Q. Does Medicare cover preventative services?

A. Yes. Covered services by Medicare include prostate cancer screenings, mammogram screenings, diabetes services, pap tests and pelvic screenings, and vaccination shots.

Q. If a person has group insurance through an employer, should he or she purchase a Medigap policy?

A. Don’t spend money on a Medigap policy if you don’t need to do so. You will want to avoid being double covered. By talking with an experienced agent, you can determine if this will happen.

Q. How is the term Open Enrollment Period defined?

A. The Open Enrollment Period is the first 6 months a person is on Medicare. A person can purchase any of the 10 Medicare Supplement Plans offered by an insurance company during this period without going through underwriting. By looking at one’s Medicare card, a person can tell if the Open Enrollment period has ended by looking at the start date of Medicare Part B.

Q. Which Medicare Supplement Plan is the most popular?

A. It may depend on the state but usually Plan F is the most popular. All the deductibles and coinsurance are covered by Plan F. That means that if Medicare approves the expense, the insured pays nothing. Plan G is also popular. It does not cover the Medicare Part B deductible, while Plan F does.

Q. With a Medicare Supplement policy, do I have a list of doctors and hospitals I must use?

A. Medicare Supplements allow you to go to any doctor or hospital in the United States as long as they accept Medicare unless it is a Select plan, which specifies the hospitals you can go to.

Q. What about RX coverage?

A. That can be obtained through a Medicare Part D program. Please ask our help!