Concerns Are Rising About Doctors Not Accepting Medicare!!
Hi Toni: This week, I went to see my primary care doctor and his office said that since Medicare is primary on my insurance, I would have to pay the complete bill and file the claim with Medicare myself. I am 68 years old and decided to retire with a May 1st effective...
Do You Have a Hurricane/Disaster Evacuation Plan?
Toni: We are new to the Houston area and last week Tropical Storm Cindy absolutely stressed my wife because her 84-year-old mother is living in an assisted living facility and we live over 10 miles away from her. What can we do to be prepared for a hurricane or an...
Little Secrets to Enrolling in Medicare Correctly!!
Hello Toni: I am turning 65 this September and have great retirement benefits from the company I worked for 20 plus years. I have spoken with HR about what I need to do with enrolling in Medicare and they advised me not to enroll in Part B because I have...
Happy 4th of July!!!
Please enjoy this tribute to the greatest country on the face of this earth, and God Bless everyone that has fought and sacrificed to give us the freedoms that we have today. Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July. Toni Sue
Had a Heart Attack..Have Medicare….I Owe $41,750…WHY??
Toni, I am having a big problem with my wife’s company benefits and my Medicare. My wife is a retired from an oil company with great benefits. I am retired and currently 66 years old. I am covered under her retiree health insurance plan. When I turned 65, I enrolled...
256,000 Retired Teachers Affected By TRS-Care Medicare Benefit Changes!
Toni: The past few weeks, I have been receiving emails from the TRTA (Texas Retired Teachers Assoc.) regarding changes with TRS-Care which is the retiree health insurance program. What I have been reading does not seem good for those who are retired under or over 65....
Beware, Don’t Let Medicaid Put A Lien Against Your Property!!!
[vifblike] Toni, I have a friend who just received a bill from the state of Texas for his mother's Medicaid nursing home care. No one informed him that Medicaid (the State of Texas) was running a tab of the entire healthcare that Medicaid paid and would take his...
Learn the ABC’s of Medicare and Social Security; This Is What Every Baby Boomer Needs To Know!
[vifblike] Hi Toni, I follow your column and clip them for future reference. I am now approaching 65 in August. I need to enroll in Medicare and learn the plan differences between Medicare and an Advantage Program I am considering. I understand I can sign up at Social...
Helpful tips to avoid the Financial Crisis of the Medicare Donut Hole!!!
[vifblike] Toni: Last year, my mother got into the “donut hole” in October. I can see from the Part D statement she receives that she is rapidly approaching the donut hole and it is only the beginning of May. None of her drugs have changed from 2016. She can afford...
Will the New Medicare Observation Hospital Rule Impact You?
[vifblike] New Medicare hospital rule regarding observation notification went into effect Wednesday, 3/8/2017. Be prepared! On Monday, April 3rd, the Toni Says Medicare team attended the MACRA informational Medicare meeting which informed insurance agents in...
Has the New Medicare Rule Affected Medicare Advantage Plans?
[vifblike] Toni: Last week you wrote about how the MOON (Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice) rule affects “Original Medicare”. My husband has enrolled in a Medicare Advantage HMO and I am wondering how this rule will affect his hospital stay. Thank you, Maria...
Social Security Knows Social Security… Not Medicare Underwriting Rules!
[vifblike] Toni: Thank you so much for taking my phone call this morning. My husband and I signed up in December 2016 for Medicare Part B with the understanding that once I retired I had 60 days to obtain supplemental insurance. I just happened on your Medicare...
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