Open Enrollment (AEP) for Medicare begins today, October 15th until December 7. During this time you may join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C) or a prescription drug plan (part D). In some cases, you can also drop your Medicare Advantage plan and switch to a Medicare Supplement with a Part D plan. Every…
Short-term limited duration insurance plans will be banned in California beginning January 1, 2019. It means you can’t buy short-term insurance anymore in California. Some carriers have decided to stop selling these plans now, while other carriers will continue to sell new policies through December 31, 2018. Covered California will allow a Special Enrollment Period…
Mark your calendar! This month, Covered CA released notification to their certified agents that the open enrollment for 2019 begins October 15 through January 15, 2019. It’s different than what it used to be, which was from November 1 through January 31. When a consumer signs up from October 15 to December 15. The plan…
Long-term care is an essential part of many seniors’ lives, and yet many of us fail to plan for it correctly ahead of time. It can be a considerable expense for both ourselves and our families and, according to USA Today, it is only getting costlier. Approximately 45 percent of retirees are not confident that…
CMS has released the 2019 Medicare Advantage and Part D Call Letter which provides the Part D benefit parameters and policy changes to the Prescription Drug Benefit Program. The table below compares the standard benefit for a Part D plan for 2019 to the amounts for 2018. There were also many updates to other aspects…
Preventive health care can help you stay healthier throughout your life. Preventive care includes health services like screenings, check-ups, and patient counseling that are used to prevent illnesses, disease, and other health problems, or to detect illness at an early stage when treatment is likely to work best. Getting recommended preventive services and making healthy…
If you will be 65 soon and eligible for Medicare but still plan to work, please read my blog post about your Medicare options and whether you can delay your Medicare without penalty. However, if you are 65 or older, are currently working but planning to retire soon, then you have to start planning your…
If you have Medicare and high prescription drug costs, the last budget deal passed by Congress last February 9th will give you some relief. Under the deal, the Medicare “doughnut hole” will close in 2019 instead of 2020, a year earlier than the scheduled time. Beginning 2019, Part D enrollees will pay 25 percent of the cost…
How long could you sustain your present lifestyle if your paycheck stopped due to disability? If you’re like most Americans, your answer is probably “six months or less.” So why haven’t you secured paycheck protection? Most Americans insure their homes and their vehicles, but forget to insure their paychecks. Yet, without a paycheck, homes, vehicles…
In the event of Multicultural Medical Group shutdown in San Diego, there are many patients who find themselves assigned to a new doctor or have to switch insurance to keep the same doctor. In many cases, patients will be able to keep their Primary Care Physician (PCP) and Medicare plan. They’ll just be assigned a…