Agent Licensed in MO, GA, KS and TN
Contact Details
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Location
Harrisonville, MO
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Phone
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LinkedIn
About Me
I have been involved in financial services for most of my working career. Beyond the insurance credentials, I carry Series 6 and Series 63 securities licenses, I am a Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS) and I am a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI). I have been involved in life, health and accident insurance, financial planning, asset management, banking, financial literacy and investing literacy education throughout my career. I am currently licensed in Missouri and Kansas for all of your life, health and accident insurance needs.
Q&A with Bill Filer
I'm turning 65 next month; what are the first steps I should take regarding Medicare enrollment?
Answer: When you are turning 65 and considering your Medicare options, the best place to start is to determine and confirm your eligibility. From there, I would start learning about the various pieces of Medicare, the alphabet soup of A, B, C, D and so on. At that point, you can then start making some decisions about how best to set up your Medicare. You can enroll yourself, or you may want to consult with a licensed and certified Medicare agent who can help you all along the way. Best of luck to you and happy early birthday!
How do you educate clients who are completely new to Medicare?
Answer: There is a lot to consider, and important decisions to be made. The best place to start is to determine where clients are at in terms of their Medicare knowledge, their experiences, and preferences. From there, I would normally make certain clients understand the nuts-and-bolts of Medicare (Parts A, B, C, D, and so on). With that foundation we would then want to determine eligibility and start to build a plan.
Which Medicare Supplement plan (Medigap) offers the best value for most seniors, and why?
Answer: This is a great question, one I get a lot. It's an easy question in theory, but not so easy to answer. Each client has needs, preferences, and experiences that will shape the decision they make, and it very rarely comes down to just price. In addition, geographic considerations and insurance company policies also play a key role in this process.
Medicare supplement plans (Medigap Plans) K, L, and M are available, but because these plans involve cost-sharing, some of them significant, consumer preferences lead to wider usage of plans G and N.
In a nutshell: Plan G does not require co-payments, covers Part B Excess charges, but will generally cost a bit more. Plan N will have co-payments, does not cover Part B excess, but will typically come at a lower price.
No easy answers. I would highly recommend consulting with a licensed and certified Medicare agent to help determine which plan would be right for you.
What do you like most about being a Medicare agent?
Answer: Great question. It is really satisfying helping seniors make sense of their options, reducing the complexities, and helping them feel more at ease. Being a sounding board, another opinion, to help them re-affirm, or refute, all of the things they see on TV, receive in the mail, or hear from family and friends, is valuable. I'm pleased to be a part of that process.
When my husband dies, do I get his Social Security and mine?
Answer: This is a good question.
If you qualify to receive social security based on your own work record, and if you qualify for survivor's benefits as well, it is unlikely that you will receive both. Uncle Sam will most likely payout the higher of the two amounts, not both.
If you do not qualify for social security on your own, and your spouse passes away, you may be eligible for the survivor benefit. There are certain criteria that must be met in order to qualify. I would absolutely encourage you to check out ssa.gov for more info.
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: This on can be tricky.
Using an HMO plan typically means you would want to stay within the network in order to keep your costs as low as possible. If you see a doctor outside of the network, you could end up paying the full cost for that care. There could be some exceptions if this was an emergent care issue while out of network. Be careful seeing an out of network doctor on an elective basis.
Some HMO plans are Point of Service (POS). A POS plan may allow you go out of network for some things. If it is a POS plan, you can probably count on paying a higher price if you choose an out of network provider, however.
Call your plan provider and double check before having the services provided. It's really the only way to know for certain what you're facing. Wish you best!
How will advancements in wearable health tech (like smartwatches) integrate with Medicare?
Answer: We're talking about the future state of healthcare, not just in the Medicare space.
Wearables could potentially be a big cost savings for Medicare in the future. Constant monitoring and early detection could create less trips to the ER. Post-surgical patients and patients discharged from the hospital, could see less frequent trips to a provider for follow ups.
Almost like Progressive Insurance's in-car monitor, called Snapshot, having a similar medical wearable, and agreeing to share the data, could potentially allow insurers to monitor vital statistics, track exercise times, sleep patterns, etc. resulting in potential savings for the more active among us.
I don't think we're there yet in terms of the technology. With all the providers and insurers out there, finding technology that will integrate all the different wearable brands and various IT systems is a tall task. We're probably not too far away, however.
Then, there's the myriad of privacy and PII (Personal Identifiable Information) concerns to be wrestled with.
What additional coverage options are available for international travelers?
Answer: For the most part, Medicare does not cover you outside the U.S. It is probably not sufficient to rely on if you travel for extended periods of time.
Most of the coverage for international travel consists of emergency care only. Medigap supplement plans, like "G" or "N", usually provide some coverage, but the accident or illness needs to occur within the first 60 days of your travel. You have to satisfy your deductible and there is a lifetime cap on the amount that is covered as well.
You may consider purchasing a stand-alone travel insurance policy that will help cover expenses incurred due to illness or injury. Be careful to make certain the policy is a medical plan and not a trip cancellation plan. You can purchase these through a licensed insurance agent if you want some help navigating your options.
Travel safe!
How does Medicare Part B handle coverage for preventative screenings like mammograms?
Answer: Medicare Part B pays for many preventative screenings. Be sure to check with your provider if you have a question about a specific screening you are interested in.
This booklet from CMS also explains quite about about preventative screening. Download it from CMS here: https://www.medicare.gov/publications/10110-your-guide-to-medicare-preventive-services.pdf
Good Luck.