Kristina Guerry, Medicare Insurance Broker

Answer: Depending on the state that you live in, Medigap companies are legally able to decide if they are willing to take on the risk of insuring you.

You're not being denied "Medicare". You're being denied insurance that would cover the portion that you'd be responsible for if you did not have a Medigap.

It is important to find out WHY you were turned down, that way you can inform your agent and your agent can see if there is another company that you can apply with.

Answer: No, your Medicare Supplement plan renews automatically. It is a good idea to shop your plan every year to see if you still have the best price.

Keep in mind, if there is a better price, you will have to be able to go through underwriting to obtain the lower price, depending on what state you live in.

Answer: Yes, Medicare covers medically necessary ambulance rides.

It falls under Medicare Part B (outpatient service).

Answer: You can change your Medicare plan at any time throughout the year. You will need to be able to pass the underwriting process.

There are a series of verbal health questions, once that is completed, we wait to receive an answer from the new insurance company.

There are no enrollment periods once you are already on Medicare, unless you live in a special state that has a birthday rule, anniversary rule, or open enrollment year round.

Answer: Medicare hospital days reset based on 60 days of you being released. That means you would need to stay out of the hospital for 60 days straight before your days would reset.

Answer: You are correct that you must first meet your Part B deductible, as there is a high chance that the procedure will be outpatient.

Once your Part B deductible has been met, you should see no costs for Medicare approved services.

Answer: I educate my clients on the differences between Medicare Advantage and Medigap.

After the client has decided which route to look at, we begin to narrow down the options together. The entire process is based on education first.

Answer: Yes, you have an 8-month Special Enrollment Period to enroll in Medicare but it is not based off of COBRA. It is based off when your employer coverage ends. COBRA is only creditable for delaying your Medicare Part D plan. That is, as long as the COBRA is considered creditable coverage for Part D. I would recommend having a conversation with a broker one to two months prior to your employer coverage ending to have a plan and confirm that you understand everything.

Answer: As long as your husband's employer coverage is considered creditable coverage, you can delay enrolling into Medicare, including Part D. One to two months prior to coming off of his coverage, you should have a conversation with a broker on how to enroll, when, and what your options are. Keep in mind, for Part B and Part D, you will need to have proof that you had creditable coverage since you were 65.

Answer: Yes, you can elect to have your daughter work with a broker on your behalf. You should be there or on the phone to give consent to allow her to do so. I recommend that you understand what coverage you are enrolling in and buy her something nice for helping take care of your insurance.

Answer: Life insurance helps offset the costs that your loved ones will experience once you are gone. Another important type of coverage to look at is Long-Term Care and Annuities.

Answer: You will not be penalized if you do not enroll in Medicare when you 65, if you are eligible and have creditable coverage outside of Medicare. If you do not, you will be penalized for not enrolling into Medicare.

Answer: Medicare typically covers anything that is medically necessary. The key is to find out what you pay, as rarely will you see anything covered at 100% across the board. Original Medicare versus Medicare Advantage will have different costs. The same is true for what the medication is, and what plan you have.

Answer: The only common penalty on Medicare I come across is the Part D late enrollment penalty. If you ignore communication sent to you after enrolling into a drug plan when over the age of 65 that is asking for you to verify that you have had creditable prescription drug coverage since you were 65, you will be assigned a Late Enrollment Penalty for Part D.

Answer: Zero-premium means there is not a monthly premium. You still typically have medical care costs while on the plan.

Answer: A higher star rating may indicate higher satisfaction and less complaints. It is so rare to find a 5-star rated plan, that if one was in your area, you could switch to it outside of the usual enrollment period. The star rating should not be the sole factored that you consider when you are looking for your health coverage. You need to make sure your doctor's are in-network, your prescriptions are covered, and you understand what your costs will be.

Answer: Star lifts are not typically covered by Medicare. Medicaid may offer some assistance. You can always check if there are any local programs in your area that offer assistance to help cover the costs of stair lifts.

Answer: It depends on if you have Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare. Original Medicare does not have a cap on medically necessary visits as of 2026.

Answer: Medicare Advantage PPO plans do not require referrals for every service. There are some services that may require a referral. You can usually find out what services in your Summary of Benefits.

Answer: There is no definite price. It depends on what plan you have. You should contact your prescription plan.

Answer: You typically receive your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) before the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) starts. AEP lasts from Oct. 15th to Dec. 7th at midnight.

That usually means you will receive your ANOC sometime before October 1st.

Please make sure you check your email and look in your spam/junk folder, if you elected for electronic notifications.

Answer: Medicare is introducing a trial program, GLP-1 Bridge, from 07/01/2026- to 12/31/2027.

For the treatment of obesity and weight loss, you may be eligible to have Foundayo (tablet), Wegovy (injection or tablet) and Zepbound Kwikpen (injection) with a $50 copay.

If the pharmacy bills your drug plan, it will be rejected.

Answer: A broker that works with Medicare will be able to see multiple different insurance companies, whereas if you call the insurance company directly, they are captive agents that can only sell their product. That means you could be presented a product that is not in your best interest.

We are unbiased and work for you instead of the insurance companies.