Consumer Warnings

BEWARE the TV Ads.

Many are insurance brokers in other States who don't know our Wisconsin market and don't offer all of the plans available in Wisconsin.   They may say...     "Get all the extra benefits you deserve".   But they may not offer Wisconsin-based plans that offer substantial dental and vision benefits.     "Get money added back to your Social Security check".   But those Plans do not have prescription drug benefits and Medicare will penalize you for not having prescription drug benefits even if you do not take any drugs.
 

Medicare makes it illegal for an insurance company/agent to make an unsolicited telephone call or knock on the  door of a Medicare beneficiary.  Please  don't  encourage  this illegal behavior by giving them your time and attention.

 We have never found a creditable rating for the quality of Medigap plans.  One insurance company says that they are one of the few that have an "A" rating.  That is a measure of the insurance company's "financial stability", not quality of customer service.  Medicare does provide quality ratings for Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans on www.medicare.gov.  

 We don't recommend the "Cost Share" and "High Deductible" types of Medigap plans.   They sound good because the premium is much lower than a full coverage Medigap plan, but  Advantage Plans are generally better value .  CAUTION: One company has a High Deductible Plan with a  "vanishing deductible" of about $2,300 that they call their "Innovative Plan".  Your premium will be about the same as other companies that have a deductible of only about $200.

Don't reply to junk mail that ties to scare you into calling them for help to avoid "substantial financial penalties from Medicare".    Never give your telephone number, or you'll receive a barrage of sales calls.

 Most Medigap plans increase your premium every twelve months because you are one year older.   They are called "Attained Aged" plans.    Some insurance companies offer Medigap plans that will not increase the premium as you get older. They are called "Issue  Age".   An Agent may lead you to believe that your premium will never increase by saying, "Your premium will not increase because you get older".    But they can and most likely will increase premiums due to the increasing cost of medical care.   It can take ten to twenty years for an Issue Age  plan to save you money  ​This conservatively assumes that the other Attained Age plans  increase the age component of their annual rate hike 3% to 4% per year.

 Medicare beneficiaries pay on average $611 more than necessary  on their prescription drugs according to an  eHealth study.   Don't pick a plan until you known how ALL plans compare on  their total  cost (premium plus copays).  Our FREE seminar will show you how to find the lowest cost Medicare prescription drug plan based on the drugs that you take. The lowest premium plan will have higher copays than others for brand name Rx Drug costs do vary significantly, even among the $0 premium plans.