It’s That Time of the Year

No not THAT time of the year, the time of year to do paperwork – the Medicare Open Enrollment kind. It will be closing in a few days until next year.

For my mom, as I learned more about Medicare, (yes I was one of those who read through the benefits book) I would again go to Google, this time for help on which might be the best plan options. We previously tried to visit our local ~Ship (whatever state you are in, typically add that abbreviation in some fashion in front) for help but we did not get too far. Ohio was super helpful to mom, while she lived there, spending a few hours with her explaining things and helping her sign up for a plan. VICAP (yeap Virginia needs to be different), was not incredibly helpful to us. (Remember each local office will be different). They seemed to be in need of volunteers, did not return calls or reach out with other resources though we asked them to.

Anyway, back to Google, once I narrowed it down to three choices I dug a bit more. What did others have to say regarding coverage, were things covered, what did they disclude, did they pay in a timely manner, was the customer service quality? Then I would review the overall estimated costs of co-pays, out of pocket, were her current doctors included – you know the usual types of questions one might try to answer in their own insurance coverage.

Too Involved?

It was an involved process that I am sure many would say didn’t need to be, mom included. Mom would just go with whatever was suggested or what her friends used. I quickly learned that although a great idea it was not always in Mom’s best interest. Her friends didn’t have the many health issues that she did, nor did they grow longer as hers seemed to.

Calling with Questions

For some plans, I would call the company after making a list of questions. I always explained to them that I was Mom’s caregiver and learning so I was providing a standing apology for what may seem like redundant or not great questions. If I found a person who did not seem to mind answering my questions I would ask them if they were able to provide me with any additional suggestions or tips on what to look for, ask, anything else that they thought might help me best help my mom. I spoke with people that were currently caregivers, had been caregivers or were getting ready to head into that role. Yes, sometimes even those who had no idea if they were going to end up as caregivers who would help as they could. Of course, I ran into those who just did not care or what to help and that was ok. Everyone has their own issues and their own journey to take in life.

Finding a Plan

Once I finally narrowed my list to one option for Medicare I would call to verify that the doctors she saw accepted the insurance. Why was that important, just change doctors right? For Mom, change, especially later in her life was hard.

Supplemental Plans AKA Medigap

You will need to determine if a supplemental plan is needed. So what is a supplemental plan? The short version? It is what it sounds like, it fills the gaps of what Medicare doesn’t cover. T

https://www.medicare.gov/supplements-other-insurance/whats-medicare-supplement-insurance-medigap

Advantage Plans

A plan that put it all in one plan for simple.

Trust me there is so much more to both the supplemental and Advantage plans but that is a post for a whole other time!

Links that I found useful:

Medicare

https://www.medicare.gov/

Be certain to sign up for an account for your senior, having the account is helpful with information that you need to know

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services