Brooke Smith, Medicare Insurance Agent

Answer: Yes, you will be penalized if you do not enroll during your Initial Enrollment Period, unless you have other creditable coverage through an employer that meets Medicare Rules and standards. There are criteria that your current insurance will need to meet in order to to qualify as "creditable coverage". Always consult your HR and a Licensed Insurance Agent to avoid penalties.

Answer: Orginal Medicare covers 80% of approved medical costs, and you are responsible for the remaining 20% plus deductibles. An important thing to understand is that Original Medicare has no max-out-of-pocket (MOOP) limit, which means your 20% cost-sharing can really add up if you have a serious illness or a high medical expense.

A Medicare Advantage plan (Part C ) offers you lower copays and a built in max-out-of-pocket limit to protect you from high medical costs in the event of a serious health issue. Many Medicare Advantage Plans will offer extra benefits such as prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and hearing as well.

Original Medicare allows flexibilty with no networks to stay in, but also leaves you vulerable with no max-out-of-pocket limit. Medicare Advantages gives you a max-out-of-pocket limit and often includes extra benefits.

Answer: Medicare covers services related ro stroke recovery and rehabilitation.

- Inpatient rehabilitation (rehab or skilled nursing)

- Outpatient therapy (physical therapy, occupational therpay, and speech therapy)

- Home Health Care

- Doctor Visits and follow up care

- Durable Medical Equipment (DME) (walkers, wheelchairs, etc.)

Part A covers Inpatient Hospital rehab or skilled nursing and Part B covers outpatient services. You will be responisble for deductibles, copays or coinsurance depending on the coverage you have chosen.

Answer: Medicare Part B excess charges are charges that occur with a doctor or facilty that does not accept Medicare Assignment. You can avoid these by making sure your doctor or facilty accepts Medicare assignment. There are some policies that can protect you against Medicare Part B excess charges.

Answer: Reviews from clients give you an idea of how that agent works. Do they respond in a timely manner? Are they helpful in finding solutions? Will they just sell you a plan and then you never hear from them again?

A great agent truly cares about their clients. They care about not only your experience, but your health as well. I understand that your health will change from year to year and your budget may change as well. That is why having an agent who responds to you is so invaluable.

If you enroll through the company and you run into problems, you will spend a lot of time on the phone, telling your story over and over to multiple people before you reach the right department.

Having an agent means you have a real, live person to call to receive help. No repeating yourself over and over, just real help from someone who knows you personally and cares about you.

Answer: You need to enroll during your Intitial Enrollment Period (during the 3 months before your 65th birthday, the month of your birthday, or 3 months after). You have a 7 month enrollment window to apply without a penalty. Once you sign up for Medicare, you can then decide which plan you want to go with:

* A Medigap (also referred to as a Medicare Supplement Plan)

- These plans help fill in the gaps left by Original Medicare ensuring you aren't left vulernable to high out of pocket costs. These are paired with a stand alone Prescription Drug Plan.

* Medicare Advantage Plan)

- These are copay based plans offered through private insurance companies. These typically will include drug coverage and other perks such as dental, hearing, and vision.

Even without an employer, your time frames are the same. You will enroll in Medicare during your 7 month window.

Answer: A Divorce won't affect your eligibilty for Medicare. Depending on how your income is affected, it could change your premiums. If you marriage lasted at leat 10 years, you can still use your spouses work history to see if you qualify for a premium free part A.

Answer: Yes, Durable Medical Equipment is covered under Part B at a 20% coinsurance rate after your part b deductible has been reached. This is something that may have certain conditions that must be met before Medicare will approve it. Typically that means you have been diagnosed by your doctor with sleep apnea through a sleep study.

Answer: Yes, you can still get Medicare even if you never worked or didn't pay into the system.

If your spouse worked full time for 10 years and paid Medicare taxes, you may still be able to qualify for premium free Part A, based on their work history.

If you have not paid into the system, you can still apply for Part A and Part B, however you will have to pay a premium for both parts instead of qualifying for a premium free Part A.

Answer: Medicare Advantage Plans do not deny applicants due to pre-existing conditions. As long as you live within the plan's service area and you are enrolled in Orginal Medicare Parts A and B, you shouldn't run into any problems.

Answer: A Medicare Agent can give you clarity and confidence while navigating your Medicare options. Medicare can be confusing, so a knowledgable agent is always good to have in your corner. A good Medicare Agent will also be there for you year round to answer questions, help you compare plans based on your unique doctors, prescriptions, and bugdet, assist you with claims, and help you understand how to use your benefits.

Having a good agent means that you don't have to figure your health insurance out alone. I am here to help you find answers and understand how you want to handle your health insurance on a personal level.

Answer: Yes, if you have questions about your ANOC (Annual Notice of Change) or help understanding what is changing, you should definitely schedule a time to review it with your insurance agent.