Smiley Face Insurance

Welcome to another Annual Enrollment Period. Be aware that “cold calls” ( unsolicited phone calls) will violate Federal Laws if they ask about your Medicare, introduce Medicare Advantage Plans or Medicare Prescription Drug Plans. Don’t give criminals any information about yourself or others. a local insurance agent is your best option at avoiding being scammed.

Are you bothered or confused by the incessant TV ads about Medicare? I can’t hit the mute button fast enough. Those folks don’t know diddly about my doctors, hospitals, clinics or pharmacies. Only a local agent can know enough about your environment to properly advise you.
If you would like a personal, in-depth analysis of all your local Medicare insurance options give me a call or send a note.
I promise I will offer a free, objective perspective to help you determine which Plan(s) will serve you best.

If your mailbox is overflowing and phone is blowing up with “Medicare” ads and enticements like mine you are already sick of the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. AEP is when Medicare eligible consumers can enroll, switch, drop or add Medicare insurance. It illegal for an agent or agency to “cold call” you or approach you without you first inviting them to do so. It is also illegal for an agent to sell policies in a medical provider’s waiting room or in proximity to a pharmacy counter. These are direct violations of Medicare compliance rules and should be reported to 800-MEDICARE. If you or someone you know has questions please have them contact me.

Did you know...one can switch Medicare Supplements anytime of the year? They are not bound to the “Election Periods” that regulate when you can add, drop or switch Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans. Contact me if you would like a free Medicare Supplement quote.

I help folks apply for “Extra Help” which is a subsidy for low income folks in Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage Plans) or D (Prescription Drug Plans). If one’s income is low enough Medicaid may be available as well. If on either assistance program one can make changes to their current Medicare insurance plan(s) once every quarter. This free service , as with my other Medicare insurance educational efforts, are part of my “Busnistry”, that is, “business with a ministry purpose.”

Medicare Open Enrollment is over...unless you have or are enrolling into a Medicare Advantage Plan for the first time this year or are receiving (or will be receiving) state assistance such as Indiana Medicaid or “Extra Help”. Contact me if you need clarification.

The Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP) is nearing its end. December 7th is the last day to change Medicare Advantage Plans and/ Prescription Drug Plans for 1/1/2019.
However, Medicare instituted the Open Enrollment Period which runs from January through March. During this time a member in an Advantage Plan can make one switch. They can opt to:
1. Change to another Advantage Plan
2. Return to Medicare A & B only
3. Return to A & B and enroll in a Drug Plan and/or a Medicare Supplement.

Smiley Face Insurance updated their business hours.

New Medicare cards are being sent by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They began 4/1/18 and will continue through April 2019. Be patient.
The number will be called the "Medicare Beneficiary Identifier" and will no longer be one's Social Security number. It will be 11 characters with numbers and capital letters. The "MBI" will never include the letters " S, L, I, B, or Z". ("I" is the uppercase "i".)

Many members in Medicare Supplements may feel like prisoners to their ever-increasing premiums. Misleading advertising is partially to blame as is the fact that some agents are focused on commissions & client retention - not what's in their Client's or Prospect's best interest. I know you may be shocked & find that hard to believe but trust me on that one.

A little known fact is you can switch Medicare Supplements any time of the year. No, you do not have to wait until the Annual Election/Enrollment Period (October 15 - December 7.) Only Medicare Part C (aka, Medicare Advantage Plans) & Part D (aka, Prescription Drug Plans) hold you to that rule. A Special Election Period may allow one to switch and/or enroll at other times of the year for C & D.

Before you cancel a Supplement Plan
& apply for another plan (typically less expensive) be certain that you are approved by the new Plan. You may be denied acceptance by the new Plan (due to health issues) & be unable to go back into your former Plan.

The proper sequence is to apply, gain acceptance and then cancel your current Plan. Yes, you may have duplicate coverage & 2 premiums for a month but the long-term savings could be worth it.

Contact me if you want to investigate possible less expensive options.

Am beginning an initiative to help Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Members switch to a Medicare Advantage Plan for more benefits at little or no cost.
If you need help making sense of Medicare call or email me. I love bringing clarity to the confusing array of options.

So, the Advantage Plans offer little to no premiums because you are willing to share in the costs of medical care. These costs are in the form of copays (set dollar amounts) and coinsurance (a percentage of the cost).
A good strategy if one switches from a Supplement to an Advantage Plan is to put the savings in premiums in a savings account designated for medical expenses.
For example: An 80 year old senior paying $285/month Supplement premiums could switch to an Advantage Plan and fairly quickly have a sizeable savings account from which to pay copays.
If you add in the savings of his/her Part D Prescription Drug Plan (which would be replaced by the Advantage Plan) the savings adds up even more quickly.

Supplements could be characterized as "Pay Before You Go" insurance. The high premiums are essentially paying in advance for the insurance company to cover your medical care. The more you ask the company to pay out, the higher your premiums will be.

Many are confuses about Medicare Advantage Plans. One way to distinguish them from Medicare Supplements is to see than as "Pay if or When You Go" insurance. You only pay for medical care if or when you receive it. In some Plans you may have little or no premiums to pay.

If you want a better grasp on Medicare & retirement insurance options attend one of my "Medicare Made Clear" Seminars. Tonight, I will be at the downtown Evansville Public Library (Central Branch) at 6:30. Come upstairs to the large meeting room to make sense of Medicare.

Smiley Face Insurance

If you are confused about your Medicare/retirement insurance options come to one of my seminars. Tonight I'll be at the downtown Evansville Central Public Library at 6:30. We will meet upstairs in the large conference room.

It's a joy to help people obtain Medicare insurance coverage but even more enjoyable to build relationships. One of my clients, disabled and without a drivers license, hasn't seen his mother for a year & a half. I took him to see her yesterday. What a grand reunion it was! What a privilege to be used in such a meaningful way.

It's a joy to help people obtain Medicare insurance coverage but even more enjoyable to build relationships. One of my clients, disabled and without a drivers license, hasn't seen his mother for a year & a half. I took him to see her yesterday. What a grand reunion it was! What a privilege to be used in such a meaningful way.

Smiley Face Insurance's cover photo

Thomas "TD" Scholl, Owner Smiley Face Insurance