Over the past couple of months as we've talked to people over the phone helping them with their transition to the Medicare system, we get the question "how are you all handling things with Covid - are you working?". Answer: Oh my goodness, we're busier than ever. #1 layoffs #2 early retirements "just because I'm done" #3 people still turn 65 each day. How are we doing things? The way we have …
Should I retire early? Medicare implications….
Covid-19 has stormed into our world causing a whole bunch of implications! As if you didn't know... In our world, we're getting lots of calls from people either electing to retire or having to retire. A recent phone conversation played out like this. Jane and John are still working, They are 66 years old. They each have their health insurance through Jane's employer and it's good coverage, …
Checking in during the crazy time!
Hope you're all well during the Covid-19 days. We're here and working as we always have been. If you need some extra TLC and help with a Medicare transition.... call any of us! 248-871-7756. Find us on Facebook, too: We're over there doing some Facebook Live sessions - keep that human interaction in play! Connect here. Take care of yourselves! …
Mistake after mistake after mistake….
It feels like we go in waves with Medicare. We suddenly have a week where there is a rash of "Medicare Mistakes" made by consumers. As we talk daily as a group of Medicare agents, we know that just about every one of the situations/mistakes could have been avoided had the consumer called us or someone like us PRIOR to doing or not doing what they did or did not do. Sounds pretty simple, right? …
Medicare is a process, not a product
Listen and learn about our approach to the Medicare process. …
Michigan Auto Reform Laws & Medicare
What's Happening in Michigan? We're starting to pay a lot more attention to and are getting a lot more questions relating to car insurance in Michigan. Specifically, how does it relate to Michigan's auto laws and upcoming changes. If you are not a resident of Michigan (where our agency is located; thus our "back yard" is pretty darn full of questions!), this really won't apply to you. Those …
*#&$@ Happens
We at times speak at corporate offices when HR will bring in a Medicare "lunch and learn". These are excellent sessions for employees that are close to, or ARE, Medicare eligible to start understanding how the Medicare system works in comparison to their workplace coverage. Now, as we talk through Medicare, the coverage, how it works, how much it costs ----> remember that our goal is to teach …
Milestone Birthdays… as told from a 24 year old
As a 24 year old, people often say to me “enjoy being young, 30 is the last good birthday you have” etc., etc. But, lately, I've come to realize that this may not necessarily be true! When working with Medicare beneficiaries and asking if they are AARP members, sometimes they will tell me “No I don’t want that card. It'll make me feel old,”. I have to laugh because I was so excited to be able to …
Process
There's so much information out there about Medicare. Problem is that there is information overload. Another problem that we often hear is the exclamation of "Oh my gosh, I don't even know where to start". Yes Medicare.gov can be a great source of information BUT you have to know what to enter into the search bar, right? We at Giardini Medicare adore information. Look no further than our …
When Should You Start Talking Medicare?
At Giardini Medicare we are often asked “When is the best time to start talking and learning about Medicare?” Surprisingly, even that question doesn’t have a straight answer, and it appears that nothing related to Medicare seems to have a “straight” answer. In my experience, a person age 64 and one-half years is just about ideal for the first conversation on Medicare. Remember celebrating …