Tina Little-Coltrane- Coltrane Insurance

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A Little About Medicare Healthcare Insurance

 

If you, your parents or another significant other are turning 65 this year and needs assistance with determing which Medicare Advantage or Supplement coverage will work best for your/their needs, please contact me.

 

I am a Licensed Insurance Professional and authorized Representative for Humana, United Healthcare,

Aetna, CIGNA and Mutual Of Omaha for Medicare Advantage, Medicare Prescription Drug and

Medicare Supplement Insurance plans.  I will be sure to provide you with the information

you need to help you make the best choice for your health care needs.

 

Tina Little-Coltrane - Life and Health Insurance Agent,

Medicare Healthcare Insurance Consultant

1-800-755-2896 - TinaColtrane@AOL.com

 

For more information, visit the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services:
 

The following information was taken from the

"Choosing A Medigap Policy" Guide.

 

A Medigap policy is health insurance sold by private insurance companies to fill gaps in Original Medicare coverage.

Medigap policies can help pay your share (coinsurance, copayments, or deductibles) of the costs of Medicare-covered services. Some Medigap policies also cover certain benefits Original Medicare doesn’t cover. Medigap policies don’t cover your share of the costs under other types of health coverage, including Medicare Advantage Plans, stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, employer/union group health coverage, Medicaid, Veterans Administration (VA) benefits, or TRICARE. Also, except for Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, while you have any of these other types of health coverage, insurance companies generally aren’t allowed to sell you a Medigap policy.

 

A Medigap (also called "Medicare Supplement Insurance") policy is private health insurance that is designed to supplement Original Medicare. This means it helps pay some of the health care costs ("gaps") that Original Medicare doesn’t cover (like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles). If you are in Original Medicare and you have a Medigap policy, Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amounts for covered health care costs. Then your Medigap policy pays its share.

 

(Note: Medicare doesn’t pay any of the costs for you to get a Medigap policy.) Also, a Medigap policy is different than a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) because those plans are ways to get Medicare benefits, while a Medigap policy only supplements your Medicare benefits.

The following information was taken from the

"2011 Medicare & You" Handbook.

 

What’s new and important with Medicare in 2011?

New laws have brought many changes to Medicare Health coverage plans. Some changes may give you choices in health care coverage to fill gaps in services that Original Medicare plans may not cover.

 

• Pay less for preventative services –

You will pay no deductible or coinsurance for most preventative services.

 

• New Yearly Wellness Exam –

 You can get a wellness exam each year to help you stay healthy.

 

• Help in the Prescription Drug Coverage Gap –

 If you reach the coverage gap in your Medicare Prescription Drug coverage, you may qualify for savings on brand-name and generic drugs.

 

• Annual Enrollment Periond –

Health and Prescription drug plans can decide not to participate in Medicare for the upcoming year.  If your plan is leaving Medicare, the time to elect a new healthcare plan for 2011 is during Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period which starts November 15 thru December 31, 2010.

 

• What are the Medicare Premiums and Coinsurance Rates for 2011? –

Visit Medicare.gov, The Official U.S. Government Site for Medicare for more information.

Additional information and assistance with understanding your Medicare options can be found at:

(SHIIP) -The Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program.

 

Medicare Advantage Plans and Medigap (Supplement) Policies

If you have a Medigap policy and you are switching from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan, you don’t need and can’t use the Medigap policy to cover deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, or premiums under the Medicare Advantage Plan. You may choose to drop your Medigap policy, but you should talk to your State Health Insurance Assistance Program and your current Medigap insurance company first because you may not be able to get your Medigap policy back. *If you already have a Medicare Advantage Plan, it’s illegal for anyone to sell you a Medigap policy unless you’re disenrolling from your Medicare Advantage Plan to go back to Original Medicare.

 

 

Medicare Advantage Plans are health plan options that are part of the Medicare program. If you join one of these plans, you generally get all your Medicare-covered health care through that plan. This coverage can include prescription drug coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans include:

  • Medicare Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs)
  • Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)
  • Private Fee-for-Service Plans
  • Medicare Special Needs Plans

When you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you use the health insurance card that you get from the plan for your health care. In most of these plans, generally there are extra benefits and lower copayments than in the Original Medicare Plan. However, you may have to see doctors that belong to the plan network or go to certain hospitals to get services.

 

To find out more about your Medicare Healthcare coverage options, please visit Medicare.gov.

 

To Review the Medicare Health Coverage Plans offered by

Humana, United Healthcare and Mutual of Omaha,

please return to our Home/Welcome Page.