Brianna Douros, Medicare Insurance Broker

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and earner. If you’re uninsured, bring in your resolutions, and let's discuss three common mistakes that I find people make during the annual enrollment period.

Number one is waiting until the last minute. When you wait, you don't have time to fully understand all of your options. You can end up scrambling and even get locked into something that really isn't benefiting you. So don't wait until the last minute.

Number two is assuming that your plan doesn't change. Every year, companies adjust premiums, networks, and benefits. If you don't review the changes, you could miss something important that impacts your coverage.

Number three is not checking your drug coverage. Formularies change every year, and medications can even move tiers. If you're not reviewing, you could end up paying a lot more for the same prescriptions you're currently taking.

The good news is I can help you avoid all of these mistakes at no cost to you. So don't wait. Give me a call or grab a spot on my calendar using the link below. Let's make this AP stress-free.

All right y'all, until next time, keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of BE REAL Insurance. I'm bringing you real solutions as you get ready to turn 65. First of all, that's a huge milestone. But there are also a lot of important decisions that start coming your way, one of those being Medicare.

One thing I always tell my clients who are turning 65 is not to wait until the last minute. Start your Medicare conversation early so that you can understand all of your options and avoid any late enrollment penalties. Every situation is going to be different, and whether you are still working, have retiree coverage, or if you're on your spouse's insurance, what works for someone else may not work for you.

My job is to make Medicare simple and to make you feel confident about what you choose. If you're turning 65 soon, we should chat. I'd be happy to walk you through all of your options and make sure everything's set up smoothly.

All right y'all, until next time, keep it real!

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insured, bringing you real solutions. Today we're gonna touch on the birthday rule. This is great for Virginia, y'all. It's going to be effective July 1st, 2025.

What this means is if you have a Medicare supplement or a Medigap policy, you can make a change to that Medicare supplement policy in the month of your birthday without having to undergo any underwriting. This is huge! This means that you will not be denied due to your health conditions. This means that you can lock in a lower rate for that Medicare supplement.

So this is awesome! We're so excited to see this in Virginia. We can't wait to help you guys. And if y'all have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Until next time, y'all keep it real!

Answer: Hey y'all, Brianna here, your favorite life and health insurance agent owner at Be Real Insurer, bringing you real solutions. Today we're gonna touch on hospital indemnity plans. They are paired beautifully with Medicare Advantage plans. As we know, Medicare Advantage plans do have some advantages, but they also have some gaps. One of those gaps is the hospitalization co-pay, which can be up to $400 for the first day, and it can be one through six or even one through eight, depending on your Medicare Advantage plan. Before your plan starts to pick up any of those costs, it can become quite a hefty bill in the event that you're hospitalized.

One way to protect yourself is with a hospital indemnity plan for a little over a dollar a day. You can offset those costs. It's really great. I've also had individuals on group coverage or even just original Medicare have this in place just to offer some additional protection. I hope that helps! If you guys have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. And until next time, y'all keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, Brianna here, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insurer, bringing you real solutions. So yeah, we're gonna go over three questions that I want you to ask yourself, whether you're new to Medicare and considering a Medicare Advantage plan, or if you're reviewing your current Medicare Advantage plan during the annual open enrollment period.

The first thing that I want you to ask yourself is, are my doctors in network with this Medicare Advantage plan? It's going to include your primary care doctor and any specialists that you're seeing.

And the second thing that I want you to ask yourself is, are my prescriptions going to be covered under this Medicare Advantage plan and at a reasonable cost, along with my pharmacy? Is that going to be in network?

And the third thing that I want you to ask yourself is, what kind of extra benefits, such as dental, vision, or hearing services, do I need? Not all Medicare Advantage plans are going to cover these services, and some only at a certain extent. So it is important to know your needs.

If you're still unsure how to answer these questions or if you need any guidance while reviewing your options, I would be happy to walk you through that at no cost. Medicare doesn't have to be overwhelming, y'all. I hope that helps. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Until next time, y'all keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of BE Real Insurer, bringing you real solutions in a discussion about AEP. So what is it? AEP stands for Annual Enrollment Period. At this time, you can actually make a change to your current Medicare Advantage plan, your prescription drug plan, or you can even convert back to original Medicare. AEP runs from October 15th through December 7th, and it is very important that you review your current Medicare coverage during this time frame to ensure that you are still in the most suitable option for you based on your current needs, budget, and health conditions.

Now I hope that helped answer some questions you guys had about AEP. If you have any more, don't hesitate to reach out to me. And until next time, y'all keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent, owner of Be Real Insurer, bringing you real solutions. I think quite a bit of questions are wondering the difference between the Medicare supplement and a Medicare Advantage plan. Let's break it down.

Medicare supplement, often called a Medigap plan, is going to work alongside original Medicare. It's going to help cover things like copays and deductibles that Medicare doesn't. Now, keep in mind it does not cover dental, vision, hearing, or prescription drugs. But the big advantage is freedom. You can see any doctor nationwide who accepts original Medicare without having to worry about any networks.

Medicare Advantage plans are offered through private insurance companies, and they're going to combine your Part A, your Part B, and usually your Part D prescription drug into one plan. Many of these plans are going to include extras like dental, vision, and hearing, but you'll likely have copays, deductibles, and you may even need to send to a network of providers.

So, which one is best for you? Well, that's really going to depend on your health needs, your lifestyle, and even your budget. So that's exactly where I come in here to help sort through all your options and find what's best for you. As always, don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. And until next time, y'all keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent, owner of Be Real Insurer, bringing you real solutions. Today we're gonna touch on a D-SNP. A dual special needs plan is a Medicare Advantage plan that is only available to individuals for both Medicare and Medicaid. Oftentimes, I see these D-SNPs with a little to no cost as far as co-insurance, copays, and deductibles go. That's gonna depend on your Medicaid level and what you may qualify for.

Often, they have a higher dental, vision, and hearing coverage than a traditional Medicare Advantage plan. And even depending on your Medicaid level, you could even qualify for a spending card to assist in making purchases for your groceries, over-the-counter products, utilities, and sometimes even gas. Now that's gonna depend on the area that you reside in and, of course, your Medicaid level. Some of these D-SNP plans could also even offer transportation.

So they do find it to be quite beneficial to those who are in need of additional assistance. So I hope that helps. I explained a little bit about a D-SNP plan. And if you guys have any questions, would like to see if you qualify, or have any other additional questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. All right y'all, until next time, keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, Brianna here, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insurer, bringing you real solutions. So yeah, we're gonna go over three questions that I want you to ask yourself, whether you're new to Medicare and considering a Medicare Advantage plan, or if you're reviewing your current Medicare Advantage plan during the annual open enrollment period.

The first thing that I want you to ask yourself is, are my doctors in network with this Medicare Advantage plan? It's going to include your primary care doctor and any specialists that you're seeing.

And the second thing that I want you to ask yourself is, are my prescriptions going to be covered under this Medicare Advantage plan and at a reasonable cost, along with my pharmacy? Is that going to be in network?

And the third thing that I want you to ask yourself is, what kind of extra benefits, such as dental, vision, or hearing services, do I need? Not all Medicare Advantage plans are going to cover these services, and some only at a certain extent. So it is important to know your needs.

If you're still unsure how to answer these questions or if you need any guidance while reviewing your options, I would be happy to walk you through that at no cost. Medicare doesn't have to be overwhelming, y'all. I hope that helps. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Until next time, y'all keep it real.

Answer: Hey yo, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent, owner of BE REAL insure, bringing you real solutions. Today we're gonna touch on your ANOC. So, what is it? Your ANOC is your annual notice of change. If you haven't received it yet, it should be arriving in the mail any day. It's gonna explain what's changing for that coming year. Things like your premium, cost, copays, drug coverage, and even the provider networks.

It is important to review it because those changes are going to be effective January 1st. And if you don't take a look at it, you could be hit with surprise costs or even find out that your doctor or prescriptions are no longer covered. If you need help reviewing your ANOC or if you'd like to make any changes during the annual open enrollment period, that time frame is going to be from October 15th to December 7th.

Don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'd be happy to go over all of your options or even help review your end up with you. All right, until next time, keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insured, bringing you real solutions. Today we're gonna touch on the Medicare prescription drug payment program. This is great, guys. It's new for 2025, and this is really good for those of us that are on a fixed income. Now, you are still gonna be paying the same amount for the cost of your prescriptions, but it's gonna help break down those costs into monthly installments for you so that you aren't having to pay a lump sum when you go to the pharmacy to pick those prescriptions up. Now, the best part about this is anyone can qualify for this program. It is not based on income, and anyone who has a Medicare prescription drug plan or an MAPD plan is eligible for this program. All right, now if you haven't already, I would highly suggest seeing if you're eligible for the Medicare prescription savings program. Now this one is income-based, but if you qualify, it could help save on the cost of your prescriptions. All right, if you guys have any questions on how to opt in to the payment plan or to see if you qualify for the savings program, don't hesitate to reach out to me. All right, y'all, until next time, keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insured. Bringing in real solutions. Today we're gonna touch on employer coverage, group coverage. You're still working and you're wondering, can you keep your group coverage? And the answer is yes, you actually could. You could apply for your Part A hospital coverage, typically a $0 premium, and decline your Part B, your medical, the one that does have the premium. And you could use your group coverage as credible coverage, as long as it is considered credible coverage through CMS. That would count and it would avoid any late enrollment Part B and D penalties, as long as it's considered that credible coverage. Okay, so that is something to definitely keep in mind and yeah, you can do it. Now, I would highly recommend that you compare your group coverage, cost, and coverage to Medicare to just ensure that that is your best option. But yeah, I hope that helps for some of y'all who are still working and don't plan on retiring. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. In the meantime y'all, keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insured. Today, we're gonna touch on hospital indemnity plans. They are paired beautifully with Medicare Advantage plans. As we know, Medicare Advantage plans do have some advantages, but they also have some gaps. One of those gaps is the hospitalization copay, which can be up to four hundred dollars for the first day, one through six, or even one through eight, depending on your Medicare Advantage plan, before your plan starts to pick up any of those costs. So it can become quite a hefty bill in the event that you're hospitalized. One way to protect yourself is with a hospital indemnity plan for a little over a dollar a day. You can offset those costs. Okay, it's really great. I've also had individuals on group coverage or even just original Medicare have this in place just to offer some additional protection. I hope that helps! If you guys have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Until next time, y'all keep it real!

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent owner, Be Real Insured, bringing you real solutions. Since Brianna touched on dental, vision, and hearing, I've been getting a lot of questions. If that's something that's covered under original Medicare, unfortunately, it is not. Routine eye exams, glasses or contacts, comprehensive or preventative dental services such as cleanings, x-rays, root canals, extractions, bridges, dentures, etc., along with hearing exams and the intervention of hearing aids, are not going to be covered under original Medicare. This means you would have to pay 100% of those costs out of pocket.

Okay, now you can cover yourself with a separate dental, vision, and hearing plan in addition to your original Medicare. So that's definitely something to consider purchasing alongside your Medicare. Now, in the event you do have a Medicare Advantage plan, you probably have dental, vision, and hearing included in that Medicare Advantage plan, which you can pull up the full summary of benefits to see exactly what is covered. Just make sure that you stay in network with the doctors that are in network with that Medicare Advantage plan.

Okay, so I hope that helped answer your questions. If you guys have any more, don't hesitate to reach out to me, and until next time, y'all keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insured, bringing you real solutions. Today we're gonna touch on the difference between a PPO and an HMO. I know you've heard of them with your employer plan, so what's the difference?

A PPO stands for a preferred provider organization, and what that means is they prefer for you to stay in network with their organization. However, you can go outside of that network. Now, you could be looking at some higher co-pays, co-insurances, and such if you do choose to go outside of the network, so that is definitely something to keep in mind.

Now, an HMO stands for health maintenance organization. One key word I want you to keep in mind when thinking of an HMO is the word "have." With an HMO, you have to have a referral in order to see a specialist. What that means is your primary care doctor has to write your referral in the event that you want to see a specialist.

Okay, now another thing that I want you to keep in mind with an HMO is that you have to stay in the network with the doctors that are inside of that HMO's network. If you do go outside of that network, you are going to have to pay the full price for those services, okay?

Now, one thing to keep in mind is that an HMO is gonna have higher dental, vision, hearing, and flex benefits because they know that you are more likely to stay in their network, okay? So those are some things to consider when choosing between an HMO and a PPO. I hope that helps. If you guys have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. And until next time, y'all, keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent, owner of Be Real Insured, bringing you real solutions. Today we're gonna discuss Medicare fraudulent activity. This is something that has been going on for quite some time, but it's even gotten worse here within the last few years. One important thing for you to keep in mind is that Medicare will never call you. They will never contact you asking for your MBI number. Okay, these people have been getting really slick, and one of the ways that they've been gathering information is by saying that they need to verify you and requesting your MBI or your Medicare number in order to verify you. So it's very important that you do not give any information out over the phone. Be very leery of anyone contacting you and calling you saying they are with Medicare or are Medicare. There's a lot of fraudulent activity where they are billing Medicare for services that you're not even using or even for items like catheters and such that you aren't even using. So it's definitely something to keep in mind and be very careful about the information that you're giving over the telephone. If you do have any questions, you can contact a local brokerage in your area, myself, or even contact 1-800-MEDICARE. Okay, so I hope that helps you guys. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me, and until next time, y'all keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insurance, bringing you real solutions. Today we're gonna touch on Medicare supplements, also known as Medigap plans. So what are they? Well, they're pretty much exactly what they sound like. They're gonna supplement and fill the gaps that your original Medicare does not cover, so co-insurance, co-pay, deductibles, etc. They're sold through private insurance companies. It doesn't quite matter so much the company you go with as it does the coverage. So a G supplement is gonna be a G supplement, and a supplement is gonna be an N supplement. The coverage is gonna be the same regardless of the company.

All right, the best part about a supplement is that you are not confined to any network of doctors. You can see any doctor that accepts original Medicare with the supplement. The best time to purchase a supplement is during your initial enrollment period, 'cause you're not gonna have to undergo any underwriting during that time frame. Okay, so in the event that you decline a supplement and do want to purchase one later down the line, you will have to undergo underwriting, which means that you could be denied due to your health conditions or even medications that you're taking.

All right, I hope that helps answer some questions y'all had about supplements. If you have any more, don't hesitate to reach out to me. And until next time y'all, keep it real.

Answer: Hey y'all, it's Brianna, your favorite life and health insurance agent and owner of Be Real Insurance, bringing you solutions. Today we're gonna touch on Medicare Advantage plans. What are they? So Medicare Advantage is also known as Part C. Medicare Advantage plans are sold through private insurance companies that are approved by CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. They wrap up your Part A, your Part B, and usually your Part D all into one program for you.

Now, Medicare Advantage plans typically have a zero to low cost premium. You do have to continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium in most instances. Now Medicare Advantage plans do have some advantages like dental, vision, hearing, sometimes over-the-counter benefits, and even grocery cards. That's gonna depend on the area that you reside in, your health conditions, and what you may qualify for.

Okay, it is important to remember that Medicare Advantage plans are not going to cover you at 100 percent, just as traditional Medicare doesn't cover you at 100 percent. So you could be looking at some copays and coinsurance for your hospitalization, surgeries, and even doctor visits. So it is something you can consider when reviewing the Medicare Advantage policies that are available in your area.

And be sure to follow along for more. We are gonna go over some information on how to cover some of those gaps. I hope that cleared it up for you, son. If you guys have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. And until next time, y'all, we are out!

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.

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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!

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 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.