Last month David, Betty’s single, charming cousin, and I talked about his retiring in June. Since he has been on his employer’s group plan, he had to enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B. He recently told me that he is officially on Medicare – he has a red, white, and blue card Medicare card showing his ID number and that it is effective June 1. He also received a letter informing him of the cost of Part B.
David said he wanted a plan that was easy to use and he would not have to check all the time to see if a provider/doctor was in or out of the network. And he did not want copays. He is describing a Medicare Supplement plan. We talked about several plans and the premiums in his county. David decided to enroll in Plan G. If he goes to a provider who accepts Medicare and has a Medicare approved procedure (no plastic surgery!), Plan G will provide 100% hospital coverage and picks up what his Medicare Part A does not pay. Whether he goes to the doctor or has doctor charges in the hospital, he will be responsible for the Part B deductible of $203 (a deductible is one time a calendar year). This Part B deductible is subject to change every January 1. (I have seen it go up, stay the same and go down.) What about his prescriptions? Neither Medicare nor his Medicare Supplement cover outpatient prescriptions. David gave me a list of his prescriptions, the dosage, how often he takes each of them, how often he gets them refilled and the pharmacy he uses. After reviewing the 29 prescription plans available based on his prescriptions, David enrolled in a prescription plan. I thought David was fixed up until he told me about his recent dental appointment. During his nice routine checkup, the dentist suddenly informed him that he had a tooth that was going to need attention. He could get a root canal and crown to “rescue” that tooth and save a lot of money by avoiding a dental implant. That procedure would cost him about $2500. For most of us, that’s a lot of money to come up with on short notice! Of course, David wanted to know if Medicare or his Medicare Supplement would help him with those dental bills. Unfortunately, no (Medicare or a Medicare Supplement plan will only cover dental procedures if they are health related.) We talked about dental insurance and what it will and will not cover. Even though he will have to wait six (6) months to have the root canal and crown covered, he enrolled in a dental plan. Thank goodness his dentist saw that tooth issue early, so he has time to enroll in a dental plan and wait 6 months to have the work done. Then David asked if I could help a friend moving from California. Yes, just 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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