MYM Podcast 38: 2016 Edition Released

The 2016 Edition of Maximize Your Medicare is available NOW. Is a new edition really necessary? Yep.

Subscribe to the Maximize Your Medicare Podcast click HERE.

MYM Podcast 29: Radio Interview, Annual Election Period Edition

Radio Interview, Annual Election Period
I have been doing a lot of radio interviews recently, New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, et al. Art Lewis and I have spent over 6, 1-hour sessions together. Our latest was this past Saturday, and we discussed the Annual Election Period.

Listen to the podcast here.

Subscribe to the Maximize Your Medicare Podcast here: Click here to Subscribe

MYM Podcast 28: Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and Rx

The Annual Election Period Begins October 15th
You will be sent an ANOC (Annual Notice of Change) for your prescription benefits, whether it is part of your Medicare Advantage plan, or stand-alone drug plan (Medicare Part D). Listen to why you shouldn't throw it into the trash: it can be costly.

Listen to the podcast here.

Subscribe to the Maximize Your Medicare Podcast here: Click here to Subscribe

MYM Podcast 27: What Happens If My Medicare Benefits Change Mid-Year???

My Appearance on David Holland's Real Money
I re-appeared on David's Real Money, and we discussed a specific example about Medicare Advantage. More generally, Medicare beneficiaries can face dramatic changes mid-year, and we discussed what can be done.

Listen to the podcast here.

Subscribe to the Maximize Your Medicare Podcast here: Click here to Subscribe

MYM Podcast 25: Don't Give Away This FREE Medicare Option

Totally Confused? Buy Yourself Time...Free
Many people don't know where to begin, and the questions continue from there. One very popular one: which is better, Medicare Advantage or Medigap? That is complicated, and seniors are faced with many, many options. If you absolutely not decide, or if you are running out of time to decide, then you can use the 12-Month Trial Period, one of Medicare's Special Enrollment Periods (SEP). Find out how it works, and why this is important.

Listen to the podcast here.

Subscribe to the Maximize Your Medicare Podcast here: Click here to Subscribe

MYM Podcast 17: Get Extra Help for Rx, and It Gets Better (FIXED)

The previous link was broken (sorry). This is now fixed.

For Those That Qualify for "Extra Help," Rx Aid is Just the Beginning

As the cost of specialty prescriptions skyrockets, according to a New York Times in an article yesterday, April 15, this podcast covers a federally-funded program called Extra Help which can help towards those costs.

In addition, there are additional benefits that are part of this. Many of these are unknown, and Medicare beneficiaries should take full advantage.

Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

MYM Podcast 16: 12-Month Trial Period

First Time in a Medicare Advantage Plan? You Can Change....
Very few people know that the Medicare rules regarding enrollment are largely in a consumer's favor. A perfect example is here. If it is your first time in purchasing a Medicare Advantage plan, and it has been in effect for less than 12 months, the you can change to another Medicare Advantage plan, OR return to original Medicare, and couple it with a Medigap & stand-alone prescription plan (Medicare Part D). No calendar restrictions.

Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

MYM Podcast 6: Can I Still Change Medicare Coverage Now?

Surprise: The Rules Work For You, Not Against
People keep the age-old thought that they have to use the Annual Election Period only in order to make changes to their Medicare configurations. Nope. The reality is that you have options under the current rules, and in some situations, it is highly favorable to do so. MYM Podcast 6 tells you about some ways that you can make a change even after the Medicare Annual Election Period is over, with a few examples included.

Click here to listen.

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MYM Podcast 3: Annual Election Period Ends TODAY

Last-minute tips to make sure that you have kept your options open. The Medicare Annual Election Period ends today. Click here to listen.

MYM Podcast 2: Annual Election Period Ending Soon

This episode focuses on what to do during Medicare Annual Election Period, which ends on Midnight, December 7th. That is this Saturday. Click here to listen.

Medicare ABCs Webinar/Q&A Dec 2 7PM EST

Monday, December 2, 2013: 7PM EST

Register by clicking here.

If you don't have the time, you will be sent the recording anyways (I will send it out to all those that purchase the session). The drawback: you won't be able to send in your questions. I will also be answering questions via Skype during that time.

You May Already Understand Medicare, but....

I promise that someone you know very well doesn't, like a spouse (!), friend, relative, neighbor. This is not the typical social/financial issue. When your neighbor doesn't understand Medicare, doesn't protect him/herself, then YOU will be a payer at some point in time. One reason that healthcare costs challenge the nation: the financial risk to the system is made much worse when people cannot pay their medical bills. This is, in many cases, avoidable. Medicare is the single best value for the money for those that are eligible: the pricing of Obamacare-compliant plans is revealing that very fact. The point? 

Libraries, Colleges, Talk Radio, and More

Maximize Your Medicare is part of library systems throughout the country, but the fact is that some people won't read a book (sigh). To some degree, I can understand that a verbal explanation is superior. Then, the problem is that it is very difficult to know who to trust, and to know whether that person is motivated for other reasons, or to know if that person is qualified. 

Simple session, you can make your own determination about the information that I will provide, and the information that you can use. One more thing: I won't be recommending any particular carrier or plan. 

You can click here to see the many places that I have been, and will be, in the coming days and months. There are also links to comments that I have made on talk radio as well. 

Can't Be Free (Sorry)

There is however, a money-back guarantee. I am pretty certain that you will receive your $2.99's worth. The reason for the upfront fee: keep out spammers who will do nothing that send out peculiar messages, pictures, and slow down the connection. No one said anything about multiple viewers in the same room, however....

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Medicare ABCs LIVE Webinar

Monday, August 29th, 11:00AM (EST)
Some people would rather have a verbal explanation, because a book may create followup questions. Some people don't know where to begin to ask. I wrote Maximize Your Medicare to address this, and the audience is enormous: more than 9,000 will turn 65 everyday in the United States. This will continue for most of the next 2 decades.
You Can Ask Me Questions LIVE
I will go through Medicare and explain its components. I will explain how it differs from health insurance that many have been used to. I have done so at libraries, senior centers, and on talk radio shows. I have heard and seen the level of uncertainty on people's faces and in their voices. Adult-age children need to have this information: you get pulled into the situation, and usually (unfortunately), under unfavorable circumstances. Caregivers face questions continuously regarding what Medicare covers, and what it does not.
Money Back Guaranteed
At $3.99, it is inconceivable (to me, I am biased) that you will not get your money back. There will be information that is not widely known, until it may be too late. Frequently, this could have been avoided. In any case, if you join the Webinar, and find that it isn't worth the $3.99, then I will refund your money. Guaranteed.

$3.99 Medicare ABCs Live Video Webinar

 

 

More information can be found here.

Responding to the Reviews

Dialogue Please
"They" say you are not supposed to respond to reviews, positive or negative.  "They" are usually wrong.  At the risk of rubbing someone the wrong way, here goes.

"Best guide out there." "First strategic book." "Well worth the money."
These were the objectives.  These are the objectives.  These will be the objectives. I priced the book for the everyday reader, well below its financial value, well below the price of other books that "explain" Medicare. I wrote it with scenarios to illustrate the effects, both intended and unintended. If you want to accept risk on your own, I am not against this. You may have good reason, and it isn't my role to tell you what to do. My role in this discussion is to lay out the choices clearly, so that you are not surprised by the results of the risks that you unintentionally take, if and when they occur. I wrote this book to help a senior (and his/her family) avoid the consequences that he/she did not intend, or did not understand in advance.

"Preachy"
This is a description that I did not expect. If anything, I haven't even come close to describing what can happen if you ignore the information in the book.  Let me put it simply: bankruptcy is a real possibility if you leave Medicare alone unchecked, become ill, and require extensive medical treatment with prescriptions. If you live alone, with no family, then that may be fine since you will be the only person to experience the consequences. For the remainder, it is now your vocation to know Medicare.  Period.  My part of this covenant? I guarantee that a reader will recover the price of the book, every year.  Send me the book back, and I will donate the copy to a group that will benefit, and I will refund your money.  Myself.

"Not Much New"
If you are experienced in Medicare matters, and have knowledge of all the options, and can compare them side-by-side, with family scenarios in mind, then you are right.  This book is not for you.  The preface to the book is "I know everything there is to know about Medicare. Said by no one."  If you are that 0.01%, then send me the book back, and I will donate the copy to a group that will benefit, and I will refund your money.  Myself.


"Don't Buy the Kindle Version"
You need to read the beginning of the book.  It is quite clear: I advised readers to READ THE GLOSSARY FIRST. It is a fact of life that there is specialized language in every profession or practice. Ask a lawyer, ask a physician, ask a plumber: jargon is everywhere. The reviewer does admit that the terms are explained. When technology improves on ebooks generally, you will be able to click on a word, and up will come the definition from the glossary. We are not there yet. We will be in the future.


"Incomplete"
I cannot comment on certain practices in certain states. I should not comment on services by governmental agencies, or groups funded by the government.  If you didn't see the news at all over the past two weeks, the government is watching, to put it mildly. Kidding aside, this is not a political book with political aims. For that you can read the Obamacare Survival Guide.  Most importantly: even when rules apply, you can get inconsistent answers from governmental agencies. I have dealt with the situation on behalf of my professional clients, and it takes a long time and persistence to undo this type of situation. The book only comments on the most blatant cases. This is intentional. If you believe that there is an omission that could benefit future readers, email me please!

Help me
If I knew then what I know now about book publishing, Maximize Your Medicare would not exist at all, for better or worse. Indiegogo is a platform for crowdsourcing, and is used to raise money to be used for objectives.  My objective? Overcome hurdles inherent in book distribution. You most likely found the book on amazon.com or at your local library. In other words, there are many, many others out there that require this information, and I need to reach them.  And I need your help. $10,000 sounds like a lot, and it is. Candidly, it is about 50% of what is required to do the job correctly. That is how high the barriers to entry are for a single book. There is a very low probability of recovering this amount, given that it is as $10 book, and there are middlemen everywhere.  So, if you found the book helpful, or acknowledge that there are countless others that would benefit, please help me by clicking on the widget below.

PPACA and Medicare

PPACA and Medicare

As it currently stands, provisions of the PPACA will make Medicare selections more transparent.  As a general statement, this is true. In addition, there will apparently be limits to the out-of-pocket expenses under Medicare.  Overall, these are positives for the Medicare beneficiary.  Now for the flip side of that coin.

Unintended Consequences

Transparency will appear in the form of "tiers," i.e. there will be Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.  Alternatives will be categorized by using a notion which can be thought of covering a particular % (let's call it X%) of a person's total medical costs.  The most important concept here is that it this "X%" is ON AVERAGE.  What does this mean?  It means that your specific situation may be covered by less than average, and that your out-of-pocket expenses may exceed projections.  It is a virtual guarantee that beneficiaries misunderstand this concept today, and will do so in the future.  Please note: this is the case now with Medicare Advantage plans, i.e. the specific benefits that you receive under your Medicare Advantage plan can be, in fact, worse than original Medicare under your very specific situation.  That is because the Medicare Advantage plan has, overall, been ruled by the CMS as being at least as good as original Medicare.  This is a subtle, but important, concept.

Maximize Your Medicare Android App

We All Need to Help the Seniors in Our Lives

Your parents are more confused and worried than they are telling you.  Ask the billing office of almost any medical provider; I GUARANTEE that they will say that patients do not understand how Medicare works.  Now, on Google Play (and soon on Amazon Appstore), Maximize Your Medicare is an Android app that costs only $0.99.

You Enter Info, You Get Answers and Suggestions

Anyone can use the app.  You enter your date of birth, and you will get the vital information: important dates, and when you need to enroll.  You answer some specific questions.  You can a list of important factors to consider.  You can also directly to the offical Medicare site to make a selection if you would like.

Written For Those That Have a Senior in His/Her Life

Parent, aunt/uncle, grandparent: we all know someone whose life is affected by Medicare.  If you don't know, that is because you have not asked.  Go to McDonald's sometime, and eat there for 45 minutes.  It is a certainty that seniors there are talking about health and health insurance. 

Help Your Senior Age Gracefully

Maximize Your Medicare, the book and the app, have this goal in mind.  We cannot control everything.  The politics, the fiscal backdrop, and the demographic reality are beyond any single person's control.  Maximize Your Medicare allows the senior in your life gain control of the things that he/she can, and not be worried due to the fact they are confused.  Small price to pay: $0.99 for the app to get started down that path.

This Happens: Medicare Advantage Cost Sharing Worse Than Original Medicare

Medicare Advantage Plans Are Approved by the CMS

Every year, Medicare Advantage plans of all types are approved by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  Every plan must be at least as good as original Medicare, i.e. those plans which include prescription drug benefits needs to be at least as good as Medicare Part A, Part B and Part D.  

"At Least As Good" Means....

Here is the issue.  When the CMS approves plans, these plans must be at least as good as original Medicare, which is defined as the actuarial equivalent.  What does that mean?  It means that statistics are used to determine that the Medicare Advantage plan is at least as good as original Medicare, on average.  That does NOT mean that your Medicare Advantage plan is better than original Medicare for each particular benefit.  You can (rightfully) ask:  What in the world does THIS mean?

Example: Skilled Nursing Facility Care

I am not going to point out insurance companies; it is not the point of the blog, or the book Maximize Your Medicare, to point out specific companies or specific policies.  However, here is a real-world example.

Original Part A Skilled Nursing Facility Care:

0-20 days:  $0.  Medicare pays.

20-100 days:  You pay the first $148 per day in 2013, Medicare pays the remainder.

100+ days:  You pay 100%

Medicare Advantage Example:

0-20 days:  $50/day copay.

20-100 days:  $150/day copay.

This Happens

If you stay at a skilled nursing care facility for 100 days, it is entirely possible that you will pay $1160 more than under original Medicare.  

Get Maximize Your Medicare, Get Informed

These small details seem insignificant, right?  Tell that to the subscribers of this plan in 2013, who are admitted to a Skilled Nursing Facility. I cannot fix this, and neither can you, other than to become informed every year, to check every year, to protect yourself to the best of your ability.  

You want $9.99 of value?  There it is, free, and there are many, many more examples of this in Maximize Your Medicare.