Nolan Popel, Medicare Insurance Agent

Answer: We can always make this change during the annual enrollment, which is October 15th through December 7th. So when you buy a Medicare Advantage plan, this is like health insurance that's subsidized by the government. You have much lower premiums than having a Medicare supplement and a prescription drug plan. However, when you have lower premiums, you're going to have more responsibility when you use it.

So you have different co-pays and percentages that you have to pay. We offer hospital indemnity plans. We think it's a nice option to go along with a Medicare Advantage plan because somebody can spend, and it doesn't have to be a lot of money, but they can get a plan to help them with the costs of the hospital co-pays, the emergency room, the ambulance, and even the outpatient surgeries.

So if you have questions about Medicare insurance, don't hesitate to give us a call, and we'd be happy to help and see if this is a good option for you.

Answer: The answer is yes, you absolutely can. All you need to do is get proof of group health coverage from your employer showing that you've had the group plan. If you don't already have Medicare Part B, that's a good point to sign up for Medicare Part B. Then, once you have those two things, you can apply for whatever supplement plan you want.

And if you're in a state that does have medical underwriting, you will not have to answer any of the medical questions because your group insurance coverage is what they call creditable coverage, which means at least as good as what Medicare says it has to be. And you can buy whatever supplement plan you want one time without having to answer those medical questions.

Answer: So let's talk about Medicare real quick. Part A is for overnight stays in the hospital. In 2025, the deductible is $1,676 for days one through 60. Then, God forbid, if somebody goes longer than 60 days, Medicare does charge per day, which is very expensive.

In order to have that stay covered in full, somebody would want to purchase what they call the Medicare supplement plan. A couple of plans that cover the whole hospital stay would be Supplement Plan G, like George, and Plan N, like Nancy.

These supplement plans, if you go overnight in the hospital, you have a surgery, or stay 365 days in the hospital, you can go to any hospital you want that takes Medicare.

Answer: There are a few letters we want to make sure that we're familiar with when we're going on.

Medicare Part A is for the hospital. That's what we get for working our whole life and paying taxes. The first reason we get insurance is that Medicare doesn't cover everything. They do have a big deductible this year. It's $1,676 for days one through sixty.

Medicare Part B is your outpatient medical. Medicare Part B is what you're gonna be signing up for when you first turn 65 or you're retiring from your group coverage from an employer or a spouse's employer. Part B in 2025 is going to cost you $185 a month. That's for Uncle Sam. That is for the government to pick up 80% of your outpatient medical bills, and you're paying 20%. This is a primary reason people look for insurance because they don't want to get stuck paying huge bills for 20%.

C, like Charlie, is what we call the Medicare Advantage program. These are HMOs and PPOs that are subsidized by the federal government. And then we have Part D, like David. Part D is also very important. This is the term for the Medicare prescription drug program. We can get Part D in a couple of different ways. We can buy a standalone Medicare prescription drug plan, or we can get a Medicare Advantage plan that comes with Part D along with it, kind of like a package deal where you get medical and prescriptions together.

A couple more letters that I'd like to mention to you are G, like George, and N, like Nancy. These are two very popular Medicare Supplement options in the United States that you can definitely look into when you get to the point of looking for insurance.

Answer: For preventative cancer screenings, they do cut off that age limit after you turn 78, where they don't want to do those tests for you. However, if somebody did have a different medical condition and an issue that did require a CT scan, they would definitely want to consult with their doctor, because they do CT scans for people that are over that age for certain issues that may come up.

Answer: There are five different levels for prescriptions. They are called formulary tiers. Tiers one and two are for your preferred generics and non-preferred generics. Tier three and tier four are for your preferred and non-preferred name brands, and tier five is for your specialty drugs. The price you will pay will vary by tier. Also, some plans will have a drug deductible that will apply first before the coverage begins for more expensive prescriptions.

Answer: Yes absolutely you would qualify for a special election period that would occur two months before, the month of and 63 days after the employer coverage has ended.

Answer: It depends on your situation. If someone takes a lot of expensive brand-name drugs, Medicare has ended the donut hole or coverage gap. Starting in 2025, there is a 2000 maximum on prescription drug costs as long as the prescriptions are on the insurance plan’s formulary.

Answer: No, Medicare does not cover the cost of smart watches or other wearable technology like fitness trackers.

Answer: Durable medical equipment like wheelchairs are covered under Medicare Part B. The special approval you are referring to is called a prior authorization. In some cases, prior authorization is required before Medicare will pay 80% for durable medical equipment.

Answer: Medicare Supplement plans don’t have doctor networks. Someone with a Medicare Supplement plan would have Original Medicare as their primary. When that person chose a Medicare Advantage plan, as long as it is a PPO, then they would be able to go out of network as long as the doctor did accept Medicare.

Answer: The first option I would consider would be a Medicare Supplement plan . With those plans they are secondary coverage and you can go to any doctor or hospital in the United States that accepts Medicare. If this kind of coverage is not affordable there are nationwide PPO plans that let you go to different doctors in different states.

Answer: Yes, you could face penalties if you don’t enroll in Medicare Part B when you turn 65 unless you have other qualifying health coverage like through an employer, group or union.

Answer: Medicare does not cover dental and vision however you can get those options with some of the Medicare Advantage plans that are available.

Answer: I think one of the most common misconceptions people have about Medicare is that it pays for everything. When in fact for example part D prescription drug coverage must be purchased through an insurance company.

Answer: What I enjoy most about helping Medicare clients is to understand exactly how Medicare works and the different insurance options available to them. As an independent agent that represents many different companies and plans it gives me the opportunity to help people to find the plan that will suit their needs.