MEDICAL / MEDICARE PLANS 

What is Accident Insurance? 

Accident insurance helps you pay for the medical and out-of-pocket costs that you may incur after an accidental injury. This includes emergency treatment, hospital stays, and medical exams, and other expenses you may face, such as transportation and lodging needs. 

What does accident insurance cover?

The benefit amount you receive depends on the diagnosis and severity of your injury, how your injury was treated, and the type of coverage you have.

But with accidents that are covered by your plan, your coverage goes with you from start to finish.

For example, if you break your leg mountain biking, you’ll receive a lump sum to pay for the ambulance, the emergency room visit, and any other out-of-pocket medical expenses covered by your plan.

Your dependent children can benefit from accident insurance, too. If the plan has a child organized sports benefit, if your active tyke gets hurt playing their favorite organized sport, your benefit payout may be increased by 20% to help cover the costs.

What isn’t covered by individual accident insurance?

Some high-risk recreational activities or sports may not be covered by your plan, such as skiing, scuba diving or bungee jumping.

Though each accident insurance plan is different, here are some injuries which may not be covered by your plan:

• Injury from sickness or disease

• Reckless or dangerous activities

• Injuries that occur while under the influence of certain drugs or alcohol

• Suicide or self-inflicted injury

• Injury incurred while committing a crime

• Injuries incurred before you bought your accident insurance plan

Accidents don’t discriminate — anyone can have one at any time. But there are some Americans who can benefit even more from accident insurance. And if you’re a senior, an active adult, or if you drive a car, that could include you.

Let’s face it – getting dental work done can be really expensive, right? Even the most basic cleaning can put a dent in your pocketbook. Having comprehensive dental insurance may mean the difference between putting off important oral healthcare or living with gum problems or a mouthful of cavities. However, because of the way certain policies are designed, you may be limited in what work you can get completed.

Some people put off care because their insurance doesn’t cover the treatment at all, while others do so because they’ve used their maximum coverage for the year. Still, most people agree that having some coverage is better than nothing at all. So how do you start? Here are four key steps to take when buying dental insurance to avoid getting caught with unexpected expenses. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Dental insurance gives you coverage to help pay for dental work 

• Indemnity plans are more expensive because they do not have a network

• PPOs and HMOs are often cheaper but require patients to stay within their networks

• Compare group and individual policies and make sure you understand how the network works

• Be sure you are aware of which costs the policy covers and how much you will have to pay out of pocket

Easily find a dentist near you

• More than 260,000 available across the U.S.

Multiple plan types to meet your needs

• Choose from PPO, DHMO, discount and value plans

Affordable plans

• Dental insurance for every budget

What is Disability insurance? 

Disability insurance is a type of coverage that replaces a portion of your monthly income if injury or illness prevents you from working. It provides financial security for you and any loved ones who may depend on your most valuable asset — your ability to earn a paycheck. You may also hear disability insurance referred to as disability income insurance or income protection. 

What is Individual Healthcare? 

Health insurance is a product that covers your medical expenses. Like auto insurance covers your car if you get into an accident, health insurance covers you if you get sick or injured. Health insurance also covers preventive care – i.e., doctors visits and tests before you get sick. 

There are four types of Healthcare Policies

1. Individual
   Plans with best coverage for an individual

2. Family
   Plans with best coverage for your family

3. Self Employed
   Plans with best benefits for self employed workers

4. Major Medical
   Get coverage today for major medical incidents

Why people choose final expense insurance

From burial costs to medical bills, the days, weeks, and months after a death can be a stressful time for family and friends.  For individuals 50-85 looking to lessen that burden and help ensure your loved ones don’t have out-of-pocket expenses associated with end-of-life care, funeral costs, or outstanding debt, affordable final expense coverage.

Why buy long-term care insurance?

About half of 65-year-olds today will eventually develop a disability and require some long-term care services, according to a study revised in 2016 by the Urban Institute and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Most will need services for less than two years, but about 14% will require care for more than five years.

Regular health insurance doesn’t cover long-term care. And Medicare won’t come to the rescue, either; it covers only short nursing home stays or limited amounts of home health care when you require skilled nursing or rehab. It does not pay for custodial care, which includes supervision and help with day-to-day tasks.

If you don’t have insurance to cover long-term care, you’ll have to pay for it yourself. You can get help through Medicaid, the federal and state health insurance program for those with low incomes, but only after you’ve exhausted most of your savings.

People buy long-term care insurance for two reasons:

1. To protect savings. Long-term care costs can deplete a retirement nest egg quickly. The median cost of care in a semi-private nursing home room is $89,297 a year, according to Genworth’s 2018 Cost of Care Survey.

2. To give you more choices for care. The more money you can spend, the better the quality of care you can get. If you have to rely on Medicaid, your choices will be limited to the nursing homes that accept payments from the government program. Medicaid does not pay for assisted living in many states.

Buying long-term care insurance might not be affordable if you have a low income and little savings. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners says some experts recommend spending no more than 5% of your income on a long-term care policy.

The first thing to know about Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans is that they work much like your original Medicare, with added benefits. 

You may choose a single plan that combines coverage for:

• Hospital stays

• Doctor visits

• Other medical services

• Prescription drugs

The second thing to know is that you may have many Medicare Advantage plans to choose from. Medicare Advantage Plans varies depending on where you live. Plans are offered by private insurance companies approved by Medicare. Each plan operates within a region, state or county.

You also need to know that each Medicare Advantage plan is different. Even though every plan must cover everything that Original Medicare (Parts A and B) does, many offer additional benefits. Costs are also specific to each plan and may vary. There are different types of Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, PPO, PFFS). 

So you may have a lot of choices, which can be good. Also, you can change plans at select times if you choose to.

Also known as "MediGap" helps pay some of the out-of-pocket health care costs that Original Medicare doesn’t pay. Medicare Supplement Plans are offered through private insurance companies. It’s your decision whether to buy a plan or not.

There are 10 standardized Medicare supplement insurance plans, labeled “A” through “N.” (These letters are not related to the Medicare Part A, B, C and D labels.) The plans and what they cover are prescribed by the federal government.

What Does Medicare Supplement Insurance Cover?

The main purpose of a Medicare supplement plan is to cover some of the out-of-pocket costs not paid by Original Medicare, such as deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance. Each of the standardized plans provides benefits for different out-of-pocket costs.

Each standardized plan with the same letter must offer the same basic benefits, no matter which insurance company sells it. For example the basic benefits of one company’s Plan F are the same as the basic benefits of another company’s Plan F. The only difference between the various Medicare Supplement Plans available is typically just cost.  

Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage is crucial. You don’t get it automatically. If you want drug coverage, then you need to buy a plan.

You can get drug coverage through a stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan or a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan that includes Part D. You can’t have both. Plans are offered by private insurance companies contracted by Medicare.

It could be tempting to wait and buy Part D coverage later if you’re not taking many prescription drugs when you first enroll in Medicare. But Part D charges a late enrollment penalty if you don’t sign up when you’re first eligible—unless you qualify for an exception. The penalty is a fee set by Medicare that gets added to your premium, and you pay it for as long as you have Part D.

Understanding Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage

You don’t get prescription drug coverage with Medicare Parts A & B alone. Learn about Part D prescription drug plans and when you should enroll to avoid Medicare’s late enrollment penalty.

Drug Formularies and Pharmacy Networks

All prescription drug plans must meet the same basic guidelines created by the federal government. But not all plans are the same.

Every Part D plan has a drug list, or formulary, that shows all the brand-name and generic drugs it covers. Most formularies categorize drugs into tiers based on how much they cost. Covered drugs and costs vary from plan to plan.

Drugs may be added to or removed from a plan’s formulary at the beginning of every year. Certain changes may be made during the year under limited conditions, too, such as when a drug is no longer on the market. Your plan must notify you if you are affected by such changes.

Each prescription drug plan has a network of contracted pharmacies. You must use network pharmacies in order to get the discounted plan price for your drugs. Plans may define networks by geographic area, such as a state, or allow the use of network pharmacies nationwide.

Keep your Vision sharp! Why Vision Insurance? 

Premiums are low for Vision Plans. You and your eyes should always come first. Whether you are off to college, on a new business adventure, or ready to enjoy retirement, put your eyes first and stay covered.

Eye exams are essential. Did you know that eye exams can help detect serious health conditions such as diabetes? If you are uninsured or lost your coverage, we can help. With a variety of plans to choose from, we are confident that we have a perfect plan for you, including full-service eyecare and eyewear coverage plans.