another Medicare question

[NewtonMP2100]

.....not sure if it has changed but COBRA can be expensive.......had to take advantage of it many, many years ago......if it is the only option, use it....

[Numo]

Dennis S wrote:
There’s an independent insurance agent here and people come from far and wide to get advice from her. There is probably an equivalent in your town.

I initially used an independent insurance agent when I first started Medicare. In year 3, I compared prices for all my drug plan options on the Medicare site and realized I could get a much better deal with a plan she never told me about. Turns out that she only recommended plans with companies that she was aligned with.

[AllGold]

Whatever you do, you absolutely want to avoid a 60 day gap in coverage (63 days to be precise). If that means COBRA for month or two, even at the high price, it will be worth it to avoid the hassle of a permanent penalty.

Ammo wrote:
I initially used an independent insurance agent when I first started Medicare. In year 3, I compared prices for all my drug plan options on the Medicare site and realized I could get a much better deal with a plan she never told me about. Turns out that she only recommended plans with companies that she was aligned with.

She should have entered your prescriptions into the Medicare plan finder then recommended the plan with the lowest total cost.

That said, maybe she did. The plans change every calendar year and the lowest cost plan three years ago is likely not the lowest cost plan for you now. (Plus, new plans come on the market every year.)

[AllGold]

By the way, I just had a husband/wife pair of clients in a similar situation who were going off their group plan because he was retiring and getting Medicare coverage after adding Part B. They both sent in their paperwork to SSA at the same. His Medicare card came in a couple weeks. Hers got botched somehow and took almost two months and it sounds like it would have been even longer if she didn't call a bunch of times.

[GGD]

AllGold wrote:
By the way, I just had a husband/wife pair of clients in a similar situation who were going off their group plan because he was retiring and getting Medicare coverage after adding Part B. They both sent in their paperwork to SSA at the same. His Medicare card came in a couple weeks. Hers got botched somehow and took almost two months and it sounds like it would have been even longer if she didn't call a bunch of times.

For my wife's special enrollment period application (Part A and B together) we tried to make it as fast as possible. Here's the timeline.

Wed Sept 1, submitted the application online
Thu Sept 2, received notice that it was being processed in Richmond CA
Fri Sept 3, spoke with the person in Richmond processing it, and emailed the forms 40B and L564 to him.
Sat Sept 4, SSA website indicated application was approved but did not list a newly assigned Medicare number
Tue Sept 7, SSA website now shows the Medicare number. But Medicare website doesn't seem to know about it, can't create an online account.
Wed Sept 8, Online account created at Medicare website and downloaded a copy of the Medicare Card.

It might have been a little faster if there wasn't a weekend in the middle.

[wurm]

Hmmm...just curious. If you filled out the application online, did you not have to attach documentation with the application? Or is that what you mean when you said you emailed the forms 40B and L564 to him?

My online application instructions stated: (bolded and underlined "or" is my formatting)
You can apply online or you can mail your completed CMS 40B, Application for Enrollment in Medicare - Part B (Medical Insurance) to your local Social Security office. You’ll also need to send CMS L564 - Request for Employment Information, and a required proof of employment, Group Health Plan (GHP), or Large Group Health Plan (LGHP) coverage with your 40B form.

My online application also let me attach documentation of coverage by employer, but did not specify any official form. After submission, I received an email with a link to electronically sign the application, which I did, then I received a subsequent email stating You're done signing Medicare Part B Online Application

[GGD]

wurm wrote:
Hmmm...just curious. If you filled out the application online, did you not have to attach documentation with the application? Or is that what you mean when you said you emailed the forms 40B and L564 to him?

My online application instructions stated: (bolded and underlined "or" is my formatting)
You can apply online or you can mail your completed CMS 40B, Application for Enrollment in Medicare - Part B (Medical Insurance) to your local Social Security office. You’ll also need to send CMS L564 - Request for Employment Information, and a required proof of employment, Group Health Plan (GHP), or Large Group Health Plan (LGHP) coverage with your 40B form.

My online application also let me attach documentation of coverage by employer, but did not specify any official form. After submission, I received an email with a link to electronically sign the application, which I did, then I received a subsequent email stating You're done signing Medicare Part B Online Application

You were in a different situation, you already had Part A. When I was doing all of the research the SSA phone people were telling me that we could attach the forms to the online application. I later found out that only applied to people like you who were just applying for Part B and already had Part A. For us it was like a first time Medicare application and no way to attach anything online. I was also told that it would be processed at my local SSA office and I could FAX the forms there, but it turned out that online applications get processed in Richmond CA for my area and never go to my local office. I viewed getting the forms to the right person as the key to getting things processed quickly, and in the end we were able to talk with the person who the application was assigned to and email the forms.

If you didn't supply form L564 they might contact you, I think I remember seeing a list of other things they might accept if you can't get the form filled out, like paystubs or insurance cards.

[wurm]

Phew... Thanks.