Making The Most Of Medicare

October 7, 2016 — 2 Comments

Medicare Vitamins

I received my giant booklet from the insurance company this week, along with the almost as thick booklet from Medicare itself. I discovered last year when I enrolled that consulting a professional insurance agent is the only way to make an informed decision on this issue without loosing your mind.  To my great delight I was able to clear up a couple of questions I had about the updates on the phone with my agent.  Since I am pleased with my current coverage I don’t need to do anything during open enrollment season.  My agent, Karyn, will check and confirm that my dermatologist will remain in the coverage network.  We can then agree simply over the phone and she will remain my agent. She makes sure the plan works for my best financial interest.  She also acts on my behalf if I ever have conflict with an insurance provider.  Since the data is overwhelming, and the circumstances change each year only a professional can keep current with the latest nuances.  I am in a good mood not only because I have finished the task for the year, but my benefits almost all improved in 2017 for the same low price.  Should I need to use them I will be rewarded with more bang for my buck.

I am happily surprised at the ways Medicare has made me happy during my first year.  The Silver Sneakers benefit was created with me in mind.  I need an excellent gym with a clean locker room at the least, to meet my minimum lifestyle requirements.  I have been happy at the Tucson Racquet Club for years, but now I get both the Racquet Club and the Tucson Jewish Community Center member ships for free.  The JCC is a wonderment of well run health and fitness programs.  The beautiful gym with fast wi-fi and filtered water for your bottle gives me a thrill every time I enter.  I was not miserable at the Racquet Club, but it is a real blast to have the gift of a better designed facility courtesy of Medicare.  For me it is like a won the spa for life sweepstakes.  There are all kinds of Silver Sneakers offers, but you must make sure that your insurance provider is on board with the program.  For my own purposes, this is the most important feature.  Since my company will continue to participate in the program my fabulous free membership will continue uninterrupted.

My over the counter pharmacy benefits will be slightly reduced from $25 a month to $50 each quarter.  If you place no order you will not use your benefits.  I make a game of trying to come out to exactly $25 each month. I use it for vitamins, bandaids, dental floss, and the like.  This also is one of my favorite benefits because they deliver your products by mail, the ultimate convenience.  I keep myself stocked up on these daily use items at no cost.  I may never run out of chapstick and cotton swabs.  The company I use is Humana, but this is not a plug.  It is important to match your own consumer needs with the company’s offer.  Your state may have different features, and they are all subject to change next year.

Good luck to all the Medicare consumers and their families in this wild season.  My best advice is hire a great insurance agent to represent you.  If you live in Tucson I highly recommend the services of Karyn Damshen.  She will remove the mystery from this stressful process.  Once you have a clear understanding of the options she will guide you to the best fit for you.  Her services are paid by the provider, so there is no extra cost to you as her client.  She works for you as an independent agent. This is a big boon to those trying to understand this complicated market.  I hope you all end up happy and well covered for whatever transpires next year.

Tucson JCC