“I’ve been cleaning up messes!” was the first thing I said to Ruth at our monthly lunch.
I got two frantic phone calls last week – one from a customer and one from a friend who says he is “his own agent”. A prescription plan company’s report showed John, my customer, had a prescription plan that was not in effect. I called John to make certain he was aware of this. John knew nothing about this and was panicky. I found out his prescription plan had cancelled when he enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. John said he did not enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. He did call his prescription plan company about his mail order prescriptions. Apparently, they offered him a “deal” that might save him money on his prescriptions, he said “ok” and was enrolled. John either was not told the details, or he didn’t understand what he was told. Details including, he could not keep his Medicare Supplement plan and have the Medicare Advantage plan he just enrolled in. John was unhappy and confused - “I want what I had. I didn’t know I could not keep my Medicare Supplement plan. I just thought my drugs might cost less. How do I fix this?” He was able to re-enroll in his prescription plan which automatically disenrolled him from the Medicare Advantage plan. Yes, it can be confusing. Unfortunately, when you call your prescription plan or Medicare Advantage plan company, you may be connected to someone who wants to sell you something. Before you make any changes, talk with your agent. Tom, one of my “pew buddies” at church, called. He is “his own agent” which means he works directly with insurance companies instead of working with an agent. Tom received a letter from his prescription plan company that he was disenrolled from the plan. What? How did that happen? Since I am not his agent, the only thing I could do was to get on a conference call with him and the company and guide him through the conversation. They told him his plan was in effect and all was ok - we thought. Sunday at church he handed me an envelope about another issue. He had a letter from a difference company thanking him for enrolling in their Medicare Advantage plan including an ID card and his doctor’s name. What? How did they get that information? He had to have given it to them, right? Obviously, he called an 800 number, enrolled in their plan which disenrolled him in his prescription plan. Included in his welcome letter was a phone number to call to cancel the plan. He called it and confirmed that his prescription plan is active. There are CMS non-compliant issues occurring with call centers – these may be examples. Work with your certified agent – it does not cost more. When something seems different, contact your agent. You will appreciate having a personal advocate/advisor. Concerned? Call 501-868-6650 and say “Caroline, can we talk?”
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AuthorCaroline Beauchamp specializes in personalized life and health insurance solutions. Archives
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