Snowbirds and Traveling Seniors: Know Your Insurance Before Hitting the Road!
Many folks turning 65 don’t know their options when first enrolling with Medicare. Unfortunately, with so many plans offered in the market, picking a plan can be quite confusing. It’s important today for Medicare beneficiaries who travel long distances (e.g. seeing family or taking vacation) to understand the importance of certain Medicare plans offered in the market. For one, if you plan to travel it’s extremely important for Medicare enrollees to sign up for original Medicare and supplemental insurance. With supplemental insurance, beneficiaries have the option of going to any doctor that accepts Medicare. Why is this so important? In the event you become seriously ill while far from home, the beauty of a Medicare supplement insurance plan is that you can see any doctor in that area who takes Medicare, without any waiting periods -- unlike Medicare Advantage Plans which may restrict you to a network. And in the event you need urgent care to see a specialist, a Medicare supplement plan would not require you to wait for a referral. You could immediately see a specialist without a referral or the fear of going out-of-network (e.g. with an Advantage Plan) and receiving excessive charges.
Another important plan one should have is a Worldwide Travelers Medical Air and Ground Ambulance plan. In the event you get sick and need either air or ground ambulance, Medicare only pays a percentage of these services, leaving many Medicare beneficiaries with an additional bill to pay. Let’s say you need an air ambulance because you are in a critical stage of life called the “Golden Hour” which indicates you only have 60 min for the hospital to save you. The hospital then needs to air flight you to another trauma hospital to assist with your condition. Realistically, the air ambulance might bill you for $80,000. At this point in time, Medicare‘s approval typically allows up to 20% coverage for these services, leaving many with a 80% out of pocket expense. That’s not even a worst-case scenario as that’s just in the United States. What if you were out of the country, say Italy, you could face even greater medical expenses. Many seniors don’t like to think about it or believe this could potentially happen to them, therefore they don’t plan in advance. It’s important to plan while you can to avoid life-changing expenses. For lack of planning, families sometimes pay thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses and/or receive a lien against their home. Others having to file bankruptcy.
See the following example for details: Sky-Rage: Bills, Debt, Lawsuits Follow Helicopter Medevac Trips or https://abcnews.go.com/US/sky-rage-bills-debt-lawsuits-follow-helicopter-medevac/story?id=37669153
Now you can see how important it is to have this medical air and ground coverage. What you don’t know can and will hurt you! Prepare today! You never know how your health can turn for the worse.
If you have questions regarding Medicare supplement plan and or Medical Air and Ground Ambulance worldwide coverage, please contact Secure Your Legacy for more details at (832) 953-4229.
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