Medicare School Daily

3 Things You MUST Do as SOON as You Turn 65 | April 21st, 2026

• Marvin Musick

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Turning 65 is a major milestone — but what you do right away can have a lasting impact on your Medicare and retirement decisions.

In this episode of Medicare School Daily, we break down three things you should do as soon as you turn 65 to avoid costly mistakes and make sure you’re set up the right way from the start.

We’ll also open the phone lines and take calls live, so you can hear real Medicare questions from viewers and how different situations are handled in real time.

SPEAKER_06

Well it's great to have you on the show today. Um I'm joined by Evan Cruz, uh one of our top agents of the company, and he and I are going to be taking your questions. And also want to make sure you know that we're going to be discussing the three things that uh you must do at 65. And we're going to get into some of the details about some real important decisions at 65. So we'll uh spend uh a good deal of our time talking about that. And then also, uh, if you'd like to call in today's show, we would love to hear from you. Uh uh maybe the experience that you've had recently, maybe a question you have about Medicare, about Social Security, uh, or any kind of story you just want to share with us. Uh that's what this program is all about, helping people to understand Medicare, to make great Medicare decisions, so that when you go on Medicare, whenever that is, whether it's in two months or two years or whenever, uh, that you will have the confidence knowing that you've made great decisions. All right. So uh I want to give you a couple numbers just real quickly, and then uh we're gonna get into our teaching time. But first off, if you want to be a part of today's program, uh you need to call ARI code well toll-free um 833-824-2004. Again, 833-824-2004. Uh and then by chance, if you need to talk to one of our agents, uh we have uh uh uh agents that are available right now to actually help you with anything you want. Uh that number is 800-782-6676. 800-782-6676. All right, so let's discuss, Evan, these three uh things that m people must do at 65, and we'll kind of go back and forth in dialogue. But kind of the outline that we're gonna follow today is number one, uh everyone is gonna have to make some type of decision about Medicare. Now, I didn't say everyone has to go on Medicare because we know that's not the case, but everyone does have to make some kind of decision. Number one. Number two, uh I think it's important for those that do decide that they are gonna have to go on Medicare to make sure they understand the difference between advantage plans and supplemental plans, because obviously it's gonna really boil down to that decision. And then number three, uh for those that are contemplating maybe going on uh Social Security at the same time, we need to discuss full retirement age and the implications of earnings test and all those kind of things. Okay, so let's let's start first off by just talking about uh the fact that everyone has to make a decision about Medicare at 65. So I'll let you begin the conversation and we'll take it from there.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely, yeah. So of course the everyone has to realize that your difference is a situation different situation than everyone else. No one is the same when it comes to what they need. Your health is different, your finances are different, the state you live in makes a really big difference overall. Absolutely no one size fits all when it comes to choosing these plans. Which is why when we talk about these plans to everybody, we don't bash on this or that as being bad. There are no good or bad plans when it comes to insurance. Everyone's needs are different and they're designed for specific people in specific situations. And so it comes down to what's important to you and what you can afford when you're choosing these things. And that's the questions we would generally ask. We'd go through what your situation is like, how long you've been working, kind of what how much you're gonna be expecting to make month to month. Because uh we don't want to put you in the best insurance plan you can possibly have and never worry about a thing, but can't afford to keep your lights on. There's there's the balance to all of these things, and finding that individual balance is really what's most important when choosing these plans and discussing what's gonna make the most sense for each situation. Granted, some things and in some state laws and some areas can allow certain changes as time goes on. Things are your situation, of course, can change as time goes on. So because we generally try to make a decision based on what fits you now and potentially what may fit for the rest of your life, is sometimes changes can be difficult. But note that changes can be made as time goes on because the whole system changes all the time. You know what Medicare was 10 years ago and what it's going to be 10 years from now, no one can predict the future of what that is. So we have to make the best decisions we can based on what we know and what your situation is. And so that's an important question, I think, when going through this and turning 65 is determining what is important to you and what you can afford. And that's a great place to start. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Well, let's begin by also talking about uh those people that that really have to go on Medicare at 65, meaning if they don't, they've they've uh made a mistake. And we know there's different scenarios on that. Uh of course the first one would be if no one's working, if the spouse or you're not working any longer, you don't have a decision but to go on Medicare. Uh they have to. But explain the others with when it comes to TRICARE, COBRA, small employer plans.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. So there's uh there are a few exceptions to having to go on Medicare at 65, and those are going to be situations where you're covered under uh employees coverage that your your employer, I should say, is covering you or your spouse, and overall you have at least 20 employees in the company. It's considered creditable coverage by the federal government, and they're going to continue to let you do that as long as you want. They don't get in the way of people who are choosing to work, so work till you're 100 if you want to, is what I normally tell people. Please don't work that long if you absolutely love your job. Um, your life's got to start eventually. I've had many people I've talked to who are in their mid-late 80s and they're still working. And it's only because every time they try to leave, their employer offers them more money. And that's fine to a degree, but and as long as you, like I said, you love what you do, but you your life's got to start eventually. And then this is that hard decision of when to cut that off and when to make that move. But like I said, Medicare doesn't force you to do that. If you decide you like your coverage, you like you're gonna keep doing what you're doing, work as long as you want, especially if you got family members to take care of, you got uh um children who are not able to get covered yet, you got a spouse you got to take care of. It's a great option sometimes to stay on employer coverage. I did a a two-part video series on this on our channel about when to choose employer versus Medicare, and I still use that and send that to people because I think that's a really good uh metric to choosing when it's gonna make the most sense. But that's a big one is employer. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. Well, so 20 employees or more don't have to go on Medicare, don't have to uh take Medicare A or B. You and I know that uh a lot of people hear that they have to take A. Uh, even if they keep working, they have to take A. Address that because we know that's not true. Right.

SPEAKER_00

Exactly. So yeah, the only time I tell people to take A is if you uh we want to get it knocked out and you're not contributing to a health savings account and HSA. FSAs are fine. Um but an HSA is a uh a government subsidy. They don't allow you to at the same time. You can't have A and the HSA also, otherwise you're gonna they're gonna cancel your HSA and you won't be able to continue to contribute. So if you want to continue contributing to that, definitely don't do a thing until you're ready to do that later on down the road. Um there's a timeline of when to stop the HSA payments about six months before you're planning on applying for Medicare, not starting Medicare, but when you're planning on applying for it because of the six-month uh uh start date is gonna kick back your part A six months from when you apply. So that's if you want to avoid overlap and avoid the small tax penalty that you have, that's a good time to do that. Um but otherwise, yeah, you wouldn't have to do either one. I do have a lot of people who say, though, I I I'm not contributing to an HSA, I do have an FSA or I don't have anything, but um I I I just feel more comfortable doing A. Great. Nothing wrong with that. Get your Medicare number out of the way. It's one less step to do down the road and to have that all done. Um it's just gonna sit there more or less in the background. I tell people it's not really gonna do a whole lot. Your employer coverage is first payer. That's kind of the main thing. It's gonna have the hospitalization for the in the background there, but once again, it's a pretty big deductible before it does anything. And usually employer is kind of the main part of that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Well, in the in the second payer position, Medicare uh A is only gonna pay coinsurance anyway. Right. No deductibles, no co-pays. But it is there. So I think you're right. Uh so uh those of you listening today that have an HSA, um, we wouldn't uh encourage you to take A only. You will not be penalized as long as part A is free. It's always going to be free. We don't worry about that. But if you don't have an HSA, I think it's wise to do so. Why not? As you said, get to get in the system, but also it's setting over in that second payer position. And most people have coinsurance today on part, you know, on the hospitalization. So that part A could pay um and it could pay substantially uh, you know, on a coinsurance type of a claim. So that's good. So when people um I I want to clarify something that you said which is accurate, but when it comes to those of you that do have HSAs, uh you can contribute to your HSA all the way up until uh your 65th birth month for sure. No problem.

SPEAKER_05

Right.

SPEAKER_06

Um but uh meaning if you're gonna go on Medicare at 65 the month before, you don't have to worry about that six months prior. But what Evan was saying is that in the future, let's say you work until age 67 and you apply for Medicare a couple months beforehand, then they are gonna backdate that A date six months, and that's when you'd have to stop. So at 65, contribute all the way up to uh prior to the birth month, you'll have no problems. But we just hear a lot of people who think that they have to take A, and you don't have to take A for sure. Okay, let's talk about uh comparing. Uh there are people that are gonna keep working but have mediocre, maybe even a lousy uh group plan. Let's talk about the implications of that, how people decide would Medicare make sense while they're still working and would it may not. Sir, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. So yeah, there's uh not just the premiums. I mean, that's usually the number one thing people look at. Well, how much am I spending on my employer? I'm only spending 180 bucks a month. Medicare is gonna cost me 280 bucks a month for the one I want. That's a hundred dollar difference. Well, that means a lot to me. Well, on the surface level, you might think, well, that's as long as you're gonna stay healthy and you're never gonna use it, yeah, that's a great idea. Say it's save money. Um but the the immediately once you start to look at the cost of using it, the the the cost in the background of what if I had to go to the doctors and hospitals? How much is this gonna cost me? Well, average employer is gonna be two, three thousand dollar deductible. Uh you have a seven, eight, nine, ten, thirteen thousand dollar max out of pocket if you have to use it a lot. Whereas Medicare, if you're on a supplemental plan, like a supplemental plan G, and the only thing it's not paid for is the part B deductible, $283 a year, which is better to pay? $283 a year or $8,000 a year? Obviously, Medicare is gonna win if that's the case. And I usually tell people if you're within about $100, Medicare wins because Medicare is the cost of using it's so much less. But if it's uh significantly more, $300, $300, $200, $300 a month, and it's not too bad, maybe a $500 deductible, maybe a $3,500 max, and you're super healthy and never go to the doctor, and I'm only gonna work a couple more years here and I'll switch over then, by all means keep the employer. There's nothing wrong with that. Right. Um, it's gonna cover you pretty well. But you but looking at just the surface of the cost is the is part of it. You gotta make sure if something happens, you're not putting yourself in a really hard situation. Because especially at that age, if that did occur and now you've got that $8,000 bill, something seriously just happened to you. So your likelihood of going back to work also probably evaporated as well. So the money now you're gonna have to you pay for that bill, but you're not having you have no more income coming in. So once again, you put yourself in a rough spot. So sometimes choosing to go on to Medicare at 65, even though you're going to continue to work, makes a lot of sense for a lot of people if it's gonna make cost-effective in both ways. And that's where you've got to weigh that balance.

SPEAKER_06

Exactly right. That's good. Good. And uh just as a reminder, uh, when people do make the decision to go on Medicare uh at 65 while they're still working, we would never encourage them to make that decision if a family member is gonna be adversely affected. Uh if your spouse is on the group plan and and that's their only insurance option other than ACA, or your children covered up to age 26 are on the plan and they don't have other insurance options, and sometimes people have to stay on mediocre plans just for the sake of their family. And we would encourage them to do that. Absolutely. But if no one's gonna be impacted and you have a uh a group plan that's not very attractive, I had someone not long ago that uh actually worked a large employer, more than 20 employees, didn't have to do anything with A and B, but we found out his premium Evan was $600 a month by himself. Wow. He was single, uh, worked for a large car dealership that had lousy, a lousy plan, $6,000, I mean $600 a month premium, had a $5,000 uh deductible max out of pocket combined. So he spent $600 a month, and before the insurance ever kicked in, he had to spend $5,000 out of pocket. And so Medicare was tremendously better than that option.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, that's you you look forward to Medicare in that situation. Exactly. And people who have looked into it a little bit and they know somewhat about it and they they realize how much they're paying cannot wait to get onto Medicare at that point. And that's and that's the attitude you should have. I mean, you you paid that Medicare at your paycheck your whole life. You've seen Social Security, Medicare, Federal, State all coming out of your check, and this is your first opportunity to take it for a super low cost and low cost of using it with open access and insurance companies not telling you what to do. Absolutely jump on that. What an opportunity.

SPEAKER_06

Exactly right. All right. So really that's uh decision number one, deciding uh what are you gonna do about Medicare? So uh some people have to go on Medicare. Uh and those of you that right now you're approaching 65, I want to remind you that if you're on Cobra, if you're on Tricare, or you're on a small employer plan, 19 or fewer uh people on the payroll, you have to go on Medicare and ACA plans. Uh the subsidies are going away. Uh so those groups have to go on, but but some of you do not have to. Great group plans. We'd encourage you, stay on the group plan. You can come in at a later date. Lousy group plans, make the comparison, come off, if indeed that's gonna work. So that's decision number one. Let's talk about uh decision number two, and that has to do with really making sure people that are going on Medicare, whether that's at 65 or that's at 67 or 72, uh, it all really boils down to are they going to be covered and use their Medicare through a supplemental plan or through uh an advantaged plan? And as you said earlier, uh we're not here to beat up on anything, but I think we do owe it to people to make sure they do understand the differences. For sure. Uh and so let's discuss those. Let's just take them take them one by one. Let's talk about just the the whole network issue right now.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. So yeah, when you're when you're going on to Medicare and you have those options between the two, it's not just price. I mean, that's a big thing that people look at first, is how much am I spending month to month on this one to maintain this one versus that one? And and we're looking at their budget. And obviously that's the paramount. We want to look at that first. But then the other part of it too is what are you paying for? Or what the price that you get on an advantage plan is not just the zero dollars. There is an additional cost that you really do have to pay. And that is giving up your ability to do whatever it is that you want to do without an insurance company asking you twice what you want. And that's really what the advantage is. I tell people the price you pay is you give up the open access. Now you have to everything has to be run through them. Everything your doctor does has to be run through them. They cannot just make a decision between you and your doctor and any facilities, such as the mail clinic, um said, you know, we we don't want to deal with it. We're trying to practice medicine, we're trying to save lives, we're trying to use cutting edge things. And the insurance companies have put roadblock after roadblock after roadblock all along the way, and we're tired of that. And so we're not taking that anymore. And so if you want access to one of those places that are cutting edge medicine places, you're gonna see a lot of them but just don't take advantage at all. Right. And so if you want access to those places in the future, then you want to make that decision while you can, while you're healthy at the beginning, to choosing a plan that's gonna give you access to those, because when people try to make that change later on, it's usually because something went wrong. That's right. And by then it's too late.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. And that's what everyone has to realize. To get off an advanced plan after you've been on one for a year, sometimes less, you have to medically qualify to make that move. Uh and doesn't mean to say you have bad insurance, because I don't think you have bad insurance, but you do have some restrictions that you're gonna find out about if um uh you have a serious illness. Uh so my view has always been that advanced plans are great for uh routine, very simple type of situations. But once we get into some complex issues, some serious cancer, some heart issues, people are gonna begin to realize this is how it's going to work. You can't just pick your own doctor. The insurance company has already done that. Right. And the whole issue of pre-authorizations, permission to get a certain thing. I don't know if you heard this story, Evan, you maybe have, but I was speaking at a live event not long ago, and there was a lady uh that I always have a QA time at the end, and uh she said, Hey, can I just uh ask uh uh you know, share a comment? And uh she there was a you know a large group of people there. Uh and she worked for a um a surgeon, he was a cardiologist, but just did uh surgical procedures for the heart. And he she said that uh when people are on advantage plans, um the advantage plan will not approve the doctor to go in right before surgery. And I think it's to do an MRI or a CAT scan, some kind of a scan, so that uh the doctor feels really ready to you know to make the operation. Advanced plans will not approve that in original Medicare with a supplemental plan every single time. And and you know, that that's kind of getting in the weeds, but it's true that's a big deal. Yeah. If I'm going in to have some kind of heart procedure and my doctor can't go in, you know, kind of right right prior to that and do that scan that he wants he or she wants to do because the insurance company will not allow that. Time is of the essence.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and those things absolutely yeah, every every second wasted waiting on insurance or whatever is is not something that you need to be dealing with for your for your heart and for your life and and then every second counts.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, and exactly right. Listen, I want you all to know that we're not trying to beat up on advantage plans, but again, I think you have to realize how how is your insurance uh going to work. And uh one day you're gonna find that out. In fact, what's interesting is so many people, as they talk about their advantage plan, it's hey, I get to go to the gym for free, or I get my hearing aids, or all these kind of things. That is true. And those are legitimate benefits. I like all those benefits, but you also have to say, uh how how can I can I go to the docs I want? Can I get my procedures I want? Who has the final say-so? So I think we have to weigh both of those things in.

SPEAKER_00

Well, and the truth is nothing's free. Yeah. I mean, why are they giving that to you? There's a reason that those things are offered in there. I mean, it's because they're they're making enough money on the back end uh from the government and subsidies that they can give stuff away to get your attention. And so it's it's not it's not because they like you. Right. Yeah, they're not benevolent. Yeah, they're absolutely but I tell people that too. There's if we say, well, they're saying, oh, well, what's the best one in this area? I'm like, listen, there there are no good or bad plans at all. There's no good or bad insurance companies either. They're all out for themselves. They say, truthfully, they don't care about you or me. I mean, they care about themselves in the end, but they'll do their part, what they have to do, what they're legally obligated to do in certain situations. But sometimes it's not gonna be what you want. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Let's finish up real quickly on our um uh uh last topic, and that was understanding the full retirement age. Of course, most people we're dealing with today uh were born from 1960 thereafter. They have a full retirement age of 67. Uh so this simply means that if we wait to take our Social Security benefits at 67, we're not gonna take any kind of reduction uh in our Social Security benefit. Basically what happens, uh so everyone knows, uh, when you take early before your full retirement age, you lose a half percent a month, uh which is six percent a year. So if we take one year early, we lost six percent of the benefit, two years early, twelve percent, all the way down to you know sixty-two. Uh the other situation is if I'm gonna take Social Security and I'm still working, I can only make so much money. And right now that number is $24,480. Uh that's all you can make. So if we make above that earnings limit, uh and remember, this is only money that you your your wages. This has nothing to do with uh annuity income, pension income, uh uh retirement income, uh uh investment income, your rental income, so nothing other than wages. And so they're gonna count your wages. And so that number this year again, $24,480. So if I make above that, for every $2 I make above it, they penalize me a dollar. And so we encourage people, if you're making good money uh and you it take Social Security, you may not get a check until July or maybe until October, why do it? Uh now I just want to clarify something, and that's this. The year that you turn full retirement age, that earnings test amount goes up a lot. Uh so let's say someone's uh full retirement age is in July. From January to June, they can actually make $65,160. We call that the high earnings test amount. And again, it's the amount that uh is available to you uh for wages uh the year that you turn full retirement age. It's it's a lot more. If the penalties less, a lot more money. But once we hit that full retirement age, the earnings test goes away. I can make a million dollars a year and it has no impact on my Social Security whatsoever. All right. All right. So uh the point is as you approach 65, you're gonna have to decide is it really time to take uh Social Security or not? If if you're still working, it may not be because you may be above the earnings limit. Uh and also if you don't need the money, uh you may want to wait to full retirement age because again, you're gonna get that that six per uh cent reduction each year. All right. So again, all of our agents understand everything I just shared with you, happy to have a discussion about not just Medicare, but also about Social Security.

SPEAKER_00

And say somebody uh get close to that limit and they take some of my money away, is it gone? Do I lose it forever?

SPEAKER_06

Not forever. It's gonna get back, but it's not gonna be lump sum. It's gonna come back uh prorated. They will recalculate your full retirement age benefit. Uh you will get it back, but not lump sum.

SPEAKER_00

Slow trickle. Exactly.

SPEAKER_06

It's a good way to say it, slow trickle. If you want to be on today's show, let me give you the number one more time. It is 833-824-2004. We'd love to hear from you. And uh any question about Medicare, Social Security that you have, anything on your heart, we'd love to discuss that with you today. All right, so let's get to our caller. Is this Lawrence from Florida? It is. How are you today? Hey, I'm doing very good. Uh good to hear you. Thanks for calling in today. Um uh what kind of question do you have for us?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, first of all, uh I just want to say thank you. And uh I have been following you for the last several years and uh uh you know find you very, very knowledgeable on the uh Medicare topic. So I've kind of hung in there with you and I'm working with one of your representatives now uh for social security uh because I turned a business for the Medicare reporting in June when I turn 55. Okay, very good. Yeah. So the question, even though I've been doing a kind of research, I know I'm gonna do IV to the A to D I know we'll do the drawing the entire the entire turnkey package, including a simple G plan. Um coming into the is a more high income for I know we're gonna be confirmed um I guess um forty twenty four, even three twenty twenty four, five um Uh two days ago, uh and I've done lots of research, and I don't know how this has now come up, but I didn't know that there, in addition to a G plan, there was also a high deductible G plan. And you know, as a little bit of background, I am very healthy, uh, don't have any issues, and I know you know if you're spending about give or take $250 a month now, that's not with her month. But the $250 a month baseline uh for a plan G, uh the high deductible plan G appears to be more like $55 a month. Um, and so you know, for somebody who's healthy um and may have um assets to be able to cover the high deductible on an annual basis for the out of pocket, it appears that the annual savings uh with without factor in uh being on the high deductible, but the annual savings is firmly north of $2,000 a year. So um, you know, your potential additional risk is over $700 E by the time you pay the $2,950 out of pocket for the high deductible. So I guess I'm looking to learn uh a little bit more uh about the high deductible plan and whether that might be a good option to go with for somebody who is healthy. Um and um you know, what carriers I guess um I think uh with the gentleman I'm speaking with uh from your organization, I think we've been talking about United Healthcare. Um but I'm I haven't heard anything mentioned about a high deductible G. So just curious, uh, you know, I'll I'll stop there and uh and kind of let you take over from here.

SPEAKER_06

Sure. Let me let me just give you a quick opinion. I'm gonna let uh Evan elaborate on that as well. Just I just want to say, first off, uh we do not write a lot of high deductible G plans. We do write some for sure. Uh the only thing with high Gs is that if you decide down the road you want to get off of it, Lawrence, uh you will have to medically qualify to do that. Um uh a lot of people think because they have a high G, they can immediately go to a G just at will when their health changes. So your high income, you could afford the deductible. I would not uh discourage you from going that direction if you wanted to. Uh but the main point for me is just, you know, you to get off of it down the road, you would have to medically qualify, and usually people want to get off it when they have a health problem, and that's too late. But Evan is uh one of our top agents on the floor. So Evan, please, yes, share with Lawrence kind of your opinion about that.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. So when people ask about that question and they're deciding what plan is going to make the most sense for them, what matters most to me isn't what plan you choose. It doesn't matter if it's a G, a high deductible, G, an N, an advantage plan. What matter what's most important, because everyone's needs are different and and what's what's important to you is different, is that you're on a plan that you're not afraid to use. It doesn't matter what what's the point of insurance, right, if you're afraid of using it. It's pointless. And that's what a lot of people do live with their whole life. They're afraid of a huge deductible, they're afraid of a a max, or what if I call this ambulance or I'm in the hospital for a month, and well, what all that cost me? Now you're in a situation, obviously, that's a little bit different. You have a lot more finances, you can cover some of that stuff. But once again, this isn't static. The plan G, high deductible, isn't it's not hasn't been the same almost 3,000 that it is now. It it was actually quite a bit less only just a few years ago, and it's gonna continue to go up as time goes on, too. So once again, as Marvin said there, when you want to change in the future, you may not have that opportunity to do so. But here's the thing that the about Pi G specifically that I don't like. And I'm gonna say I I I really don't like even talking about them and mostly because like I said, I don't want people to be afraid to use their insurance, and I don't want someone to hesitate even for a second. Because even if you say I can afford it, uh the situation comes up or you're in a situation where you go, you know, it's a odd kind of pain I got in my arm, not really sure what that is. And maybe in the back of your mind you go, it could be a heart attack, it could be nothing, it could be heartburn. But if you if the it we're all human, we're all adverse to risk. And the f and the first thought in your mind is, gosh, I haven't hit that 3,000 deductible yet. If I call an ambulance and I go to the hospital, you know, I don't want to spend $3,000 on all that stuff. But whereas if you're on a regular G or even a Plan N, ends are really good options too. Um you're never Especially in Florida. Yeah, especially in Florida. I do like talking about Ns in Florida. Um you never hesitate to call an ambulance. Do what you gotta do. I don't care. That's what my insurance is for. And that's the kind of attitude you should be having, especially as you're getting into older age and things may start going wrong that you're not familiar with, um, as your as your body's changing and everything. Never hesitating to use your insurance is the number one reason why you should have it to begin with. And that's why I prefer even plan N's over high deductible G's in just about every situation. I mean, I'll get maybe one in four hundred people where in high G might make sense. Maybe, if even that often. But not but not even then.

SPEAKER_06

And Lawrence's situation is unique because he does have assets. And you know you can cover those. In fact, you probably have enough money to cover that high G for many, many years. So don't feel like we'd say don't do it. Because we're not saying that.

SPEAKER_00

But yeah, it's just like I said, it's the fear of insurance, a fear of using it, and the adverse nature of risk that we're all people, we're all humans, we all feel the same thing, regardless of how many resources you have. You're gonna think in the back of your mind, eh, and that hesitation, that's what I want to avoid. And that's what you get out of a plane N or a plan G.

SPEAKER_01

I I get it. And I've been in a high deductible plan my entire 35-year career before I just retired. Sure. So I'm not I'm not afraid of it, but I but I understand your point. But I I guess I'll ask one more question. Uh and I have looked at the N. Uh I mean I'm leaning toward just a regular G, um uh, but uh I have looked at the N and the G seemed to be superior to the N. Why are you saying that you like the N, especially in Florida?

SPEAKER_00

Sure. Um so I guess every state's a little bit different on pricing. I usually tell people if you're $20 or $30 between a G or an N, it's just less exposure going to a G. Um, you don't deal with the co-pays or potential excess charges. If you're in a state where it's $50, $60, $70 a month difference, you're pretty healthy. Don't go to the doctor all that often. It over a long run, you can save a lot of money with an N plan. I mean, the only time you're looking at maybe getting behind is if in the future you got to start seeing six doctors eight times a month for a whole bunch of maladies that are happening, those copays would start to add up a lot. But that's a obviously a crazy situation to run into that many doctors that often. But in the meantime, if you're saving, you know, $60, $70 a month, that's what, three, four times every single month you'd have to go to a doctor. And they don't always charge that $20 copay each time. It's usually just on uh new visits, like a follow-up ALC in two weeks. A lot of times they don't charge that. They can. They can for sure. But uh but that but not always. So, like I said, that's a worst case scenario, is as far as the copays go. And once again, that physician's excess charge is about one percent of medical doctors, two percent, but most of the forty percent in the mental health field. So one percent of medical doctors can add that fifteen percent excess charge to your bill. But you can always look ahead on Medicare.gov that tells you right there, if they charge excess, you can avoid that doctor if necessary. But it's the nation's most elite neurosurgeon who knows their time is worth more than Medicare is gonna pay them. They're gonna put in that excess, and that's probably not a doctor you will very unlikely run into in the in the U.S.

SPEAKER_06

Let me add something here, Evan. Uh Lawrence, I'm I'm in the same financial situation you are, just so you know. I'm on Medicare. I have high ERMIS as well. Uh so here's the bottom line. I'm looking at a guy here, so he stays fifty or sixty dollars a month. Probably is not gonna matter. Okay, I have a G. I started in January. I'm glad I have a G. I did it because I can afford it. I did it because I don't want to ever have to worry about excess. I don't I don't I just don't want any issues, nor do I want copes. Uh and I know co-paste can occur. So I think the reason that we would primarily tell people to look it in as a serious option is because sometimes that is going to matter. That $60 or $70 is going to matter. Uh for Lawrence, it's uh it may be a little bit less less his kids get inheritance. Who cares? So the bottom line that you can afford the Cadillac, get the Cadillac. That's that's exactly what I did, and that's what I tell you to do as well.

SPEAKER_00

Um that just means my definition more of an average situation, I suppose. But yes, exactly right. You're a little more you are you're you're a very good situation. You you've set yourself up very nicely. And uh and I always say to people who have the highest IRMAs, congratulations. And keep doing what you're doing. I mean paying more in your Medicare, but who cares? You're making more money. You did you did it right. You did so good job on that. Right.

SPEAKER_06

All right, Lawrence. Well, I I hope that helps, sir. Anything else before we let you go?

SPEAKER_01

No, you you you got you both helped a lot. And the my my parting question here is uh getting ready to take a trip with the family, uh, our two older children, probably the last time we're gonna be able to do this before they get married and have kids to Europe uh next month. Nice. Um just out of curiosity, uh I'm presuming that whether it's N, it's G, there is no coverage out of the U.S.

SPEAKER_06

Well, no, both N and G will give you uh it's a $50,000 benefit that's called foreign travel emergency benefit. So look at it as a $50,000 bucket of money that's attached to your policy. It's never replenished, that's a lifetime benefit. So if you did have something happen out of the country, uh what would happen? Um the plan would you have to pay the first $250, so $250 deductible, and the and the plan takes the balance of that bill and splits it with you $80-20. So you pay deductible $250, balance $80-20, insurance company pays $80, you pay 20 percent. But their $80 percent stops at $50,000. They will not spend any more on you than that. So my experience has been that uh it's wise to get some type of travel health insurance. That's what I do. Uh you can buy a policy uh typically $100,000 in medical uh that would also pay. Uh so that that's what I'd recommend. You know, you can of course some people get trip trip interruption with that. You don't have to. You can just do medical. We use a company, let me just give you a number real quickly. We used a company, and by the way, the last time I used them, I was on hole forever. It's frustrating, but I still like them. They are brokers uh and they they do look at several different companies. Uh let me give it to you real quickly, and then uh we'll let you go. And then I've also used American Express, their travel insurance. I went to Israel a few years back and they had actually the best rate in Israel. Uh this company is called uh Travel Insurance Center. Travel Insurance Center, and their number is 866-979-6753. 866-979-6753. They are brokers, so they'll look at a variety of different companies, but hopefully you won't be on hold forever. Last time I was a little frustrated with them, but I still used them. I just had to wait. Right. Okay. And then again, American Express has they have a they have a division for it. Uh, and that number, I'll give you it real quickly. It's 800-228-6855. 800-228-6855. Okay?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. And I work with American Express now, and I'm also looking at travel. So thank you. Good, good, good. Appreciate it, gentlemen. All right.

SPEAKER_06

Hey, Lawrence, appreciate the call. You take care. Yep. You too. Take care. Bye. Bye bye. All right. Our next caller is Fred. He's calling in from Colorado. Hello. Hello there, Fred. Uh, Marvin Music here. How are you, sir?

SPEAKER_03

Good. It's a pleasure to speak with you, sir.

SPEAKER_06

Well, you as well. Hey, I've got Evan, one of our top agents, uh, in studio with me today, and we understand that uh you're on an advantage plan and would like to discuss the possibility of moving that to a supplemental plan. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_03

Yes. Um, I have um uh according to my research, and uh you know if you'd like to know my source, because I really don't have any help doing this. Um my agent, it's been MIA since she signed me up.

SPEAKER_06

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

Um but um I I was wondering, um, is it true that uh from when you start, and I started in February was my birthday month, uh, that I have I have a year of uh of like a grace period to where I can move over to the supplemental payment plan without any prerequisites, without any, you know, forms or tests or anything, because my problem is I need bifocals, very bad. Uh it's been so long since I've had any kind of health care, and uh it's been a long time since I've been able to see really right. I I order lead readers' glasses, it's almost as strong as you can get, you know, to see. So I'm trying to get my bifocals and then, you know, uh enjoy this this food card, but you know, it's not that big of a difference, and then thinking about sliding over. Uh, is it true that I have this year? Um is what uh is my question.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, I'm gonna let uh Evan answer that. Plus, Evan isn't really an expert in ophthalmology issues, but uh my my one question before he takes over, let's find out are you on state Medicaid? Yeah, I have that as well, too, yes. Okay, okay, because that that that has definitely some um bearing on uh Evan's answer to you. So Evan, I'm gonna let you take it, sir. You're very capable.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. So yeah, um when you started Medicare, you turned 65 in February? Yes. And you started your advantage plan the exact same month that everything started, this is very at the beginning of the month, right?

SPEAKER_03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. So technically, yes, you do have a one-year trial right to to to wait a full 12 months. As long as you don't make any changes in that 12-month period, you can go to a supplemental policy through what's called guaranteed issue, where the company the insurance companies give you a trial of one year. As long as you don't move around, they'll say, We'll we'll take you. Um, however, that forcing an insurance company to take you is usually not as good as giving them the option to do so. And the options they're going to give you as far as an open enrollment period without medical questions and without forcing them to take you when the government says you have you have to do this is six months. So you have through the end of July through that open enrollment period for supplemental policies to kind of make that switch over. Now, be uh what's your monthly income roughly kind of on Medicaid? Yeah, on Medicaid. But so it do you know you know the cost of a supplemental plan? Have you looked? Have you looked at those?

SPEAKER_03

Uh no, I haven't. I haven't I I I I heard it's uh anywhere from you know $100 to $200 a month.

SPEAKER_00

Uh-huh. And then are you paying for the Part B premium, the $20290, or is Medicaid paying that for you?

SPEAKER_03

Uh I'm not paying anything right now.

SPEAKER_00

Nothing at all. Okay. So once again, going to a supplemental policy is really gonna it's gonna add a significant amount to your monthly you know, what the income that you have is gonna be changed quite a bit by by going onto a supplemental plan. And I'm not saying don't do one.

SPEAKER_06

Let me ask you this. Yeah. Now are you saying he could legally do that, even though Part B is being paid by Medicaid?

SPEAKER_00

Probably not. Only because there's there's different levels of Medicaid. There's not like you have it or you don't. There's like five different levels depending on your level of income and assets. And then the the lower your income and the lower your assets are, the more your assistance you get from the state. And if you have full uh cost share protection where they're paying for everything for you, which it sounds like they are in your situation, they're not gonna like the fact that they're gonna say, How are you affording this supplemental plan if you're not paying for everything else? And so that's kind of where you run into that problem of trying to get the system to pay the to pay for things when it's not necessarily supposed to. Now, the situation you're in. I'm sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03

I get SSI, SSI is on my only income, 975 a month.

SPEAKER_00

975, right. So you are in that window of space where they are definitely gonna be taking care of you for all your needs. And so you don't do you travel much outside of Colorado? No. Okay. And exactly the exactly even better for you there. So you're you're in a situation where while you are in the state of Colorado and you're getting treatment in the state of Colorado, the state of Colorado is gonna take care of you for what you're doing. If you leave the state of Colorado and you try to get stuff done, like on your advantage plan, if it's a PPO, you'll you'll get some coverage out of network. HMOs, once again, you've got to find places in network, but the the difference that would normally be picked up by your Medicaid isn't gonna work outside the state. But once again, not really an issue for you. You're not traveling much, you're staying in the state, so the Medicaid is gonna continue to take care of you when it comes to what your needs are with the advantage.

SPEAKER_06

So how about if he had a how about if he had an uh emergency room type visit out of state? He's in Kansas.

SPEAKER_00

Are you in an HMO or PPO?

SPEAKER_06

I don't know. Emergency, I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00

They're gonna cover you for the emergency portion of what's going on with you. If they're actively saving your life, let's say you're out of state, you're in a hospital, you're in the emergency room, they're performing CPR and giving you the injections, whatever they have to save your life, um, your plan is gonna cover those things. But the moment they move you out of that into observation and that emergency situation is over, coverage comes to an end. And now it's gonna be out of pocket situation.

SPEAKER_06

Let me say add this. If Fred was my brother, okay, and by the way, Fred, I am one month older than you. I was born in January of 61. So when you and I are close, if you're my brother, I would tell you, since you are getting state Medicaid, uh, I would every year find the very best um what we call dual eligible plan that's on the market. And you you may be on that right now. I I have no idea. Uh but the point is uh I just think the supplemental plan, if a company looks and sees that he's on uh full Medicaid, I don't think they're gonna prove his application. Right. Because they don't have to. Uh really. It's and you and I know it's uh can be in some states even illegal uh to sell someone uh a supplemental plan when they are in full Medicaid. Right. All right. So I can't speak for Colorado, but I'm saying to you that uh i if you're my brother, I'd say stay right where you are as far as that system. I know that there are advantages to supplemental plans. I I I I love them, but in your scenario, I just don't think it's gonna be the the best move for you financially. Right.

SPEAKER_03

Uh and I've I've had people try to be it would be a significant amount, you know, out of my check uh just to be on the supplemental plan, yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, sir. Now let me ask you this, Evan. Uh of course we're we're we're in April now. Yeah, i i it if you're on um uh you know uh a dual eligible plan, do you have any kind of special enrollment that we could double check to make sure he's on the right plane or are we outside that period?

SPEAKER_00

So there are chronic special needs plans, C SNPs. Um do you have any are you pretty healthy or what's your situation there?

SPEAKER_03

No, see the that was the the issue also going into this uh the the the food card to get the food card you have to have a chronic uh uh you know uh ailment. And I've had uh uh surgery five years ago for diverticulitis. So technically I am in a diverticulosis state to where I have to keep monitoring my condition. And so this is what I put in for. This is what I told them. I have you know, I had an operation for diverticulitis, I'm in diverticulosis state, which is chronic. I have to have a high fiber diet to avoid hospitalization. Well, the problem was diverticulosis wasn't on their list. Right. It's not right.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's gonna be heart disease.

SPEAKER_03

They have a list.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, heart disease, it's gonna be kidney to kidney problems and and diabetes kind of the three.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, how about how about like if someone takes a couple high blood pressure medications? Is that uh serious enough to for a for a C SNP? Uh in some cases, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Well what the doctor what the doctor did was took my because I've been smoking since I was 18 and gave me a I don't know, some kind of breeding test and told me I have early stages COPD. So we put in for that, got accepted, then my card hit.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, that makes sense then. Okay, sounds good. Well, I'll tell you if if your if your agent has gone MIA on you, uh if you want to later this year, uh call in. We'll not go MIA on you, I promise, and we can help you. But that's what I would do every single year, make sure you're on the very best C SNEP plan or you know, dual SNP plan uh that's available. And if do you do you by chance have our office number, um Fred? Do you have it?

SPEAKER_03

I know I don't. I got uh I'm calling in today from a text.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, very good. Well, let's do this. Let me let me give it to you just so you'll have it for the future. And we'd be delighted to serve as your broker, help you make sure every year you're on the right plan. Okay, let me give you that number. It's 800-782-6676. So 800-782-6676, and we'd be delighted to serve you in any way. Okay? And Fred, we've got go ahead.

SPEAKER_03

And uh that thank you for the number. And when you say call in every year, what what what what time is that? What what month is that? Should I call you?

SPEAKER_06

Uh I I would say call in September for an October appointment, or you can go online and actually schedule appointment because those plans we can actually cannot do enrollments until after October the fifteenth, right? Um and then uh there's other times, but that that's that's the really the best time because I think in its situation, it's not like it's already on the C SNEP plan, you can only make one ch change a year on that. So yeah, your next opportunity to look to see if there's something better would be when the 2027 plans come out, and they will be out October the fifteenth. Okay?

SPEAKER_03

Uh call about early September.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, call into September, get on our calendar, and we'd be delighted. Yeah, we actually can't even discuss anything until after October 1st, but enrollments cannot occur until after the 15th of October, and you have all the way up through December 7th to make a decision. And we can help you, I promise you, we can. Got uh tons of agents, Evan's one of them, the top ones, and uh we're happy to to assist in any way. So if that's it for today, I'm gonna let you go. We got one more caller on the line here. I was gonna take this call before we finished our show. Okay? Thank you. Hey, great to talk to you, sir. Thank you. Take care. All right, we have Greg calling in from Pennsylvania. Greg, can you hear me, sir?

unknown

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_06

All right, sounds good. Uh, I understand that you had a question about Part D. Uh, happy to address that or anything else that uh you have on your mind. So how can we help, sir?

SPEAKER_02

Uh yeah, right now I'm taking uh zero medications. Looking down the road, if I would happen to be placed on a medication that's not in the formulary. I thought you heard I heard you say that one time that if possible I could call them, they would add it to my formulary.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, absolutely. Now, and what there actually has to be some paperwork filled out, but that's what you do. We call that a formulary exception. And by the way, just so you know, Greg, it's very common uh for that to happen. Uh these drug plans are governed, of course, you know, by the government, so uh they they really will bend over backwards to make sure that you get the medication that you want. Now, I am not saying that they will uh always add it to formulary because they're not, but but a good deal of the time they will. I just want to add something, and I'm gonna get Evan's opinion about this. But what happens though, kind of the negative side can be, let's say that you have a a new disease and the doc prescribes a brand name medication that's very expensive. It is possible that uh in that formulary they may have four or five or six other medications that that also treat the same disease that are lower cost, meaning generic equivalent or generic alternative medications. So what sometimes does happen is yes, that medication could be added, but again, if you have lower cost meds, you may have to try those first. We call that step therapy. Uh and so but if there is nothing else, uh well let's take uh let's talk Stellar right now uh for autoimmune uh uh diseases. Uh Stellara is a very, very expensive medication. It's a prior authorization. If it's not a formulary, uh they almost always add it to someone's formulary. So they will cover expensive medications, but again, you you sometimes have to try the lower cost ones. Okay? Uh so what I share with you is accurate. And and and you you, Evan, you just heard me yak about it. You you add what you like to this.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and it's really not as complex as it may seem as far as jumping through hoops and all that stuff. A lot of the times, this stuff happens in the background, a lot of the time, too. Like when you order the medication, your pharmacy is going to try to order it. The insurance company is gonna say, hold up, I don't want to pay for that. So then they have to call your doctor, your doctor verifies that yes, he has to take this medication, no, there is no alternative. Yes, we've tried everything else. I will not give him anything other than this medication. Good. Go back to the pharmacy, the pharmacy goes back to the insurance companies. This is all stuff that you're not necessarily, you don't have to be faxing forms and putting this in. Most of the time, this is all pretty automated in the background, and your doctor usually handles that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, let me just say that I think that's one of the reasons we tell people that when you go on a drug plan, don't worry about two years, five years down the road. Don't do that. Just get a plan that's fitting you right now. Okay. Uh you may need something in the future, but there are ways to add uh medication to formularies. Right. Yeah. So all right.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Yeah, I've heard you say that before. So I was uh one other quick question. Go ahead, so supplement plan. In Pennsylvania, I'm on a plan N now. If I would want to go to a G, I can do that as long as I pass uh underwriting?

unknown

That's right.

SPEAKER_06

Underwriting, yes. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02

Uh because I was told I can go like to like, but not like the better.

SPEAKER_06

Okay. Well, in Pennsylvania, uh last I checked, is not a birthday rule state, so that that's not true. Uh what you have to do is once you have well, let me ask you this before I jump into it. Uh I uh it looks like you're you were born in 1956, is that correct? Correct. Okay, good. And when when did you start your Medicare? Uh October 2019. Okay, you've been a while. Okay, so so here's what happens. Uh if you do decide to move from uh even from a uh a G to a G, into a G, or any movement you have in Pennsylvania, uh you are gonna have to medically qualify uh to make that move. So we will have to ask you, you know, the questions and check your meds. But it sounds like to me, if you're taking no meds right now, you're healthy, uh you can make that move. But yeah, Pennsylvania is not a birthday rule state. Um uh those are the states where you can move like to like or like to less without underwriting, but you're you're gonna have to go through it. And if it's something you want to you're considering, Greg, uh uh you it sounds like have you been on this same supplemental plan since uh 2019?

SPEAKER_02

No, this is uh you guys put me on a plan here this the beginning of the year, because my uh plan, other plan was with was with ACE, and they're not writing any new policies. So I knew the pool of insured was gonna drop, drop, drop. Sure.

SPEAKER_06

And that's good. That's good. All right. So will you know the routine then? Uh I would say every year, maybe two years at most, uh, let us check it for you. We are happy to to do that. We have a whole department that that's what uh we have folks that take care of. So anytime you want to check it, uh you get a rate increase that looks like it's out of the ordinary, uh, please call us, let us know, and we'll do everything we can to make sure you know you're on the best price plan. Okay?

SPEAKER_02

Those are my plans because Medicare School.com has got me on the straight and narrow. All righty, Greg. Hey, I have all faith with you. All right, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_06

You're welcome. We appreciate the opportunity to serve as your broker, too, Greg. Take care.

SPEAKER_02

Take care. Above you.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, thanks. All right, we got Bart calling in from Alaska. All right, Bart, can you hear me, sir? Yes, sir. Okay, very good. Uh Bart, I understand that uh you're from Alaska. Uh that uh you it looks like your um uh 65th birthday is approaching here in September, and that you're also uh you have qualified for Native American health care. Is that all that correct?

SPEAKER_04

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, sounds good. Now let me ask you this. Uh are you did you are you on disability by chance or or not? Nothing. Okay, very good. So we're just looking at uh Medicare starting then September of 1960, I mean uh of 2026. Okay, very good. I'm gonna I'm gonna have uh uh Evan, who's with me in the studio today, one of our top agents, Sharp Guy, uh address your situation uh because it looks like you're kind of curious how Medicare is going to work and how it's gonna coordinate with your other options. Would that be correct?

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, go ahead. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_00

Bart. Yeah, Bart. Hello, Bart. And then you're not you're not still working, are you?

SPEAKER_04

I'm working still.

SPEAKER_00

You are working still? And you're and you're are you covering under your employer's health coverage?

SPEAKER_04

Yes, I do have medical insurance with them too. Insurance, yes.

SPEAKER_00

I I assume at least 20 employees, right, in your company?

SPEAKER_04

Uh probably more than that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

More than that. And then you uh are you covering a spouse or anybody else, just yourself?

SPEAKER_04

Just myself. I mean, I work in hospitality here.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, good deal. Um so obviously you have options to go on to Medicare and and utilize what's uh available to you through the Native American um health care if you want to, or you can stay on the employer coverage. It's whichever's most cost effective for you. But ultimately, when you do decide to go into Medicare, whether that's S 65 or later on down the road, you will have to go on as the coverage that's offered to you through the Native American Healthcare is not going to be considered creditable coverage by the federal government. So if you decide to go on that first, and let's say it was good coverage and you liked it, but then decided to change your mind later on and go on to Medicare a while thereafter, you'll be penalized for not picking up Medicare at 65. So you would be one of those things where you can potentially use it as a secondary to a Medicare if you wanted to, because you're in Alaska, there's no advantage plans in the state of Alaska. So you can have either a supplement policy like a plan G or a plan N, or whatever it is that they offer you and how they coordinate with Medicare is gonna vary depending on tribe to tribe and kind of what they do offer you specifically. So you might want to coordinate and see how much that benefit is gonna be, but you would still have to go on to A and B in Medicare once you decide to leave the employer coverage.

SPEAKER_06

Can I ask one quick question? Bart, when when are you planning on stopping uh working? Have you decided yet?

SPEAKER_04

Well, yeah, uh I was hoping I'd be going you know to my full retirement. It's maybe 67.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, a couple more years then. Okay, that sounds good. All right. So and you can understand that what Evan was saying that if you have a good group plan, uh you don't have to do anything. Um uh so d wha how much does it cost you to be on your group plan?

SPEAKER_04

I really don't give me for where I work at, or I'm I'm at my job?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, it's your job. Your group plan at work. What does that cost you out of your pocket to be on the employer coverage?

SPEAKER_04

Oh, you know, I really didn't ask you the question because you know, this is a union that I'm with and all that, so the agreements cover whatever, but I haven't been told.

SPEAKER_05

That's okay.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. I think Yeah, I I I should follow up and all, because I've been with them over a year now. So Okay. So you know, everybody by are we looking at percentage of what they're covering?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so how much how you you're gonna want to compare ultimately how much their your premiums are and how much the coverage is if you had to use it, compared to what Medicare is. Um, I did a couple of videos on our MedicareSchool.com YouTube channel. You can go down and see talking about when to you know take Medicare at 65 versus employer coverage. There's a couple of good videos I did on that specifically. But the what's your what's most important to you is you just want to compare the numbers. What's gonna make sense either going on to Medicare or staying on employer and who is gonna cost you less money and who's gonna be costing less money to use it if you had to go to doctors or hospitals. It's kind of the main comparison that you're gonna want to make. And you can give us a call. We'd be happy to run through those numbers specifically with you whenever you get a chance to like you know look at your um pay stubs and kind of see how much it is that you would be spending so that we have a fair comparison. But you have a lot of options. You don't have to make a certain decision coming up, but it's making that the right decision, is what we can help you take a look at and make that fair comparison.

SPEAKER_06

I just yeah, I want to add this and then we'll let you go. But uh once you do decide to come off the group plan, then you are gonna have to go on Medicare A and B for sure. Right. Right? And then if you do qualify for Medicaid and your Native American health insurance, then they're gonna be in that second payer position and they will coordinate those benefits. But what Evan and I are trying to say to you is that if you have a good group plan now, and let's say it's costing you less than a couple hundred dollars a month, then uh then you're you're you're you're you're in a good position if it's good insurance. Okay, so you don't have to do anything come September. Uh but if it's costing you $300 or more a month, uh you know, give us a call and we can uh look at your Medicare options. Right. Okay. Um did all that make sense?

SPEAKER_04

I do have one long explanation of my benefits that I had from my from my insurance. So, you know, if I can read to you some of the stuff maybe an idea. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Did you understand him?

SPEAKER_04

Okay, deductible year okay, my deductible year to year, U is 500, max 500, you know, deductible.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, that's very bad. That's really that's really good.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. And the PPO. Well, you guys know all this and all that. Uh huh. See the PPO deductible is 500 500 as well. You know, use max.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. And did you say this is a union plan?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, this is uh union that I'm insurance.

SPEAKER_06

Good. I I will tell you, from my experience, uh union plans are usually pretty good uh while you're working. Uh the union can negotiate those benefits with the you know, with employers, and so you're probably in a very good position, sir. Uh so I think I'd I'd hang in there with that. Don't do anything with Medicare other than maybe A only, uh, because it with that low of a deductible, you do not have a health savings account, I can tell you that. So uh if you do anything in September, if you're gonna keep working, I would suggest do A only, and that's it. Okay? And then when you get ready to retire, yep, take take A only, it's not gonna hurt you, won't hurt you a bit. And if you go to the hospital uh while you're still working, you give them your your insurance from work and you give them your Medicare card both, uh, because Medicare may pay something. Okay, and then when you get ready to retire in a couple years, that's when you'll set up B and then decide what you want to do after that, and we'd be happy to help you with that. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that sounds good.

SPEAKER_06

Okay. All right. Well, Bart, thanks for thanks for uh calling in today. It was great to talk with you and uh stay in touch if we can help you, sir.

SPEAKER_04

Hey, I'll do that. If I have any questions, like I said, you know, I'll I'll give you guys a call at this number, 824-2004, yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, yeah, that's the show number. That's the show number. Let me give you your office. Yeah, let me give you your office number, okay? Uh you ready? It's 800-782-6676. So 800-782-6676. And uh great, great talk to you today, Bart, okay?

SPEAKER_04

And thank you for thank you for the little information that I need.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, sir. Good to talk to you. Have a good one. Thanks. Tomorrow what we're gonna be talking about is the two most common ways to get stuck with the Medicare IRMA. Uh some of you are um uh considered to be high income by Medicare standards, and you're gonna have these IRMAS. And so tomorrow's broadcast will be talking about how it is that um you can get stuck with those, how to avoid those, and so we'll spend uh our teaching time talking about IRMAS. Glad that you were part of the show today. Look forward to having you tomorrow. Again, call in tomorrow, 833 824 2004, and be a part of our show. Thanks so much, Evan.