Medicare Insurance coverage Archives

Does Medicare Cover Travel?

Greetings and may this note find you in amazing health 💪 with your Medicare insurance coverage 🏥 working properly.

For Medicare questions, quotes, or quandaries, email Gray@TheBig65.com or book a time on my calendar and we’ll get it sorted.

Here are the responses to the contest: Where in the world is Quantz?

Jeanne posted Iceland. Joel posited Africa and South America. Susan wondered about Tibet, Greenland, or Norway. Peg & Will suggested Germany or Poland. Jan pictured Mongolia, Venezuela, or Sudan. Sharon guessed China.

I’m happily home in Colorado with Sus and Plato, Q went to…

Madagascar (an island as large as France). This country has been on her bucket list for as long as we’ve been married (and that, my friend, is a long, long time.)

Congratulations to each of you who guessed, you’ll be receiving a Starbucks card this afternoon!

Which brings us to today’s topic, Medicare and travel. What coverage do you need when traveling in the US and Overseas?

Whether you have a Medicare Supplement or a Medicare Advantage plan, emergency medical services are covered anywhere inside the United States. If you think you are experiencing a life threatening emergency, you know what to dial. You will be covered.

What happens if you find yourself in Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in the middle of nowhere Madagascar and the lemurs haven’t completed med school?

Original Medicare coverage outside of the US is limited (see this chart).

Let’s break down how Medicare Supplement Coverage (Med Supp Plans) and Medicare Advantage Plans, (MAPD Plans) cover emergencies overseas.

First of all, there are no emergency evacuation services covered.

According to the 2024 Choosing a Medigap Policy published by CMS: “Some Medigap policies cover services that Original Medicare doesn’t cover, like emergency medical care when you travel outside the U.S. (foreign travel emergency care).”

As seen in the chart above and below, many Medicare Supplement plans will pay “80% to a lifetime maximum of $50,000 (less a deductible of $250.)” This is only for emergency care, not preventive care.

Consumers will then pay “20% until the lifetime maximum and then all costs.” This does not include evacuation services, this is emergency medical care only.

According to Medical News Today, “Medicare Advantage plans do not usually cover medical treatment needed when traveling internationally. However, plans may include coverage for emergency care.”

The most typical coverage I see in MAPD plans is something along the lines of an emergency allowance ranging from $150,000-$250,000, depending on the plan. Every plan is different.

If you want to know the exact amount of your MAPD plan’s international emergency benefit, call member services on the back of your card or shoot an email to Gray, Gray@TheBig65.com, and he’ll look it up for you.

Also keep in mind, if you’re outside of the US for more than 60 days consecutively, the insurance company may say that you are living abroad, not traveling, and benefits may not apply.

So what does that mean about your next trip abroad? Do you need to get extra coverage?

Every situation is different. Keep in mind that in most countries, the cost of emergency medical care is significantly less expensive than in the US.

Recent clients travelled to Mexico with some serious health problems.

Though their existing coverage probably would have covered the costs of an emergency, it gave them peace of mind to set up a Geo Blue International Plan that covered:

Pre-existing conditions
Accidents
Medical evacuation
Dental Care Required Due to an injury

If you’re traveling overseas, here are the details of that plan. I’m happy to review your situation if you’re thinking of travelling.

If you just want trip cancellation insurance, check out Squaremouth Travel Insurance, they do a great job of brokering all the options. I’m really hoping that Quantz never needs either, but, you never know!

Keep squeezing the juice out of life and look for ways to help others!

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

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Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
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Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

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The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

When Should I Start Social Security?

Greetings Medicare Seeker!

Here’s a question I receive every week: when should I start Social Security?

The answer is… it depends :)!

Every retiree is in a different situation, but the rule of thumb is this:

The longer you wait, the larger benefit.

Here’s an article from Bankrate that may be helpful.

If you are unsure, visit the Social Security Website or contact a financial professional.

Even more important, the Medicare Annual Election Period begins in October.

If you haven’t reviewed your Medicare Insurance coverage in a while or you just want peace of mind…

Book a time on my calendar here!

Is It Time For The Doctor To Deprescribe Your Medication?

I hope this note finds you well.

As an Independent Medicare Insurance Broker, with no ties to Medicare, I often chat with people on Medicare and learn about their medications.

It’s unusual for me to speak with Medicare consumers who aren’t taking any medications.

That’s why I was super excited to read about this initiative to “Eliminate Medication Overload.”

Check out the initiative here.

Correction:
In the video I mistakenly said, “Two thirds of all Medicare Consumers are taking over five medications.”

The actual number is “39% of those over age 65 now use five or more medications- that’s a 70 percent increase over 12 years.” Polypharmacy is often defined as “taking five or more drugs concurrently.”

Taking multiple medications regularly increases the chances of unwanted side effects and adverse reactions.

So the next time you refill a prescription or visit a physician, bring a complete list of all your medications and ask:

1. What is this drug for?
2. Why am I taking it?
3. Could it be having a negative interaction with any of the other drugs I am taking?
4. Do I really need to be taking this medication?
5. Is there a safer and/or a less expensive alternative?

You may need to be on all your current medications, but maybe you’ll be surprised :). That’s the drive to deprescribe.

That’s it for this week and if you have questions about Medicare Insurance Coverage, book a time on my calendar here!

Quotations from “The Dangers of ‘Polypharmacy,’ the Ever-Mounting Pile of Pills.” NYT 6/13/21

How to avoid loss AFTER an auto accident!

I hope this note finds you well, despite the madness of the times.

The snow may never stop here in Colorado and Ohio, but I’m hearing from clients in Virginia, the Carolinas, Texas and Florida that spring is a comin’ 😊.

So if you’ve got nice weather, send it our way.

This week, my neighbor Cesar was in a nasty fender bender.

He didn’t get hurt, but if my other neighbor Sally hadn’t passed this advice from Gary Allen Foster, Cesar would have been taken for ride.

Click on the picture above to learn how to avoid being ripped off on an auto claim.

If you are involved in a car accident, you don’t have to use the insurance company list of preferred auto repair shops.

Be sure to seek out quotes from well rated independent auto shops. That way, they’ll be working to please you, instead of the insurance company!

Hopefully all the Medicare ads trying to scare you are finally calming down.

I am always happy to review your Medicare insurance questions, but especially if…

You’re newly eligible for Medicare.
You recently move out of your county.
You’re having Medicare billing problems.
Your drugs are super expensive.
Your doctor has stopped taking your Medicare insurance plan.
Your Medicare Supplement Insurance premiums have gone way up.

If ANY of these apply, we need to talk now and you can click here to schedule a meeting.

If NONE of these apply, the normal time to review your coverage is October till the end of March.

So ignore the noise and go plant some flowers (preferably in my backyard 😉.)

Talk soon!

You Get What You Pay For!

I hope this note finds you in great health and good spirit because of these crazy times. Imagine the great stories we’ll someday be able to tell our grandchildren.

Oh wait, most of already have grandchildren so scratch that idea 😊. Instead, imagine how thankful we’ll be when we finally get through this. We all just have to do our best and keep going, right?

After a month on the road we are home, safe and sound. Working on the road turned out to be no problem, the main reason we came home was the fires out west, they were everywhere. We saw a big chunk of America I had never seen before (even when it was covered in smoke).

So today, it’s time to get what you paid for, really! Click on this video and learn how.

We truly have one of the greatest National Park Services in the world and the great news? There are parks in every state (except Delaware). For $20 bucks you can get an annual pass and get out of your head and out of your house. Now that we are home again, I realize how happy it made us to be outside every day. So, even though we are home, I’m committed to getting outside every day, it really helps.

During our last hikes in Utah, it was over 100 degrees in the mountains and since my goal is to continue to be your Medicare Insurance broker forever (or least three more decades)that convinced us to come home, for a while.

Of course then it snowed. 94 degrees the day before and then this! Hopefully its putting out some of the fires here in Colorado.

Now back to Medicare: The Annual Election Period is rapidly approaching, October 15 till December 7th.

This is your chance to make certain you are maximizing your benefits and you are completely satisfied with your coverage. So take a few minutes to think about how your coverage worked this year so far.

Are you happy? Are you disappointed? Are you neutral? Regardless, please check in with me starting in October (or sooner if you are really concerned). My sole purpose as a Medicare Insurance Broker is to help you navigate and get what you need.

That’s it for this week. Let your friends and family know that I’m here if they need help with their Medicare Insurance coverage.

The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.