Toni:
Last year, both me and my husband purchased a Medicare Supplement Plan G. The supplement has never paid a dime! We are still having to use the same doctor and get referrals from our Medicare Advantage HMO that we were using in 2016.
Now the primary care doctor that we use for medical is no longer in the HMO. Recently, I discovered that because we never disenrolled from the Medicare HMO last year is why our Medicare Supplement has never paid any Medicare claims this year.
The agent who sold us the Medicare Supplement did not advise me how to disenroll from the HMO. We have spent over $200 a month since January 2017 and the policy has never been used. How can we get out of this Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare to use the Medicare Supplement I purchased last January?
Looking forward to your answer,
Laura from Longview, TX
Laura:
The biggest No-No in the Medicare insurance world is when an agent sells a Medicare beneficiary (which is what you and your husband are) that has a Medicare Advantage plan a Medicare Supplement that the agent should advise the client how to disenrolled properly from the Medicare Advantage plan.
Laura, the agent who sold you the Medicare Supplement failed to advise you and your husband how to disenroll properly from your Medicare Advantage plan. Thus, you and your husband have never been in Original Medicare to use the new Medicare Supplement benefits.
The change would have been a simple one because you both qualified medically for the new Medicare Supplement and all that agent should have done is enrolled you in a standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. That simple step would have cancelled your Medicare Advantage HMO Plan effective January 1, 2017. You and your husband would have returned to Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement and a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.
This is what Medicare Open Enrollment period is all about!
Those who wish to change from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement should either enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan or make a phone call to inform the Medicare Advantage plan that you want to disenroll and return to Original Medicare. Enrolling in a standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan is the easiest way to return to Medicare effective January 1st.
The average American does not realize that they cannot have both Original Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time. Medicare will pay the Medicare Advantage plan for your care. Medicare will not pay for your care because Medicare has paid the Medicare Advantage plan.
The agent who helped you with your Medicare needs last year did not follow the Medicare rules. Insurance agents who are properly trained in Medicare Advantage rules are made aware that those enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans should enroll in a standalone Medicare Part D plan to disenroll from a Medicare Advantage plan.
At the Toni Says® Medicare office, we first focus on the Medicare client’s prescriptions to know which Medicare Part D prescription plan covers their prescriptions with the pharmacy that they prefer. Then help the Medicare client find the right Medicare plan to fit their medical needs. For assistance in finding a plan that meets your needs call the new Toni Says Medicare call center at 1/844-250-8664.
Laura, I hope this information helps you understand the value of proper Medicare planning.
Toni King’s new Medicare Survival Guide® Advanced is on sale at www.tonisays.com.
