Ep. 33: Medicare’s annual open enrollment tips and tricks with Danielle Kunkle

In this episode of Surviving Healthcare, you will hear tips and tricks to surviving Medicare’s annual open enrollment period. This happens every year from October 15th to December 7th. This is a very important time of year for Medicare recipients, and this particular show aims to provide you with important information during this time as well as hints that you are on the right Medicare path.

You will hear from Danielle Kunkle, who is a founding partner at Boomer Benefits, a Medicare insurance agency that is licensed in more than 40 states and which consistently ranks among the premier national Medicare agencies in the country. She specializes in educating Medicare beneficiaries about their available insurance options, so they can go into the market with eyes open and confidently choose the insurance plan that best fits them and their medical needs. She has written numerous articles on the subject of Medicare benefits and is a frequent speaker on these issues.

Our discussion begins by talking about what Medicare open enrollment is, what it means and how it works. Specifically, we talk about the different parts of Medicare and how open enrollment works with each.   Danielle explains how Medigap insurance fits into the picture. She explains the Annual Notice of Change letter, what that means to you and how you should handle it.

Next, you’ll hear how changes to your Medicare plan have to be made and why and she gives some great advice for easily making side-by-side comparisons of costs and plan details. During this part of the discussion, she reveals some new legislation being considered in Congress that could be a game-changer.

You will also find out what happens when you sign up for a plan during open enrollment and the importance of research before you choose or change a plan and making sure you’re comfortable. There are many choices you should know about and consider.

Danielle provides questions everyone should consider when choosing between a Medicare Advantage plan and a Medigap plan, such as:

• How do you get your peace of mind?
• Where do you live during the year?
• Are you on a fixed income and will the cost of a plan be too much?
• Does your current plan raise rates every year?

There are several things you should know about Medicare’s annual open enrollment and Medicare Advantage plans. Such as:

• Have you reviewed your Notice of Change packet this year?
• Are you willing to review search out the best plan for you if your plan changes?
• Are your doctors are in the network?
• Do you want co-pays and deductibles or a higher premium?

In closing, you’ll hear Ms. Kunkle discuss the importance and the relative advantages of Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans overall. This show is a very informative discussion that anyone facing Medicare’s annual open enrollment will find informative.

Resources

Boomer Benefits

Danielle Kunkle

Articles at Benefits Pro

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