Senior Health - What You Should Know About Hospice

Talking about hospice care is probably at the top of the list of the things you never ever want to speak about or even think about. However if you have a senior health plan called Medicare it is imperative that you understand your benefits. The same holds true if you love and care for someone who has Medicare. After all, you have been paying the health insurance premiums for years and you should know and understand the benefits. It is also important to know and understand the benefits so you and your family may make informed choices and decisions.

Hospice provides comfort and support for the terminally ill and for the families that care for their loved ones. A lot of times what happens is that an elderly person will be told that they have six months or less to live. Someone will probably suggest that the family "make arrangements". What does "make arrangements" in this case actually mean? It means that there is help available for your loved one at a very difficult time. It's called hospice and your senior health plan will cover almost all of the costs. Hospice is generally given in the home but may also be received at an inpatient hospice facility. Some large hospitals may also have special "hospice" wings.

After a person has been given over to hospice a specially trained medical team will take over providing all medical care. Services may include drugs, physical care, counseling, equipment and supplies for the terminal illness and related condition(s). Hospice care is given in two ninety day periods of care followed by an unlimited number of sixty-day periods. At the start of each period of care, the hospice medical director or doctor must re-certify that you're terminally ill.

If your health improves or you go into remission you have the right to stop hospice care at any time. You may return to the same senior health plan you had before you chose hospice, such as treatment to cure the terminal illness. If you are eligible you may go back to hospice care at any time. For more information always consult a licensed insurance agent that specializes in senior health plans.

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What You Don't Know About Medigap - Medicare Supplement Plans Can Cost You

As an Independent Broker who specializes in Senior Insurance and Medigap - Medicare Supplement Insurance, I see on a daily basis how important accurate information is. Making a sound decision is wholly dependent on acquiring knowledge about and understanding your options.

Many of my clients have told me that their search for information resulted in an avalanche of calls and emails from dozens of insurance agents leaving them frustrated and even more confused. This can become so overwhelming that they just give up, missing the opportunity to learn about an option that might better their situation and save them money.

Fact 1: There are marketing companies that will sell your information.

When you seek information online or fill in a form to win a prize you may be entering your personal information into a lead service. They will sell your information to numerous agents who contact with them to provide them with the names and contact information of people seeking information about Medigap- Medicare Supplement Plans. This is what starts the avalanche!

You can avoid this by always making sure that you are on a legitimate, licensed broker's website.There should be a toll free number for you to call and an email address for you contact them.

If you are required to give all of your personal information in order to receive a quote you may be in the wrong place.

Fact 2: Although the cost of your Medigap - Medicare Supplement Plan may vary from company to company, the benefits are exactly the same.

There are currently 10 standardized Medicare Supplement Plans. PLAN A, PLAN B, PLAN C, PLAN D, PLAN F, PLAN G, PLAN K, PLAN L, PLAN M and PLAN N. The benefits in each of these plans are approved by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). All insurance companies who offer Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans must comply with the approved benefits for the supplement plans that they offer.

Even though the benefits in each of the different plans are the same no matter which company is offering the plan, there are big differences in the prices of the plans from company to company.

Knowing this fact and taking the time to compare prices may save you 30% or more on your Medicare Supplement. A few minutes really can save you money.

Fact 3: You are NOT locked into your Medigap - Medicare Supplement Plan until Open Enrollment.

Medicare Supplement Plans are not subject to any annual enrollment periods. You are free to change plans any time of the year.

Knowing this fact frees you to compare your plan options and switch to a different plan or company at any time. If you find that you can get the same plan for a better price from a different company, you can switch and start saving immediately.

Fact 4: You ARE locked into your Part D Prescription Plan until open enrollment.

Part D Medicare Prescription Plans (PDP) are Medicare Approved plans offered by private insurance companies.

They vary in terms of monthly premium, deductible, and co-pays. Each plan has a unique formulary. A formulary is a list of drugs that the plan covers and where the specific drug fall on the plans co-pay tiers.

We did a comparison of 27 different plans available in Florida. We used a sample drug list which contained 5 drugs, 4 generic and 1 named brand. The estimated annual drug cost ranged from $734 for the least out-of-pocket plan, to $2623 for the highest.

Being in the wrong PDP can really impact your bottom line.

Write a reminder on your calendar for October next year and take the time to make sure that you are in the right plan for your specific drugs during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. This is the only time of the year that you can change your PDP.

I hope that these 4 important facts about Medigap - Medicare Supplement Plans will help you keep more of your money in your pocket.

Stephanie Coutavas is an Insurance Professional specializing in Senior Insurance Solutions and Medicare Insurance. Co- founder and Senior Broker at MedicareQuote4U.com-Common Sense Insurance Solutions Group. Stephanie decided to specialize in Medicare because, "I saw the effects of the confusion and misinformation in the senior market. I really feel that with the proper,correct information, presented in an understandable way that our Seniors can position themselves for the future and achieve the peace of mind and security that they deserve at this exciting stage of life. We strive one client at a time to make sure that we address the individual and that they are better for having met us, regardless of whether they choose us as their broker."

Whether you are receiving Medicare Benefits before age 65, helping a parent or loved one or just not sure if there might be a better value for your health care $$$, we can help. Call us at 1-888-347-5552 to speak with a licensed Medicare Supplement Specialist or visit us at
http://www.medicarequote4u.com/. We are your Medicare Supplement experts and we are standing by to help.

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