Morning Joe broke for a commercial moments after I had turned on the television.  The first ad was from You Know Who, one of the largest marketers of insurance in this country.  They don’t like to admit that they sell insurance.  They prefer to advertise that they endorse certain products.  Yeah. Yeah.  In this day and age of 10 second and 20 second spots, this one full minute Medicare Supplement advertisement felt like a documentary.  As soon as that commercial ended, a new ad, from a different company began.  This one featured a former football star, 40+ years past his glory, pitching all of the free stuff that came with some unnamed Medicare Advantage policy.  The 30 second commercial for Tylenol was a welcomed relief.

I turned 65 today.  That stack of junk mail pictured above is a small fraction of the solicitations I’ve received in the last year.  One company, You Know Who, has been sending stuff to both my home and office.  As an official old person, I find that the television shows that I watch seem to be sponsored by medications, investment companies, and Medicare products.  The newspaper, yes I still get the Plain Dealer delivered, has envelopes inserted for Medicare products.  I sometimes watch football just to be a part of a different demographic.

I had a doctor’s appointment this morning.  My first on Medicare.  I presented my Medicare Card and my Medicare Supplement Card.  I won’t mention the company since I don’t want this to be seen as a recommendation of a particular insurer.  My previous coverage was a Grandmothered $5,500 deductible HSA qualified policy with Anthem Blue Cross.  My January premium was over $800.  My new Medicare premium for a Plan G contract is around $125 per month and my deductible for Part B services is $198!  The doctor’s staff gladly accepted my Medicare Card.  I now have the best, most comprehensive insurance I’ve had in almost 30 years.  And I am covered in all fifty states.

There are people who misuse the word Medicare and apply it to a very different type of coverage, to a policy that covers 100% of everything.  That isn’t Medicare.  That is a fantasy.   Medicare, with its deductibles and copayments, was designed to pay approximately 75% to 80% of a beneficiary’s medical bills.  But just as some long to make Medicare even more comprehensive, there are others trying to weaken it.  As noted in a recent post, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons is still fighting the existence of Medicare fifty-five years after its creation.  And Mitch McConnell has targeted both Social Security and Medicare for cuts after the next election.  The impact this could have on those reliant on these programs is beyond comprehension.  Some might caution that we should first wait to see the results before we raise our concerns.  But those are the very same people who would have repealed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act without any replacement.

My health insurance, the way I will access and pay for care, changed last Saturday.  I am now on Medicare.  But my concern, and the concern of other insurance agents around this country, is unchanged.  We are here to make this system work.  And as our system changes, to make that new one work, too.  About 1,000 of us will be in Washington at the end of this month to meet with members of this administration, the House, and the Senate.  Now is the time to let us know your thoughts and your concerns so that we can share them with the people who write the rules.  That, too, is part of our job.

DAVE

www.cunixinsurance.com

Picture – Junk Mail – David L Cunix

It is no secret that I will turn 65 in February. My daily mail, the phone calls, and the pop-ups on Facebook are proof that my 65th birthday is eagerly anticipated by a whole host of marketers. And yet, we are all celebrating the same thing, my transition to Medicare.

Countless clients have nervously approached their enrollment into Medicare as if they were buying a house or, worse, unboxing a new cellphone. They thought that it would be confusing and difficult. I have been suggesting the same two options for years. One option is to simply go online to www.medicare.gov. The other option was to go to the local Social Security office. Our local Social Security office (Beachwood, Ohio) has a great reputation for both efficient and respectful service. It was recently my turn to enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B.

Though it was tempting to just go to the Social Security office, I decided that I should try to enroll in Medicare online. The process begins up to three months before your birth month. On Friday, November 1st, I took the first step. The entire process, including registering on the Social Security website, took 20 minutes. It was easy, so easy I was actually worried that perhaps I had screwed up.

I received confirmation that the process had begun within days by both email and snail mail. On November 16th I received an oversized envelope in the mail. My card? I tore open the envelope to find the Extra Help forms. This program is designed to help financially challenged senior citizens pay the monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and co-payments for their Medicare prescription drug program. Thankfully, I don’t need Extra Help. But if I did, this form would have been a breeze to complete.

My Medicare Card came in yesterday’s mail! It took less than three weeks. There is no reason to be nervous. The process is not hard. Sometime in the next month I will apply for my Medicare Supplement and Medicare Part D (Rx). This couldn’t have been easier.

I started to pay in to Social Security and Medicare in 1970 at the age of 15. I never doubted that Medicare would be waiting for me to turn 65. Never. All of that faith has paid off.

Dave

www.cunixinsurance.com

Picture – The Newest Medicare Beneficiary – David L Cunix