One of the biggest frustrations that folks have with Health Insurance when going into the Medicare Market is due to the change of terminology.
No longer is there a simple PPO or HMO solution. There are terms like Supplemental, Medi-Gap, Medicare Advantage, Part A, Part B, Part D, or Medical Groups vs Insurance Carriers. This is what Denice teaches monthly at her Educational Events.
Denice started out as an insurance agent 14 years ago offering individual Health policies, but soon found it to be disheartening when she couldn’t get a client approved, or they would get a decline letter.
Denice says she was introduced to Medicare and reluctantly agreed to sit in on a Medicare Advantage (HMO) presentation at a local Mimi’s Cafe. At the time, she wasn’t a big fan of HMO plans, thought they were limiting and wasn’t sure she wanted to represent a plan she wouldn’t consider for herself. Boy, was that about to change!
Lunch at the Mimi’s Cafe was an eye-opener. She recalled sitting in the room filled with about 15 seniors. The presenter walked through the overview of the plan and spelled everything out. What she learned was there were plans now that wouldn’t cost the client anything per month, they could go to their doctor at no cost, hospitalization stays also at no cost. Wow, being age 65 had its benefits! Everyone in the room was so appreciative and excited to enroll into this new Medicare Advantage (HMO) type plan.
So this was the turning point of Denice’s career and the beginning of her agency that dedicated all efforts to supporting the senior market exclusively.
The Agency “Merrill Insurance Services, Inc” now includes her husband (Stephen) for the last several years. He always says he’d wished he had jumped in years earlier and has never looked back on his sales engineering days, because he enjoys this so much. We have both found incredible contentment and passion in our day to day lives and helping others. We also are grooming other agents, so they too can replicate exactly what we do and have the same love of life and to be in this business of helping seniors. Education and taking the time to explain the details is what makes us different.
Denice shares that one of the most important questions every senior should ask is “How will MY personal prescriptions be covered?”
“This is what makes one plan a better fit for you than another” she says. “Honestly, I can simplify and help you to understand your options of a Medi-Gap Supplemental policy, or a Medicare Advantage plan and they all offer amazing coverages, but its the everyday or every month usages of medications that can really break the bank!”
Because of the ever-changing nuances of Medicare, it can be a nightmare to navigate, it’s also critical to find a professional you trust as a Medicare Insurance Broker…Just like finding the right Financial planner, or CPA, or Doctor. Choose wisely.
“It can be very difficult to know all the ins and outs”, says Denice. “But this is what a good Broker must do…compare different plans and different companies especially! Don’t be fooled by an agent that refers to themselves as a “Broker.” It’s important to ask representatives if they can enroll you with different companies based on your medication needs. If not, they are not doing a complete job for you.”
A complete job is what you can expect when you work with Denice & Stephen. From individual personal meetings, to attending one of their local seminars for a better understanding of this new terminology in the “Turning 65/Medicare World.”
“We strive to make the process as easy as possible,” she says. We love that clients get to keep their doctors. They really didn’t have to change a thing, except perhaps save money! In some cases, just rely on their doctors to direct them to other doctors within the group. Pretty Simple. It often is when you get to do what you believe in.
Connect with Denice directly by calling (949) 584-2646. CA Lic# 0H08139
