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Medicare Basics and More Guide

Andrea Feucht
  • Original Medicare
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PlanEnroll represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, PFFS, and Prescription Drug Plan organizations that have a Medicare contract and/or a Medicare-approved Part D sponsor. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. Enrollment in a plan may be limited to certain times of the year unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period or you are in your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period. Not all plans offer all of these benefits. Benefits may vary by carrier and location. Limitations and exclusions may apply. Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system.

PlanEnroll is a brand operated by Integrity Marketing Group, LLC and is used by its affiliated licensed insurance agencies that are certified to sell Medicare products. PlanEnroll, PlanEnroll.com is a non-government website and is not endorsed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) or any other government agency.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 0-78 organizations which offer 0-2,613 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.

The exact carrier and plan counts are determined by your zip code and county.

To send a complaint to Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1- 877-486-2048), 24 hours a day/7 days a week). If your complaint involves a broker or agent, be sure to include the name of the person when filing your grievance. If you are already a member, please contact your health plan to file a complaint.

Final expense life insurance may not cover the entire cost of your funeral and may be used by the designated beneficiary for any purpose rather than being limited to specific funeral services and providers. Final expense life policies will have a lower face value than most traditional term or whole life policies as they are intended for a specific purpose of covering those final costs rather than providing comprehensive support for surviving family members. This type of policy generally doesn’t require a medical exam, but premiums will be higher the older you are, and some benefit payouts may be limited during the first few years of coverage for those with significant health issues. Reducing or skipping premium payments will impact the amount of interest paid and may impact how long the policy lasts. Accessing the cash value of a policy will reduce the available cash surrender value and the death benefit. A policy owner does not have the ability to make unlimited payments into the policy. If too much is paid into the policy, it will become a Modified Endowment Contract (MEC) and withdrawals and loans will be taxable. Coverage may not be available in all states and may vary by state. Policy guarantees are based upon the claims-paying ability of the issuing life insurance company.

An annuity is an insurance contract between an insurance company and a contract owner. An annuity can be used to help save for supplemental income for retirement and/or preserve funds already saved for retirement. Interest and other guarantees in an annuity are subject to the claims-paying ability and financial strength of the insurance company that issues the product. Annuities are long-term vehicles. Many have surrender charges over many years, and withdrawals from an annuity prior to age 59 ½ may be subject to a 10% tax penalty. The growth in an annuity is tax-deferred, but taxes will be owed on withdrawals. Any withdrawal will reduce your annuity insurance contract value. Consult your annuity insurance contract for specific terms and conditions. Insurance agents do not provide, tax, legal or accounting advice.

Multi-year guaranteed annuities (MYGAs) are a type of fixed annuity with a guaranteed interest rate that typically lasts for multiple years. Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs) do not involve investments in an index. The index performance used to calculate credited interest typically does not include dividends. Some FIAs involve the use of multiple indexes. Methodologies for crediting interest differ among FIA products (e.g., point to point, high water mark, annual resets, single year, multi-year, etc.). Interest crediting methodologies may include caps, participation rates, spreads, margins, or fees that may change from time to time depending on the product.