11 Dec 2024 2:02 pm
Fuelman » 11 Dec 2024, 2:44 pm » wrote: ↑ Thanks for what you do!
We have used a Broker for the last 15 years when it comes to Medicare for the folks. It really helps weed out a lot of plans that are not the right fit.
I have about a year till I have to start taking a hard look at those plans.
Since ALL the plans cover the same as far as medical goes, I use a different system. 1) what doctor/system do you use now, and what doctor/system might you want to use in the future. (are you a snowbird?). This is followed CLOSELY by what drugs you are taking. Sometimes if a person is taking an expensive drug, one company may cover that better than the rest. If you are taking tier 3 & 4 drugs, it's usually better to have a plan that has set copays not co-insurance. ( this is a % of an unknown dollar amount). 3rd/4th is customer service and agent support. Sometimes a smaller more local company will have much better customer support. They might sell in a smaller area just in you State, so they can't piss people off with crappy overseas call centers, lose business, and make it up in another State.
Companies that don't have their own agents, tend to treat their agents better by giving us fast support and help fix customer problems quicker. The bells and whistles (dental, vision, otc) are the LAST thing that you consider. They ALL offer some, and if one plan has a big dental benefit, they had to take that money from other places. United (biggest company of all) has very good customer service and since (at least in Wisconsin) they don't have any agents, they really help independent agents with any problems that MIGHT arise. The star rating is somewhat of an indicator of quality (5 star is best), but as long as its a 4.5 star it's ok.