Turning 65 in 6 months and am bombarded by insurance brokers daily

[cane]

I already have Healthcare insurance for my wife (63) and I via marketplace. We are retired. In 6 months I will switch to Medicare, and based on what I read, I should stick with A, B and D. The proactive marketing makes me resist tapping one of these insurance brokers as I suspect each may have some bias. Who did you trust to broker or do you need anyone at all, and just enroll vis medicare.gov? (Not sure if it matters, we live in Delaware)

 

[rain2yu]

@cane This process is a royal pain you know where.

Most cities and counties usually have a senior center. While the focus of these places may seem recreational, the staffers often have info on resources in the community for various senior citizen issues. In my state (CA), I got a referral to the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). I spoke with a counselor who explained the differences between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage versus Medigap plans in my area. The counselors are NOT salespeople! They discussed the plans available.

They are trained volunteers and they should give you objective advice about which of the myriad Medicare options would likely would work for you.

As an example, I take a certain prescription drug. I found out that with one Part D plan, my copay for that drug was $2.00, but with a different Part D plan the copay would have been $32.00! Who knew?

Terminology for this program in your state may be different, but you should be able to locate a comparable service for your needs.

A definite improvement over listening to sales people telling you their plan is the greatest thing since the invention of white bread.

Good luck with this.

 

[sharonsvs]

@rain2yu I’m Turning 65 in 8 months. Thanks for the great info!

 

[livingbyfaith1]

@sharonsvs Join the Reddit Medicare forum.

 

[kellic]

@livingbyfaith1 Yes, and also look for your local Medicare Counseling group, called SHIP in most states: https://www.shiphelp.org/

 

[enoob57]

@cane With A (which you don't pay for), B ($174/month), and D (which you have to pick) you are advised to buy a medigap policy/Medicare supplement. It's the D and the Medicare supplement that you're being bombarded about. (Or in the alternative, Medicare advantage)

 

[aisling1]

@enoob57 I live in a house that 2 rounds of previous owners were 65+.

I get constant barages of Medicare Advantage spams for them. The percentage of MA spam vs supplement spam is overwhelming.

Medicare Disadvantage plans are simply terrible.