Jeffrey Jon, Medicare Insurance Agent

Answer: I think one of the most important questions to ask is if the plan will allow me to continue to travel anywhere and be covered.

If there is no network, you can travel any where in the United States and be covered. HMO's and PPOs are not universal in their ability to allow you to go anywhere and get coverage.

Answer: There is a $2000 cap. Once the cost of your drugs meet the $2000 the drug plan will pick up the rest. This is only for your monthly medications not for specialty drugs, like cancer meds , etc.

Answer: Once OEP ends, (January 1st to March 31st) you can no longer change plans. (MA TO MAPD, MAPD TO MAPD) If you have a chronic condition , diabetes, heart condition, you may be able to switch to a chronic plan. You can do so once per year. If you do not qualify for a Chronic Plan, then you would have to wait for the Annual Enrollment Period beginning in October.

Answer: That seems to be more of a question to ask your representative. There are many gaps that could be addressed by Medicare and our representatives need to hear from you to seek ways and means to make Medicare better for all.

Answer: It depends upon the doctors you have and where they are located. A Medicare Supplement will have no network to consider so you can go to any doctor or hospital, in which case you can keep your current doctors, etc. An MAPD plan is a network plan, and you would have to consider whether your doctors are in the network or not.

Answer: Medicare Advantage plans can have high out of pocket costs. if someone has health issues that require lots of maintenance, then they may be paying those high out of pocket costs, and then they can get into the cycle of making payments for past services and accumulating more for current services.

Doctors may change from year to year as to whether they will accept a certain plan or not, and then the patient with the MA / MAPD plan will have to look for another doctor.

You must also remember that the 20% of orginal Medicare has no ceiling, which can also be costly for someone with a lot of medical issues.

Answer: How long do I have to enroll in Medicare after losing employer coverage?

8 months

Your Special Enrollment Period begins when you retire or lose your employer coverage, whichever happens first. You will have up to 8 months to enroll in Parts A and/or B, but only the first two months to enroll in Parts C and/or D.

Answer: It is a choice. Some may want the security of the Medicare Supplement over the possible lower cost of the MAPD. The MAPD has no underwriting, whereas the MS plans do. If you have health issues that prevent you from lowering your monthly premiums, then you can choose the alternative of the MAPD plans.

Answer: With any health plan you should notify them of the new address to update their records. If you have an MAPD plan, you would incur a special enrollment period, where you can enroll in a new plan for your new area. You would have 60 or 90 days to make the change. Generally if you know you are moving and where, it is good to let the MAPD plan of your intended move and destination.

Answer: The 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa are considered part of the U.S. Anywhere else is considered outside the U.S.

Medicare drug plans don't cover prescription drugs you buy outside the U.S.

Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) policies may cover emergency care when you travel outside the U.S.

Si the answer would be yes

Answer: A qualified Medicare certified insurance agent can help you understand the Medicare maze. Medicare.gov is also a great place to visit and learn about Medicare.