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It seems to sneak up on us every year! When you’re busy getting out the fall decorations and watching football, don't forget it's also a very important time of year for those of you that are enrolled in Medicare - The Annual Election Period! (Note, we said “those of you that are ENROLLED into Medicare!” If you are not yet enrolled in Part A or Part B of Medicare… you get to skip everything here! …
medigap
Medicare – “Open Season”
It's crazy season. We liken it to this visual..... We're located in Michigan so in our neck of the woods, right around October 1 each year, the squirrels just sort of become insane. They cram nuts into their mouths and bolt across the roads seemingly suicidal as we drive by. Anytime you look outside, it seems that there are a dozen in any given area scurrying around. THAT is exactly how …
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? …
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 …
Wow!
Sometimes even I am surprised how much money can be saved in getting Medicare "done" right. Small groups (under 20 employees) can move those that are over age 65 to a group Medicare supplement plan. I just quoted one today. I am recommending moving three people to this type of plan and the savings are $27,000 annually. Oh, and the coverage is improved quite a bit. Yes, I said that. Better …
Medicare’s Two Surprises
Ok, so there are far more than only TWO Medicare surprises, but I'm going to start with the big two! I met with a new to me couple yesterday. They are both over 65. One person is actively working and one is retired. The actively working person will be retiring this year sooooo, it's time to prep for our healthcare talk! The great part about these two was that they were pretty educated! …
Medigap Policies
Why I like Medigap.....! I checked in recently via text message with a client that began his Medicare policy with my on 4/1/17. I always remember this fellow because of his dry sense of humor, his pure skepticism and his wit that has led us to become buddies. So, I sent him a text a week ago. "Happy one year with Medicare! How is it going?" His answer "I'm tickled with everything, thanks to …