Shop the coverage and rates that are right for you
Get Insurance Anywhere Logo
Get Insurance Anywhere Header
Request An Affordable Care Act Quote!
Call today for quotes
on health insurance
for Medicare beneficiaries
or any other type of
health or life insurance!
Request An Affordable Care Act Quote!
Call today for quotes on health insurance for
Medicare beneficiaries
or any other type of health or life insurance!

Newsletter

Medicare - August 2024

IN THIS ISSUE...
  • MEDICARE DRUG PRICE NEGOTIATION


  • EIGHT THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW SOCIAL SECURITY COULD DO FOR YOU



  • MAKE YOUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS LAST


Visit our website

MEDICARE DRUG PRICE NEGOTIATION

Very few Medicare beneficiaries are aware that in accordance with requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, the law provides Medicare the ability to directly negotiate the prices of certain high expenditure, single source drugs without generic or biosimilar competition for the first time. These ten drugs were selected for the first round of negotiations, which is occurring in 2023 and 2024:


  • Eliquis
  • Jardiance
  • Xarelto
  • Januvia
  • Farxiga
  • Entresto
  • Enbrel
  • Imbruvica
  • Stelara
  • Fisasp; Fiasp FlexTouch; Fiasp PenFill; NovoLog; NovoLog FlexPen; and NovoLog Penfill (Novo Nordisk, Inc is the manufacturer for all these medications)  


Negotiations are ongoing, and any negotiated prices resulting from the first cycle of negotiation will become effective in 2026.


The CMS.gov website contains a section on Medicare Price Negotiation. Click here if you’d like to learn more about the Medicare drug price negotiation process.


EIGHT THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW SOCIAL SECURITY COULD DO FOR YOU

For many people, Social Security's function begins and ends with a monthly payment. And to be sure, ensuring benefits get delivered on time and in full to tens of millions of older adults, people with disabilities and members of their families twelve times a year is the agency's most important function.

 

But over its history, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has added numerous special services to help beneficiaries deal with pressing medical, familial and financial issues. This article written and recently updated by Andy Markowitz for the AARP Bulletin explains some of the lesser-known other things Social Security can do for you.


NOTE: The 2025 Social Security COLA increase will be based on an indicator called the CPI-W for the third quarter and will be announced in October. The most recent projection made by the Senior Citizens League is that the increase will be 2.63% for 2025. This year's increase is 3.2%, and beneficiaries should expect the 2025 increase will be lower. We will announce the 2025 Social Security COLA in the November newsletter.

 

MAKE YOUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS LAST

Managing your retirement finances usually means investing for the long run and no sweating short-term market movements.


But there’s one point when the short term is especially important. That’s the first few years of retirement, when big losses can jeopardize your financial security much more than a downturn later on.


This article by Penelope Wang appears in the July August issue of the AARP Bulletin.

About Paul Cholak


Paul is a licensed, independent health and life insurance agent and has over forty years of benefits experience and specializes in helping Medicare beneficiaries obtain health insurance. However, he offers a complete array of life and health insurance products to individuals of all ages.


He guides Medicare beneficiaries through the steps of getting insurance and is available to help clients both BEFORE and AFTER they've made their purchase decision.


Disclaimer for Part C and D plans: "We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY: 1-877-2048) to get information on all your options."

Learn About The Services We Offer

Contact Us

Local: 561-734-3884 (TTY: 711)

Toll-free: 877-734-3884 (TTY:711)

STAY CONNECTED
Facebook  Linkedin  
Schedule For 2024
Affordable Care Act Enrollment

Affordable Care Act open enrollment for 2024 plans began November 1, 2023 and ended January 16, 2024 on the Federal Facilitated Marketplace (https://www.healthcare.gov).

You’re eligible to enroll ONLY if you have a Qualifying Life Event.
There are no pre-existing condition limitations.

Call Us At 786-970-0740 (Cell)
to determine what kind of plan you may be eligible for.


2025 Annual Enrollment Period For Medicare Beneficiaries

Marketing for 2025 Medicare Advantage, Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug, and separate Medicare drug coverage (Part D) began October 1, 2024. Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in or change plans for 2025 by enrolling during the Annual Enrollment Period between October 15 and December 7 for a January 1, 2025 effective date. Individuals who want to keep their present plans, if they are available for 2025, do not need to submit enrollment applications. Individuals with terminating plans have until February 28 to enroll in a new plan but should enroll by December 31 to have a January 1, 2025 effective date. Except for individuals wishing to enroll in a Chronic Special Needs Plan, there are no health questions to qualify.

Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan within 6 months of their Part A and B effective dates without answering health questions. Generally, individuals with Medicare Supplement plans can change plans at any time but in many cases will need to answer health questions to qualify. Individuals who have Medicare Advantage plans can enroll in Medicare Supplement plans during the Annual Enrollment Period but in most cases will have to answer health questions. There are special rules for individuals with “trial rights” or eligibility for guaranteed issue policies that don’t require answering health questions.

Call us at 561-734-3884 or 877-734-3884 (TTY: 711) for details.

family consulting

We offer a comprehensive set of Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) plans

to individuals and families qualified to buy health (tax- and non-tax subsidized) insurance and dental/vision and/or hearing plans through the Federal marketplace (this is called buying “on-exchange” or “on-marketplace”) or directly from insurance carriers (this is referred to as buying “off-exchange or -marketplace”). Our Affordable Care Act policies comply with the Affordable Care Act and contain all of the “essential health benefits” required by that law.

We offer individual group health insurance plans

as an alternative to individual and family Affordable Care Act plans to those who can’t qualify
and/or who are looking for less expensive alternatives.

The dental/vision and/or hearing insurance

products are available both on an insured or discount basis

We offer short-term health insurance policies

for those who are looking for more inexpensive coverage and shorter term alternatives.

We offer Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, and Part D Drug plans

to Medicare-eligibles. Our site is compliant with federal, state, and carrier guidelines in selling these policies. See the Medicare-eligibles section of this site for details.

We represent many carriers that offer supplemental benefits

to both individuals and families and Medicare beneficiaries, and the site contains information about hospital indemnity, cancer, critical illness, accident, and international medical insurance offered by many different carriers. This section of the site also contains valuable information and tools about lowering the cost of prescription medications. Call us if you want more information about or would like to enroll in one of these products.

We also offer Short- and Long-Term Disability products

and can also help you meet the costs of long-term care, nursing home, or short-term (recovery) care needs.

Finally, we have a complete array of Life, Final Expense, and Annuity products

and offer pre-need services in Florida, as we have both life insurance and pre-need licenses in that state.

You pay nothing for our services:

we’re paid directly from the carriers we represent, Premiums are NEVER EVER marked up to include paying us for our services: you pay the same whether you order directly from the carrier or the marketplace on your own or directly through us or from our site.

We ONLY offer alternatives that are suitable for you and for which we feel meet YOUR needs.
When or if we feel a product or service is not appropriate for you from either a cost or benefit point of view we will tell you so.

We’re fully compliant with privacy and security guidelines, have signed all required privacy and security agreements, have developed a privacy and security policy, and take extraordinary steps to safeguard your protected health and personal information.
In short, we’re experts in all aspects of health and life insurance and also have relationships with professionals who can help you with very specialized situations.

More choices
Lower rates!
Calculate your health Insurance cost!
Get Rates & Plans
Or call today!
561-734-3884 or 877-734-3884
(TTY 711)