Ross Landon, Medicare Insurance Agent
Ross Landon
Medicare Agent Licensed in UT
Contact Details
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Location
Lehi, UT
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About Me
Hi, my name is Ross and I am your local Medicare insurance agent. Medicare is my specialty and I am dedicated to helping you find the best plan that fits your specific needs and budget. I will take on the task of searching through plans from nationally and locally recognized companies so that you don't have to. Best of all, my services come at no cost to you. Get in touch with me today to explore your Medicare insurance options. Be sure to mention that you found me on Medicare Agents Hub!
Q&A with Ross Landon
What do you like most about being a Medicare agent?
Answer: .My Father developed dementia and we had a difficult time finding experts that well understood and could explain the rules for going in and out of senior care facilities. I decided I would become that expert so I could help both my Mom and Dad with these perplexing questions! Once becoming Certified and gaining experience for some 14 years I was able to help numerous seniors with these perplexing questions!
Are Medicare Advantage plans really "free," or is that just clever marketing?
Answer: No Advantage plans are definitely not free, even though some with Seniors do not have to pay a monthly premium. Most of the services require either copayments or co-insurance % payments, or both. Some preventive services are low or no cost, but most have some cost to them. Still, they are a great value, especially if seniors are in pretty good health!
I'm in the donut hole and can't afford my medications. What are my options right now before the 2025 changes?
Answer: Depending upon your income and assets you might qualify for Extra Help to reduce your out of pocket expenses considerably. If you don't qualify for that, you might ask your Dr. about Manufacturer discounts that could be available for expensive medications. Now that we are in 2025, the donut hole cost share has been phased out!
How do I budget for Medicare costs if I expect my health to decline in the next decade?
Answer: Getting on good Advantage Plans or Medsup plans can help you control future costs, and since you can choose among those plans each year, as your health changes, you can counsel with knowledgeable agents to help you seek the best coverage for your situation.
How do discount cards and resources affect my Medicare Prescription Drug plan?
Answer: They really don’t. Popular discount cards like “Good Rx “ can be used to give you a better price on some medications.
However, they do not count towards your Rx deductibles or true out-of-pocket costs. They are not insurance plans, so they are just standalone discounts!
I'm confused about which vaccines Medicare covers. Can you explain which ones are free?
Answer: Part B of Medicare covers common vaccines like the flu, Covid 19, pneumonia, & Hepatitus B shots.
Part D drug coverage, generally covers adult immunizations to prevent things like shingles, tetanus shots if you have a puncture wound, respiratory viruses, and things like those at no cost to you.
Can I use a health savings account (HSA) to pay Medicare premiums after I retire?
Answer: Yes, but not directly. You would have to use personal funds to pay the premiums like using a bank account or credit card. Then you can reimburse yourself by making withdrawals of your HSA, as long as you keep careful records and receipts of your withdrawals so you can prove those are Medicare qualified expenses!
Advantage plans do qualify as well as copays & coinsurance, however Medicare Supplement premiums do not qualify!
I'm living solely on Social Security of $1,400 monthly and can't afford my Medicare premiums and copays. What assistance programs might help someone in my situation?
Answer: Sure, the Extra help would be ideal to help pay copayments, coinsurance & premiums for low income people on fixed incomes. Simply type in Extra Help in the Medicare.gov search box & it will show you exactly how the program works & how you qualify!
Don't you think Medicare will eventually be privatized completely?
Answer: No I don’t think so. About 35% of 20 million Medicare beneficiaries are on private Medicare advantage plans. The idea of those plans was to provide better care at lower cost than traditional Medicare. The center For Medicare advocacy feels that promise has not been met.
A couple of reasons have been suggested for that, such as the Medicare modernization act of 2003 led to increased program costs, and also risk adjustment practices that resulted in annual overpayments in billions of dollars to MA plans have been blamed.
Why do some agents push Medicare Advantage plans over Medigap-should I be skeptical?
Answer: It is the cost. Advantage plans are often 0 premium plans or low premiums like$35/mo for each person. They are very attractive if you are quite healthy. Medsupp plans typically would cost $150/ mo for each person so only more affluent seniors can afford the Medsupp plans Plus they would also have the Rx plan monthly cost on top of that!
I'm interested in a robotic knee replacement surgery that my surgeon recommends for my specific anatomy. How does Medicare coverage work for this advanced procedure?
Answer: That might be an overnight procedure & with most advantage plans surgery in a hospital would mean a co-pay per night of about $350 to maybe $500, depending upon your plan. So if you have to stay a couple of days in the hospital, it’s still probably gonna be less than about $1000!
If it is just same day surgery, it will be about that much co-pay for the single procedure itself. So still the cost is pretty reasonable for surgery. $350- $500.
How can you create a comfortable environment for discussing Medicare with your parents?
Answer: Medicare seems complex, but you only have to decide between two types of plans, Medicare Advantage Plans or Medicare supplements.
A knowledgeable Agent can explain it easily in a no pressure setting, and you will know what feels right for you & your family. It can be quite simple & you will feel good about your choices!
My Medicare Advantage plan covers dental, but I can't find a dentist who accepts it. Is this a common problem?
Answer: That does not happen often! Simply call Customer Service on the back of your advantage plan Wallet card, and the carrier will help you find providers… Once in a while I’ve run into a similar problem, but the Insurance companies have additional resources and provider lists that they can point you to!
What's one Medicare decision that too many people regret later?
Answer: Failing to sign up for part D of Medicare, prescription drug coverage when eligible to do so! Some seniors feel that if they are not taking any prescription drugs, they do not want to pay for nor need part D, but then they find out a couple of years later about the penalty of one percent per month that will be charged retroactively if you are not on a qualified Rx plan.
When they finally do need prescription drug coverage, they find the penalty is never removed unless you appeal with a very good reason for not enrolling!
How can I make sure I'm not overpaying for my Medicare plan, and are there any tools or resources you recommend?
Answer: With advantage plans, it would be rare to pay too much for them, most are fairly low cost at $35-$75 per person & many are zero premium plans, which means it costs nothing to enroll in them, though that does not mean they are without cost! But they’re very reasonably priced and most are very similarl
The more difficult ones to analyze are the Medicare supplement plans, Most start at about $150/mo per person upon retirement, if you’re on them for many years and they go up even moderately every year, in 10 years or more, they can become somewhat expensive!