Brianna Douros, Medicare Insurance Broker

Answer: I enjoying helping people and their families in general, so I think this is just another way to be able to serve my existing life insurance clients. I get satisfaction from their appreciation.

Answer: If you are a frequent traveler, original medicare will travel with you to any state and can see any doctor that accepts original medicare. A medicare advantage plan is usually confined to a network of doctors in the area/zip code you reside in.

Answer: I’m sorry it felt like that. A medicare seminar should be educational. It should have been a presentation on what the parts of medicare are, what they cover, how to enroll, your options, etc. Feel free to follow my Facebook or YouTube channel as I post weekly videos about aging into medicare. Best of Luck to you! YouTube.com/@berrealinsured

Answer: I would advise to apply for Mediciad. Medicaid is income based and aid through your state. If approved, Mediciad may help pay for parts or all of your medicare premium. If you are outside of the income bracket of medicaid, I would advise you to at least apply for extra help through Medicare. You can do so by going to ssa.gov.

Answer: My clients use their OTC cards at local pharmacies, Walmart, Kroger, etc. to purchase vitamins, toothbrushes, rubbing alcohol, bandaids, etc. What they can purchase depends on their company & what their plan includes. They can sometimes use it to purchase groceries or even on their utilities as well. In addition to their healthcare card, they receive a “flex card”, “u card”, or “spending card” with a preloaded quarterly or monthly amount. Most of the time it looks like a credit card, has a number, expiration date, & CVC code. They can usually use it in store or for purchases online.

Answer: How are you getting conflicting information? From your agent? From a website? I would call the specific company you are planning to go with so they can clarify.

Answer: Technically you could decline your Part B coverage and only apply for Part A giving you only hospital coverage (after you’ve met the deductible of course). However, you would need to keep in mind you will have no medical coverage for your primary care, preventative services, & etc. Also, if you wanted to add Part B later down the road then you would have a penalty in addition to your Part B premium- not including your part d coverage & penalty if you declined that as well. We are only going to decline in health as we age, it’s inevitable & I would not recommend this route, especially if you are just trying to save money but I guess it is an option. However, if you are in a financial set back and just can’t afford the costs of your medicare premium then I’d recommend applying for Mediciad- Medicaid is income based and offered through your state, it could help pay some or all of your part B premium if you qualify.

Answer: Your coverage is going to remain the same regardless of your current financial situation. I'm not sure what king of policy you may have, whether it be original Medicare with a pdp, possibly a supplement or even a Medicare advantage plan- but those things are not going to change. However, I'm not sure if you were in a higher tax bracket and paying more for your part A or B premium, as that cost may change if so. I'm also not sure of your current income, but it could be possible that you are eligible for Medicaid or even extra help through Medicare. Medicaid is income based and state specific. If qualified, it may help pay some or even all of your Medicare premium and even pick up some of the gaps Medicare doesn't cover. If you are not eligible for Medicaid, you may be eligible for extra help through Medicare. You can apply for extra help on ssa.gov. Best of luck!

Answer: You have your initial enrollment period (IEP) to sign up for Medicare to avoid any late enrollment penalties. Your IEP is 3 months before, the month of, and 3 months after your 65th birthday. You can enroll by telephone 1-800-Medicare, online at ssa.gov, or you can also apply at your local social security office.

Answer: Yes, a Supplemental Plan can be referred to as Secondary Insurance. It can also be referred to as a Medigap plan. When you have both Medicare and a Secondary Insurance, it will act as a secondary payer, covering expenses that Medicare does not. This coordination helps reduce out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries.

Answer: The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is a payment option in the prescription drug law that works with your current drug coverage to help you manage your out-of-pocket costs for drugs covered by your plan by spreading them across the calendar year.

If you select this payment option, each month you’ll continue to pay your plan premium (if you have one), and you’ll get a bill from your health or drug plan to pay for your prescription drugs (instead of paying the pharmacy).

There’s no cost to participate in the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan so this may be helpful with your expensive specialty medication.

Answer: It is quite possible that you could have a Medicare Supplement (also known as Medi-gap policy) in addition to your Medicare (there are several different companies that offer a supplement to Medicare). A supplement helps pay for the deductibles and coinsurances Medicare doesn't cover.

It is also possible your friend may have a Medicare advantage plan, those typically have a low to no cost premium and combine your Parts A, B, and D up into one plan (also known as Part C). The Medicare advantage plan benefits, costs, and availability are based on zip code.