We are back today with Catherine
Sevier from the Generation Study
Group and AARP and Steve Edmonds
from Alliance Insurance Services.
Catherine, I'd like to start with you.
I understand that AARP has
a tool to help people.
Can you explain how it works?
Yes, so if you go to the
AARP website and it's open to
anyoneaarp.org and go to back slash Medicare,
there is information on the website
that will really walk you through and
help you to understand what Medicare is.
How do you sign up for it and how to
really understand the process of it.
It's a very easy tool to use and
it it it's very clear about.
What Medicare is and isn't,
and that's really important to
to begin to understand as you're
migrating into this Medicare world.
Steve, if someone's wondering
if you already have Medicare,
do you need to sign up again?
No, not not. If you already have it.
If you already have Medicare and and
and you're on it and and using it,
you should be good to go.
You you don't have to sign up again.
Probably what they could be referring to.
A lot of people on Medicare Advantage
products typically have a open or an
annual enrollment period that begins
on October the 15th of each year
and runs through December the 7th.
And that's the time of year when,
if you're in the plan and for some
reason you don't like the plan,
you have an opportunity to switch out to
a different plan at that time of year,
and that that might be what
what they're asking, but.
But if you're already on Medicare,
you're you're good to go.
From the Medicare standpoint,
I'm Catherine. Someone asked us,
Are you sure they put a cap on insulin?
I thought they removed that from the
bill from, but from what I understand,
it still applies to people on Medicare.
It still applies to people on Medicare.
They did not extend it to people who
are covered by private insurance,
unfortunately, so that may be
where the the confusion is.
Steve, if someone's wondering if I'm
an American citizen and living out
of the country, can I get Medicare?
Well you you can get Medicare as
long as you're in the country.
I think it's like six months of of the year,
but but yeah, if you're living out
of the country all all the time,
I would think that would be a problem
because you would definitely be out
of network and it would make it very
difficult for claims processing and
and and all kind of things you know.
So yeah, that would be an issue.
So as somebody who traveled internationally,
uh, one of the things that I learned
was Medicare does not cover you when
you were out of the United States.
So you need to think about having
some kind of an interim insurance
plan for the time that you're away.
OK, I'm Catherine. Someone's wondering,
is there an age limit to sign up for AARP?
There is not you can join at age 18.
Now most of our advocacy work is for
people 50 plus because there are different
opportunities for that that age group.
But we have a lot of younger members
and a lot of younger staff who take
advantage of the the benefits of AARP.
Steve, someone's wondering,
do we have to use Medicare if
we have insurance from our job?
So I'm I'm not sure what
they're referring to with that.
Usually if you had insurance on your job,
you're not going to have Medicare,
and unless you've turned 65 in
your and you're still working, so.
So if you turn 65 you know and still working.
And you signed up for Medicare anyway,
you automatically would
have got part A at 65,
but then you have to elect to take Part B
or defer Part B if you're still working.
So if you didn't defer it.
And and you went ahead and signed up for it.
You know you.
You can use both.
You know they they will coexist together so.
OK, I appreciate it,
Steve Edmonds, Catherine Sevier.
Thank you so much again for being
here time and again to help us
through everything Medicare.
If you missed any of this information,
you can find it all on our website
in the two wants to know section.