ABOUT
As an insurance agent in the Medicare market, I work with Medicare Supplements, Medicare Advantage, and Part D drug plans. I started out working for an insurance company that is very big in the Medicare Advantage market, but I soon found that this company’s plans were not necessarily the best choice for many seniors I met. I realized I would be more comfortable if I represented multiple companies and multiple plans, so I decided to work independently and represent several Medicare Advantage plans as well as two or three Medicare Supplement providers. I represent several Part D plans as well.
As an independent agent I present clients with their Medicare choices, covering the pros and cons of each. Then my clients make an informed decision about which coverage best suits their needs and preferences.
I also work with several independent insurance agents under the name, Medicare Choices of Arizona. These agents are located in Tucson, Sierra Vista, and Green Valley, so we cover a wide area of Southern Arizona.
You can reach me at 520-820-8639.
Denise Early
Tucson, AZ
Thanks for having such a good website about Medicare, Denise.
Since I spend a good deal of time on the road, some of it in Canada, my choice comes down to a Medigap plan or Humana’s Advantage PPO. But the Medigap plans only offer a skimpy $50,000 emergency coverage outside the U.S. I’ve looked at a bunch of travel insurance plans to supplement a Medigap plan, but all seem to either require more than $50,000 primary insurance, or not cover preexisting conditions. So I’m reluctantly about to go with the Advantage plan.
Do you know of a travel plan that would fill the gap with a Medigap plan?
Thanks.
Jim
Thanks for the compliment, Jim. I’m not familiar with any particular travel insurance plans, but I thought lots of older people get them when they take trips to Europe. So I’m surprised to hear about pre-existing condition exclusions – though that sounds like typical insurance rules.
Medicare Advantage plans all say they cover you overseas, but you’d want to get an answer (perhaps in writing) from Humana about how they would cover an emergency in Canada. But I’m not sure you can get standard care in Canada for the $40 co-pay in their PPO plan.
I think I’ll pose this question to the manager of the Humana office here in Tucson. Let’s see if he can get me a definitive answer on how they handle international emergencies. I’ll send him an email right now and I’ll report back to you if/when I get an answer.
Here’s what the Humana manager in Tucson wrote to me:
Well…. when travel outside of the US is a concern it is always advisable to have the member purchase some ancillary/travel coverage. Reason is, although they’re covered with Humana for emergencies, we (Humana) have no control over how a member is billed. In some cases, the member will pay the hospital and get reimbursed, in others the facility bills us direct.
The coverage is for emergency only and stabilization. Basically, the member is covered wherever they are but it’s important they get back to the network for follow up care, unless otherwise indicated by the doctors and/or Humana.
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After receiving this response I asked him if a person could go to Canadian doctors as “out-of-network” in the PPO plan. His answer was “no”. So, you can only use doctors in the US and territories (Puerto Rico, Guam..) for standard care. Emergency care is covered worldwide – but the question of when the emergency is over (and you’re still laying in the hospital bed) is a tricky one. So, perhaps the important travel insurance might be a policy that covers the cost of special travel arrangements to get you home to your network (or to the US if you have a Medicare Supplement). I have a feeling that none of these insurance companies want to let you stay in a foreign hospital for very long.
I hope this helps.
Denise
How does a medicare recipient go about getting a gym membership paid for?
Medicare doesn’t cover gym memberships, dental, or vision. If you want these additional benefits you can join a Medicare Advantage plan. These are private Medicare plans that are usually HMO’s and often include the Part D drug plan. Most of these plans in Tucson have a $0 premium, which makes them very attractive. Secure Horizons and Health Net use the Silver Sneakers network of gyms while Humana and Universal use a newer network of gyms called Silver & Fit.
Medicare Supplements don’t usually offer additional benefits, but AARP’s Medicare Supplement does include Silver Sneakers gym memberships. If you have any further questions, email me at medicareblog@gmail.com