There is only a day left for Mississippians who want to make changes to their Medicare plans to do so. Josh Burns with Capstone Insurance and Financial Group helps people through the maze of information and options. He says part A covers hospital costs, Part B pays doctors’ fees, tests and medical supplies; Part D is for medications. Burns says people can also buy insurance supplements.
“So the supplement is going to pick up where Medicare leaves off. So when it comes to original Medicare A and B, you can pick up a supplement and from there you can go to any hospital, any doctor in the country with original Medicare and a supplement,” Burns said.
There are also Medicare Advantage Plans which Burns says can confuse people. The plans are offered by private companies. According to Medicare.gov most include drug coverage. Some offer vision and dental care.
Candace Washington is with the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. It is a counseling program that answers questions about health insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid and supplemental insurance coverage. She says advantage plans have a network of listed doctors and medications they will cover.
“You know we see these commercials all of the time from different insurance companies ‘and they’re like, select this, choose this’ and it doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. It sounds good on the front end but come January, February, we get calls and people are like that’s not what I was told,” Washington said.
Washington says they have counselors across the state to advise and help people of all income levels decide what options are best for them. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year she says they helped nearly 35,000 Mississippians. She says that was 54 percent less than in 2019.
Call 1-844-822-4622. Help is available M-F 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m. or visit https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/adults-seniors/services-for-seniors/state-health-insurance-assistance-program/
Josh Burns with Capstone Insurance and Financial Group says all supplemental and advantage plan programs are approved by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
