It’s time for your Annual Prescription Drug Plan Review………
By Larry Weigel
Membership in our Medicare Coach program continues to grow each year. More than 500 members who have used our service have saved about $875,000 since launching the Coach program in 2010. We hope to pass the $1 million savings mark by the end of 2014. That’s money we were able to put in your pockets instead of the insurance carriers.
How do we save members money?
- By finding the most competitive Medicare Supplement insurance plans with about $200 to $250 in annual premium savings per member per year.
- By showing members how to save about an average of $1000 per year in annual premium with high deductible Medicare Supplement plans very few members even know about.
- By offering the annual election period review, our members have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in the Part D prescription program because these plans change every year. Members who did not renew last year lost hundreds of dollars in savings because insurance companies change premiums, pricing, formulary tweaking, and use other measures hoping members will not change plans.
- Only about 13 percent of the 65 million Medicare beneficiaries nationwide make changes during the annual election period which begins Oct 15th and ends Dec 7th. As a result, the insurance carriers and pharmaceutical companies are making billions of dollars in profit.
Why do we charge fees?
- Unlike 99 percent of the Medicare insurance carriers in the nation who see the 10,000 prospects enrolling in Medicare everyday as a commissionable insurance sales market, we see them as prospective clients drowning in information and screaming for knowledge.
- Our members pay us for that knowledge and advice often not available to them during a typical product sale. In almost all cases we find the money for the client to pay our fees because we know the costs of all products available to them and always look for their best value.
- Since our client hires us to work exclusively for their best interests, we charge a consulting fee:
- Below is the fee structure for 2015:
- Renewal membership fees for 2015 are $125 per member
- New members joining for the first time pay $295 each.
What to expect within the next 30 days:
- Clients who paid the initial fee to join will receive their annual renewal notice between September 15 and October 15th. The renewal fee for 2015 is $125 per person. Benefits include:
- Research all Part D plans available based on the medications you take, and select the most cost effective plans for the specific pharmacy you prefer. If no pharmacy preference, we provide the lowest retail cost locations to purchase your medications.
- You receive a copy of our recommendation via email or direct mail if you do not have email; with a request to confirm, revise, or make any changes.
- Once we receive your approval we will enroll you online with the insurance company you select or send a paper application depending on which provider you choose. You do not need to be present during the enrollment since we will have all your information.
- This online enrollment procedure will save each member at least 45 minutes saving you the hassle of making the call to the insurance company yourself and avoid the long hold times (an average of ten minutes) before a service representative will talk to you, and then they will ask a multiple list of questions which causes great frustration, including a raise in blood pressure and sometimes even anger based on past client experiences shared with us. (This can all be avoided)
- Once enrolled, you will receive a confirmation number from us, a copy of the enrollment request, and a phone number to call ten days following the enrollment to confirm your application has been received and is being processed. This is important that you call since there are more than thirty companies providing these plans and it would be a nightmare to have individual agent contracts with them. The online application allows us to assist since we mark the box: (Client received online assistance to enroll.)
- As a renewal member, you will have unlimited access to us for Medicare advice without additional fees charged from the time you renew through this time next year. (October 1, 2014 through October 1, 2015)
- Research all Part D plans available based on the medications you take, and select the most cost effective plans for the specific pharmacy you prefer. If no pharmacy preference, we provide the lowest retail cost locations to purchase your medications.
- Please note, once you renew your membership, your preferred email will be recorded in our data base and our Medicare Coach assistant Danielle Fisher-Arsenault will become your primary contact for questions, appointments, research, problem solving and ongoing email updates about Medicare, and changes you need to know about.
We are very fortunate to have the services of Danielle available to you because she has all the perfect qualifications to assist you and brings added value to the table with her medical background.
Danielle Fisher-Arsenault
Danielle is a Kansas native, with high honors as a graduate of Wakefield High School in 1997. She attended Kansas State majoring in Environmental Engineering, with a minor in Biological Education.
She has worked as a Certified Nurse’s Aide and Certified Medication Aide beginning in 2003 and graduated with honors, as an LPN in 2008.
She has worked in Long-term care for the duration of her nursing career, with secondary work as an in-home nurse for special needs children, and even volunteered each summer as a teenager at the local long term care facility.
Honors include: Mensa, life member since 1995, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, life member since 2007 and National Down Syndrome Society Advocate since 2003
Skills and Competencies she brings to the position: Computer efficiency to access information and enroll clients on line in Medicare prescription plans, strong communications skills both verbal and written, Hands on experience with working with seniors, and a quick study in analyzing information and solving problems for clients. She has experience handling Medicare claims and appeals.
Larry Weigel
My role as Medicare Coach is to be available to assist Danielle with enrollments, problems with Medicare or specific insurance carriers, and follow up phone calls and personal contacts with clients to solve any problems that arise during the annual election enrollment period.
We appreciate your past support and look forward to working with all of you during 2015 to make your Medicare experience problem free and guide you through any issues that may arise.
