Ronald Plocinski, Medicare Insurance Broker

Answer: How do I want my health insurance coverages delivered to me in my retirement?

Everyone starts by enrolling into Original Medicare. After that, ask yourself - of the two supplemental options: 1) Medicare Advantage or 2) MediGap, how do I want my health insurance coverages delivered to me in my retirement?

If you fine with co-sharing until you hit a max out of pocket but with lower premiums - then Medicare Advantage might be best for you. However, if you are ok paying higher monthly premiums but having steadier monthly costs for you medical care, then MediGap is likely for you.

Answer: Not to worry! A prior authorization isn't designed to show a plan to be a good one as opposed to a bad one but rather, is the plan efficiently using the funding in a way that best keeps you in a state of good health. A Prior Authorization is a normal step in managed care Medicare plans and their goal to keep you in good health.

Answer: The good news is, many of these services are intended to be free of charge! The list is actually quite long of free screenings so that cannot be shown here but many things like annual physical, mammograms, colonoscopies, cancer screenings, diabetes screenings are typically completely free. One key to remember is if it is only a "screening", it is typically free. If it is diagnostic because they are looking for something in particular, you might have some cost share involved.

Answer: Not necessarily. There are many factors involved here but that best thing to do would be to have a review performed to see why you are incurring so much billing. It is recommended you first speak with the providers office to see why this has been the case and then also review it with the current Medicare plan.

Answer: No. However, what you can do is to return to Original Medicare and then pick up a stand alone prescription drug plan. You can choose to stay with just Original Medicare, in this scenario, or utilize something called your "Trail Right" period if you are within the first 12 months of your Advantage plan. The Annual Enrollment Period does not allow you to move from one Medigap plan to another.

Answer: It means potential significant savings for many beneficiaries! Recent legislation substantially reduced the amount of out of pocket prescription drug costs that Medicare beneficiaries must face. The maximum any senior can now expect to pay is only $2,100 for any one year. The way that this savings was achieved was, in part, by removing an unpopular part of Mediacare Prescription Drug plans called the "donut hole".

Answer: Yes, Medigap Plan C covers your recent bloodwork with no out of pocket expense incurred by you as Plan C, like most Medigap plans, covers most "gaps" in Original Medicare. In this case, bloodwork is covered.

Answer: As of the Fall of 2025, the majority, 53%, of seniors on Medicare supplement their Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) with a Medicare Advantage plan. While it is not the only option, it is the most popular and, according to some sources, will continue to grow to 63% of the Medicare space by 2035. From the beneficiaries perspective, Advantage plans are popular because of the FREE "add on" benefits such as dental, vision, hearing, fitness and over the counter allowances.

Answer: Annuities are a great financial tool to help the majority of seniors reach their retirement income goals. Because a person's Social Security benefit makes up roughly only 40% of their income needs in retirement, that leaves a whopping 60% of income needs unfulfilled. A fixed income annuity can generate guaranteed income that you cannot outlive.

Answer: There are many reasons which you should work with a Medicare agent, not list of which is that working with an agent is FREE. An agent often acts as an unbiased source to give you truly unbiased answers so that you can make the best decisions for yourself. An agent is oftentimes "independent," meaning he/she does not work for any particular Medicare insurer and, therefore, can do the shopping around for you.

Answer: Original Medicare does not offer any coverage for hearing aids. However, Medicare Advantage plans do offer coverage or you can purchase a "stand alone" hearing plan, often packaged as "dental, vision, hearing," if you have a Medicare Supplement plan.