Health Insurance Blog

When it comes to Medicare plans, one size does not fit all. It is a complicated business with enough rules and options to make your head spin. ”Medicare Advantage plans are like a double-edged sword” said Doug Barnette of Texarkana, who has sold insurance here for 30 years or so. ”Choice is good, but it is confusing to have so many choices. Barnette says people should not put all insurance salesmen in the same category.

Most agents they know wouldnt violate Medicares rule about selling policies door to door. ”In a perfect world, all the agents would do it right but they do not” Barnette said. Barnette, along with his son, Jay Barnette, have been selling Medicare Advantage since it was introduced in 2006. Like any licensed agent, they must undergo training to understand the product they are selling.

The material is complicated, they say. ”Not everyone in those classes passes” Jay Barnette said, and you must pass to be certified. And if the plans are complicated to the experts, think what it is like for the elderly trying to digest the information. Local agent Michelle Douglas says the benefit of a senior electing to have a local agent is peace of mind knowing they have someone close to discuss their coverage. ”We are local and we care.

We have a storefront where people can come and ask questions” Douglas said. ”If they dont go through someone local, they are setting themselves up for a problem. Douglas says she has seen Medicare plans benefit people who now have a more streamlined method of care rather than seeing too many doctors at once. ”Seniors dont like change” she said. ”But if they can get Medicare with added benefits they didnt have before, this is a benefit for them. Douglas says the result (of having Medicare) ”is having something offered that is a better choice for someone who might not have had a choice at all.

Douglas, says there are people who cannot qualify for traditional insurance but who do qualify for a Medicare plan. Having end stage renal disease is the only reason someone would not qualify for a Medicare program. All other health problems are accepted by plans, she said.

A partner company of QuickHealthInsurance.com, says the goal of the company is to provide services that meet and exceed expectations of beneficiaries in the community. ”There are certain services that are above and beyond what we are required to do. One example of how we do this is our continuity of care program where we pay for our members doctor for 90 days even if the doctor where they are receiving treatment is out of network”. ”We do that in order to establish a relationship with a person and the provider.

Medicare plans also have checks and balances in place to make sure beneficiaries needs are being met. ”Some of the people are not being informed they are going to have to change doctors (if they elect a Medicare plan)” Sunny said. ”Im not talking about a specific insurance agent.

It is just like, take a doctor. Some fully inform you of something and another might not. … Some of these agents want to make money so bad they are not going to say something. Obviously they are making money for it, its a job. But there are people who really care about the people they are selling it to and for those guys, I dont have a problem with that. If they are fully informed and the patient chooses (Medicare plans), then more power to them.

Sunny said his first and foremost concern is always the patient, and he has seen some cases when managed care programs that work similar to Medicare plans have let people down. ”It is called managed care for a reason, and they manage care for a reason” Sunny said. ”When you start telling doctors what they are going to do rather than the doctor telling you what to do, you have a problem. ”In a way that is what excites me about this market” he said. ”It is a matter of educating everyone, from beneficiaries, and the state and the brokers and the providers. This is a product that has a lot of information all together, and there are a lot of different products out there.

We are more than willing to do what we need to do. There is no doubt there have been some problems related to how some agents have sold the plans, and no lack of confusion in general. For example, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman has fielded many calls from this corner of the state. She advises consumers to take time in choosing any insurance plan. ”Walk away from a hard sell” she said. ”Always get contact information from anyone selling insurance of any kind.

These plans and how they are sold are regulated. Agents working with Medicare cannot charge enrollment fees, cannot come to a persons home uninvited, cannot phone a person if a person is on the Do Not Call Registry and cannot send a person unwanted e-mails, among other things. If a consumer has a problem with the plan or how it was sold, the consumer should complain to the company in writing.