​Children with elderly parents can find it challenging to stay on top of their healthcare needs even as they lead their own lives. It is easier to seek the help of a licensed agent who can ensure that the enrollment is done on time and the premiums are paid promptly. You never know when your parents may be in need of urgent medical care.
 
Do You Need A Medicare Agent?
 
Invariably, senior citizens and their caregivers find it more than a tad challenging to navigate the various Medicare options. It can be time-consuming and seem complicated. A Medicare agent who is licensed and qualified can provide the necessary education, assistance and help translate the information making it easier to understand. This is helpful even if you have been paying the health insurance premiums year after year and are not new to it. A knowledgeable source can help you make an informed decision and pick the best plan for your family.
 
What Can Medicare Advantage Agents Do?
 
Medicare advantage agents keep abreast of the latest news in the Medicare industry and have access to all the pertinent information. They also have access to different plans from various insurance providers and can zero in on the plan most suited to you quickly. The best part of working with an agent is that you get personalized attention.
 
The agent gathers the information and the quotes and is better positioned to guide you, keeping your financial situation in mind. They can advise you on the most cost-effective options for Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug Plans, and the Supplemental Insurance Plans (Medigap) that will fit in your budget.
 
Find The Right Medicare Agent
 
The key to selecting the right Medicare advantage agent is checking their credentials.
 
Licensed: The agents must be licensed, and the state insurance department can verify that. These agents would have a license number on their cards.
 
Experienced: An insurance broker or agent would ideally have sufficient experience selling
Medicare plans in the state. Referrals from family and friends would help. Another way of checking their experience would be to ask them about their existing customers and the type of plans they have handled.
 
Needless to say, Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans are essential for senior citizens. Sudden illnesses can be unpredictable and with medical expenses so high across the country, having healthcare coverage is critical for your peace of mind. 

Lots of us know that Medicare is a very complicated government entitlement program with its own rules and regulations and a pretty complex design.​

But that idea is also front and center in new campaigns from Medicare supplement plans that describe Medicare as a pyramid of various levels, with different parts and pieces fitting together in an interlocking design.

It's enough to make you dizzy. Some of these descriptions of the Medicare program compare it to the vintage government food pyramid, where you have things like grains, proteins, green vegetables, sugar and fat in an ascending set of shaped levels that show us a little bit about how our daily diet should look. But where the food pyramid is intuitive, the Medicare pyramid is just confusing, partly because the parts and pieces themselves may not be labeled well to help people understand just what it is that they do.

Medicare Parts and Pieces

In the Medicare pyramid, you have Medicare parts A and B, and then you have part C and part D, and even part E, where each of these addresses specific parts of your Medicare coverage. It is not a straightforward process, as we pointed out in past blog posts. It really takes some research and some critical thinking to understand how Medicare works. One part covers prescription drugs. But which part is that? One part is essentially an overlap for certain kinds of supplementary cost. All of it is infuriating to someone’s sense of organization and neatness. But when you turn 65, it’s your turn to navigate this world, because not having this unique senior coverage provided by the government is virtually unthinkable, given the costs of modern healthcare.

Medicare Jargon

In addition, many professionals would admit that Medicare is one of the ultimate examples of alphabet soup. What is a BNI or CCIP? The casual reader knows next to nothing about these terms, and finds themselves helplessly marooned on an island of acronyms. Everything in a Medicare transmittal does something different, and the rules that the system gives out to providers are elaborately arcane.

So what if you’re just a regular person who needs help with Medicare?

Get help from Comprehensive Medicare Solutions in Nevada to access the Medicare resources that you need. Or ask for an elderly family member. We’ll walk you through the process and help you to make the decisions that are best, with our experience handling Medicare and related policies. It doesn’t have to be scary, although, without a light, it really is quite a dark forest. 

For many children of aging parents, navigating the complexities of government programs for their loved ones can be an overwhelming experience. Yet, caregivers of seniors are often called upon to give advice on Medicare and help guide their loved ones through the process. Like anything in life, being prepared is essential to success, so we’ve gathered a few basic tips to help make navigating the Medicare process less stressful for senior caregivers.
 
Know The ABC’s Of Medicare
Medicare has several different parts which need to be understood to make the process of helping your loved one easier. Once you are familiar with these parts, you will be better prepared to assist in navigating Medicare. Part A is hospital insurance, and Part B is medical insurance. Original Medicare includes both Parts A and B; the caveat is that Part A is free, where Part B contains premiums, deductibles, and co-pays.
 
It is important to note that Part A typically covers nursing home care, home health services, hospice, and hospital and skilled nursing facility care. Part C covers Parts A and B. Part D covers prescription drugs and supplemental insurance added to Original Medicare, which requires premiums.
 
Meeting Deadlines Is Vital; Missing Deadlines Is Bad News
As overwhelming as it may be to take on helping a loved one manage their Medicare, remaining prudent with timing is vital. Missing deadlines to apply for Medicare can lead to higher premiums and penalties that create unnecessary, burdensome costs. Caregivers must remain vigilant of Medicare deadlines when aiding their loved ones.
 
Typically, people are eligible to apply for Medicare three months before their 65th birthday. An Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) includes the three-month periods before and after the 65th birthday and is the primary opportunity to enroll in Medicare. Medicare sign-up should take place during this window to be the most effective. Delays in signing up and missing the time frames may result in higher premiums throughout the lifetime of the Medicare coverage.
 
Meeting With A Medicare Professional
As with navigating any governmental program, meeting with a professional to discuss Medicare options can help you streamline the Medicare planning and process for your loved one. Experienced agents can more easily break down the cycle into manageable parts that will allow you to feel in control, informed, and ahead of the game.
 
For caregivers of seniors, navigating the world of Medicare can be a breeze with knowledge, time management, and help from Medicare solutions specialists. 

We are super excited to announce that we are going to be launching a new podcast series on June 14 called "The True View of Medicare". You will be able to find us on all major streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, and here on Facebook.

We will be talking about Medicare and all the different aspects of aging, including: nutrition, fitness, mental health, and more! Feel free to let us know what kind of topics you want to hear on our show, and we will be happy to bring them up. 

Our team can't wait to share this series with you!

Now that summer is coming up and places are starting to lift their Covid-19 restrictions, people are wanting to go out more often. That's a great thing! But let's not forget to take care of our skin to make sure that no crazy damage happens to it while enjoying the warmer weather.

UV radiation from the sun can be dangerous, and it's sneaky to (Skin Cancer Foundation). You might not know that your skin is being damaged by the sun, so it's good to practice prevention prior to starting your activities this summer.

The Skin Cancer Foundation came up with these great tips on how to properly take care of your skin while you're out:

Thousands of individuals are aging into Medicare everyday and find themselves lost when it comes to applying for Medicare benefits. Typically, what has been recommended was for individuals to go to their local Social Security Office and apply for Medicare in-person. Due to Covid-19, this unfortunately isn't possible and we have to re-evaluate the ways on applying for Medicare.

When you turn 65 years old or are deemed disabled by Social Security, and are planning to accept Medicare, you are applying for something called Original Medicare.

Original Medicare consist of two parts, Medicare Parts A and B. 

Under Part A, you get:

• Inpatient care in a hospital
• Skilled nursing facility care
• Care at a skilled nursing facility
• Hospice care
• Home health care

Part A is guaranteed and there is no cost to having it. You can learn more about what Medicare
Part A covers on medicare.gov.

Under Part B, you get:

• Medically necessary services: Services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat your medical condition and that meet accepted standards of medical practice.
• Preventive services: Health care to prevent illness (like the flu) or detect it at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best.

Part B is elective, and there is a monthly premium of $144.60 (could differ dependent on income), but is necessary so you do not pay 100% of medical costs incurred per procedure. Learn more about Medicare Part B on medicare.gov

Currently, the only thing that is effected at the Social Security Office is the ability to conduct face-to-face meetings with individuals looking to apply for Medicare benefits. This doesn't mean that there aren't other options available for applying for Medicare. You can still apply for Medicare by:

• Calling the Social Security Administration over the phone. You can speak to a person live by call the Social Security Administration at 1-(800)-772-1213 from 7am to 7pm, Monday through Friday.
• Applying Online. The Social Security Administration has made it convenient for individuals to apply for their Medicare benefits over the web. You can do this by going to the Social Security Administrations website at  https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/ or by clicking here​.

Though Covid-19 has stopped in-person meetings from happening, it does not mean that you are going to have to be left without the Medicare benefits you deserve. Utilize these resources to your advantage and make sure that you have the coverage you need. If you have any questions on how to enroll into Medicare, or what type of insurance plan is right for you, please message us or give us a call at (702) 550-3909. We are here to help.