Medicare Stress Free Enrollment Guide

Your Stress-Free, Quick Medicare Enrollment Guide

Are you confused about Medicare? Have you been getting so much information from all the Medicare Insurance Carriers? Are you anxious about all this Medicare stuff and possibly making the wrong Medicare decision? Well if you are, sit back and relax. I am going to give you a Step-by-Step, quick Medicare Enrollment Guide. If you have a PHD in Health insurance or Medicare, than this guide is not for you, but if your like the tens of thousands of baby boomers new to Medicare, than this Quick Guide to Medicare is for you! In this Quick Guide, I am going to give you some downloadable resources and a road map to help guide you along the Medicare Maze.

The Good News and The Bad News:

The good news first. It goes with-out saying, that if you are reading this article, you or someone you love is entering the world of Medicare. Medicare is truly a “good deal”, if you are eligible, both from a cost/premium viewpoint to the actual Medicare benefits. But you could probably use a sort of Medicare Enrollment Guide to help with through the process.

My educated guess is:

1. Employer sponsored insurance is ending.
2. Individual Insurance is ending because you are “Medicare eligible.”

You have seen numerous rate increases as well as increasing deductibles for many many years now. Well, that is all about to change, once you are successfully and are properly enrolled into the right Medicare plan for you.

Now the bad news. Medicare is very confusing and especially difficult to truly understand with all the confusing materials you are receiving. It is important to understand Medicare and the different types of Medicare such as Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Supplement Plans ( also referred to as a Medigap Plans ).

Before I begin some explanations, here is a very valuable downloadable resource for you to download and print for handy reference. Think of it as your Stress Free Quick Guide to a successful Medicare enrollment.

4 Steps to a Stress Free Medicare Enrollment

Step 1. Determine your current eligibility to enroll in Original Medicare ( commonly known as Medicare Parts A and B ). If you’re covered by group or employer insurance, speak with Human Resources to determine if you are “required” to enroll in Medicare or not. The guidelines are very clear and your HR department should know the Federal Government requirements.

Be sure to inquire about BOTH Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B with your employer. If your not insured or on an individual health insurance policy, your likely required to enroll in both Medicare Part A & Medicare Part B. ( While you can do this online, the website is provided on the downloadable PDFs ), I recommend you meet with your local Social Security Office as they will handle your Social Security AND Medicare enrollments in person. Online it may be a lot more cumbersome. I have heard from numerous clients how helpful and beneficial it was to go into the local office and do this in person. If you don’t know where your local Social Security Office is located call or go online to the link in the attached document.

Your goals here should be twofold:

1. Successful understanding and enrollment of your Social Security benefits
2. Proper and verifiable enrollment in Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B

Step 2. Now that you have successfully determined your eligibility for Medicare enrollment, you probably have more questions than answers. Here is the next highly advisable step. Schedule a meeting via phone, live webinar or face to face meeting with a Independent Medicare expert or specialist. I recommend someone with at least 10 years of Medicare experience.

Medicare is a gigantic and complex system to understand and someone who has that many years of experience likely has learned and can educate you properly on the remaining processes to a successful enrollment. I have seen in my own practice so many people who have come to me to “fix” their Medicare Plans because they just did not understand what they were buying and they are currently in the wrong Medicare plan.

In my practice I get these calls almost daily. I don’t recommend you call direct to an insurance carrier nor associations ( unless they represent several insurance carriers ) because all they are allowed to talk about is their own Medicare Plans. They cannot give you a competitive and clear picture of all of your options or available plans. Having your own Medicare expert is like having your own attorney or accountant. An expert in their professional field who you can:

1. Trust
2. Have access to year round and someone you should touch base with at least yearly ( just like your accountant ) to review options and plan ahead

If you call the insurance carriers direct or the associations plans your likely dealing with a call center and that person may not be there when you need them. You will likely deal with a different person each time you call.

Your goals here should be:

1. Have that person actually listen AND understand your needs, budget, desires and situation(s). Establish or enhance your relationship with this trusted member of your professional team.
2. Review all your Medicare options. Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap plans.
3. Medicare Parts C and Part D
4. Show proof of enrollment in Medicare Parts A and B
5. Review Medicare limitations and restrictions. ( know what is not covered and how your network of doctors a and hospitals is either in network or out of network ). Do you need referrals to go from one Dr. to another??
6. Secure quotes for the best plan to meet your needs.

Step 3. Enroll in your desired Medicare plan. This can possibly be done during Step 2. Make sure you discuss effective dates of your new plan and how and when to cancel your existing coverages. Also, it is important to know and understand your premiums, payment options and ability to change plans especially if your health changes ).

Step 4. Annually, ( and especially during the annual “Open Enrollment Period” meet or at least talk to your Medicare expert to discuss if your in the best plan for you for both your health as well as your medication(s) needs.

I hope this Medicare Quick Guide is helpful for you.

Most importantly I am here to:

1. Help you navigate, educate, understand and help you enroll in the best Medicare Plan for you.
2. I am NOT a call center and will likely answer your call when you call me directly at . I have set aside time every day to help you avoid choosing the wrong Medicare Plan. My consultation is completely free, for a limited time only. So I invite you to contact me personally, while I have the time, to discuss your Medicare situation. I have over 30 years of expertise in Medicare and look forward to helping you with your Medicare needs.