Just because… you turned 65 and now are on Medicare doesn’t mean that Medicare will be adequate coverage. Medicare by itself is not enough and you should consider purchasing a Medicare supplement to pick up where Medicare leaves off.
Just because… you have Medicare and a Medicare supplement from AARP, it does not mean that the claim will automatically be forwarded to AARP. Your doctor’s office must submit the claim to Medicare with the proper AARP information or the claim will not go automatically. I have a friend who has been on AARP for six months now and she has not yet had one claim that was submitted to AARP automatically from Medicare.
Just because… your friend told you that you will have a waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you change your health insurance plan does not mean it is true. So long as you can prove that you have been continuously insured for the past 12 months, you can purchase health insurance with no waiting period for pre-existing conditions.
Just because… your doctor’s office never heard of your insurance carrier, doesn’t mean your insurance isn’t any good. I received a phone call from a gentleman who has a Medicare supplement with Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company. This company has been selling Medicare supplemental insurance since Medicare started in 1965 but his doctor’s secretary did not hear of it and talked him into canceling the policy and buying a Medicare supplement from AARP. That bit of bad advice cost him an additional $770 per year in premium. Fortunately, we were able to get his Medicare supplement with Guaranteed Trust re-instated and he was able to cancel his new policy from AARP and get a premium refund. The two policies are identical. The only difference is the premium. It is most important to remember that your doctor’s office is supposed to give you the best medical advice available. You cannot expect your physician’s office to be up-to-date and knowledgeable on the many health insurance plans that exist today.
Just because… you are only in your 50’s doesn’t mean you are too young to be thinking about long term care insurance. This is the best time to prepare for your golden years and insure that there will money available to provide you with the care that you may need.
Irene Card & Betsy Chandler share the responsibilities of running Medical Insurance
Claims, Inc. a health insurance services company. If you have questions relative to this
column or other related topics, we invite you to call (973) 492-2828, browse our
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