September is Life Insurance Awareness Month!
To make sure Americans are reminded of the need to include life insurance in their financial plans, the nonprofit organization Life Happens coordinates Life Insurance Awareness Month. Each September, Life Happens is joined in this educational initiative by more than 100 of the nation’s leading insurance companies and industry groups. The main reason to buy […]
Your Personal Resource
There is great value in having an independent agent at your fingertips. At absolutely no cost to you, you have a local advocate when you need it most. I am here to assist you each and every year in evaluating new plans and plan changes that may affect you. I value our relationship and am […]
Medicare Advantage Plans continue to grow.
Medicare Advanatage Plans have grown from 18% to 30% as a proportion of the total Medicare spending from 2007 to 2017. Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans has been steadily increasing over the measured decade from 2007 to 2017. 33% of Medicare beneficiaries were covered by Medicare Advantage plans in 2017, when ten years earlier, just 19% […]
Hang up on Medicare scams!
I had a client call me today to touch base and see if a call he had received was really from his Medicare plan or if it was a scam. Based on our conversation it was definitely a scam! The caller kept requesting more information from him and luckily he realized it was a scam […]
Are you planning to travel?
Many of our clients travel in retirement. Are you planning to travel outside of the U.S. this year? Before you go, remember to check your health insurance and/or Medicare coverage outside of the United States. Original Medicare (Medicare Parts A & B) stops at the border. You have coverage inside the U.S., however, in general, Medicare […]
Educational Seminar learning about Medicare
Our first Medicare 101 seminar sponsored by Regence Blue Shield of Idaho was a success! Individuals preparing for retirement and turning 65 gathered a lot of information and got their questions answered at the Emerald St. Als clinic yesterday. Everyone left knowing what their action steps are to get things lined up for the transition […]
Check on your new Medicare card
We’ve got 3 ways for you to find out when you should expect your new Medicare card in the mail: Check out the map on Medicare.gov/NewCard. Keep coming back to check the status of card mailings in your state. Once card mailings begin in your state, it’ll take at least a month to finish. Keep an eye […]
Just Ask!!
A simple question at the pharmacy could unlock savings for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. Under a little-known Medicare rule, they can pay a lower cash price for prescriptions instead of using their insurance and doling out the amount the policy requires. But only if they ask. That doesn’t mean people with Medicare drug coverage are […]
What is driving medical costs?
According to research done by Milliman on behalf of AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans) the greatest percentage of your health insurance premium goes to prescription drugs. This research was based on a two year period 2014 – 2016. Contrary to what many people believe, profit to insurance companies accounts for only 2.3 cents of every […]
Idaho cannot offer health plans that do not meet Affordable Care Act standards.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s move to let companies offer health insurance plans that don’t meet Affordable Care Act standards is illegal, U.S. officials said Thursday. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma issued a letter to Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, a Republican, and Idaho Department of Insurance Director Dean Cameron saying […]