[et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label=”Fullwidth Header” title=”It’s a good time to be on Medicare” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” header_fullscreen=”off” header_scroll_down=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” content_orientation=”center” image_orientation=”center” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_letter_spacing=”0″ button_one_use_icon=”default” button_one_icon_placement=”right” button_one_on_hover=”on” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ custom_button_two=”off” button_two_letter_spacing=”0″ button_two_use_icon=”default” button_two_icon_placement=”right” button_two_on_hover=”on” button_two_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ subhead=”November 2017″] [\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” saved_tabs=”all”]<\/p>\n
By David P. Schaeffer<\/p>\n
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\nWith all the hub-a-loo in Washington about health care, the good news is it has little or nothing to do with Medicare. The changes made to Medicare in 2005, 2010, and again in 2013 have only improved the lives of folks on Medicare.
\nIf you are a history buff, prior to 2005 there was no, none, nada, zippo, drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. Back in those days we would charter a bus and take our clients to Mexico for their prescriptions. Back then, we even helped folks get their drugs directly from Canada. We still do.<\/p>\n
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\nIn 2010, Medicare updated the Medigap plans. They removed a couple and added a few. For the most part, folks still leaned toward Plan F. After the update, Plan J was grandfathered. If you had one, you could keep it, but folks new to Medi-care could not get a Plan J. In 2019, Plan F will grandfather. If you have a Plan F, you can keep it, you can even switch between companies that offered Plan F in the past.<\/p>\n
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\nIn 2013, Medicare part B premiums adjusted to take into consideration our wealthiest top 5% of Americans. Surcharges, (you can\u2019t call \u2018em taxes, you can\u2019t call \u2018em penalties) were added to Part B and D. This was in part to fund the folks under age 65 participating in Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliant healthcare plans. Even though the news makes the ACA a huge deal, it only affects 8% of Americans are not covered by group plans or Medicare.<\/p>\n
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\nSo the good news, in most of Arizona, no matter if you select Medicare plus a Medigap and a Part D prescription plan, or an All-In-One Medicare advantage plan\u2026\u00a0most folks on Medicare do not have\u00a0to be concerned about a medical\u00a0services deductible. Most doctors are\u00a0either available as a Medicare\u00a0beneficiary or participate in multiple\u00a0Medicare Advantage networks,\u00a0making it easy to maintain your\u00a0doctor relationship and select the plan\u00a0most appropriate for your needs.<\/p>\n
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\nHere we sit, it\u2019s nearly 2018. In\u00a0Maricopa County, Arizona we\u00a0have 61 companies offering\u00a0Medicare supplements, 23 Part D
\nprescription drug plans to choose\u00a0from and 38 Medicare Advantage\u00a0plans to span 25 networks.
\nThe choice is all around us. The good\u00a0news is there will be 7325 choices\u00a0for folks with Medicare to select\u00a0from in 2018.<\/p>\n
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\nEnjoy!<\/p>\n
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By David P. Schaeffer [spacer height=”10px”] With all the hub-a-loo in Washington about health care, the good news is it has little or nothing to do with Medicare. The changes made to Medicare in 2005, 2010, and again in 2013 have only improved the lives of folks on Medicare. If you are a history buff, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n