Esther Miller, Medicare Insurance Agent

Answer: I have 10 years experience and also know the local hospitals, clinics and providers in Washinton State. I'm also here locally to answer your questions about your policy throughout the year.

Answer: I first listen and ask questions to understand their Medicare needs. The next step is to match them with more than just one option, so they have choices.

Answer: The most common misunderstanding is that Medicare pays 100% of your medical costs. While there are many free preventative tests and services available, there are deductibles and Medicare in general, only pays 80% of allowed services, which is why most people choose to have a Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage Plan to get additional coverage.

Answer: Medicare is funded through the workforce for future generations which is why its very important that every person working is contributing to this program. We have many workers in the US who are either self-employed or undocumented who are not contributing, that gap needs to be fixed by having a legal path to citizenship for those workers who will also benefit from Medicare when they retire.

Answer: Nor asking enough questions! Neverasume what works for a friend or neighbor will work for you. While you may get a good idea if your friends are satisfied with their healthcare plan, by working with an agent, you'll be able to compare all your options and find the plan that is bested suite to your needs and budget.

Answer: Your primary care physician may need to make the referral before its approved by your plan, especially if you have a HMO plan vs a PPO or HMO-POS plan where you can select specialists on your own instead of through your primary care provider. The other situation is the specialist you selected may not be in network. Again with HMO plans you always need to stay in network. With a PPO plan, you can choose a specialist who is not in network, but you will pay significantly more if you do. Check either with your agent or the customer service to find out what your options are to resolve this issue.

Answer: Yes, it's a good idea to get in touch h with a local licensed agent.

You may have questions whether you need to make any changes to your existing Supplement or prescription drug plan and if you have an an Advantage plan you have a SEP special enrollment period to change to a new state plan or even a Medigap supplement under guaranteed issue.

Your local agent can help you find

providers, and knows the doctors and hospitals near your new home.

Answer: It depends. If you have credible health insurance through yout employer, the answer is no as long as you keep your healthcare coverage and you are also entitled to Meficare Part A hospital coverage in addition to your work insurance. If you currently don't have insurance or only catestrophic, then yes you will want to sign as soon you are eligible for both A and B coverage and talk to a Medicare Health Insurance agent.

Answer: If you are all ready collecting SSI benefits, you can get Medicare benefits as soon as 24 months after you have collected SSI benefits, you do not have to be 65 years old. Just go to SSA.gov to sign up for Meficare or call 1 800 Medicare to help guide you through the process.

Answer: Yes and no. You have to stop contributing to these plans when you reach 65 and you can't use them for Medicare Supplement (Medigap) premiums, however you use the tax-free distributions for Medicare Part B premiums, Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage premiums or Medicare Advantage premiums.

Answer: You will not get in any trouble for reported suspected fraud or billing errors to Medicare.

If you believe this is an honest billing error, contact the billing agent first to try and get it corrected. You can also contact your agent for assistance in determining if an actual billing error occurred.

If you do suspect either fraud or wastefulness, you can contact Medicare directly at 1 800 Medicare. You complaint is completely confidential.