Medicare For Heroes 65+ Thank You

Thank you for your request, and for your service

Welcome to the abridged version of Medicare For Heroes (For age 65+). We have sent you this guide to the email you provided, please check your spam if you don’t see it. Scroll down the page to read the Medicare For Heroes guide.

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How To Benefit From This Guide

Read or skim this information to learn the basics about the parts & features of Medicare. Find out about some general benefits you’re not aware of.
Contact us for details about programs & benefits available in your county. Get all of your questions answered.
Take advantage of the open enrollment season and make any changes to your Medicare that improve your costs & benefits.

The Parts Of Medicare

If you already have Medicare, you may be aware of this already. But, it never hurts to refresh your understanding. Medicare has 5 parts, with the main ones being Parts A & B. Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospitalization, skilled nursing facility, and home health care. Medicare Part B covers doctors, outpatient treatment and testing.

The Other 3 Parts

Medicare Advantage – Sometimes known as Part C, these are private insurance plans. You have the choice of being covered directly through Medicare (Standard / Original Medicare or a Private Insurer (Medicare Advantage).
Part D – Medicare prescription pharmacy benefits. Medicare does not provide coverage directly but instead through private insurers.
Supplements – Medicare Supplements are insurance plans that supplement Medicare A & B. They are offered by private insurers and help cover medical costs. CHAMPVA provides the same function, so in most cases, Medicare Supplements aren’t needed by CHAMPVA recipients.

Medicare Advantage

How To Get The Most Medicare Benefits For The Lowest Cost

With Medicare, you have the choice of getting your benefits directly through the government (Original Medicare) or through a private insurer (Medicare Advantage). Both Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage include Part A coverage for hospitalization and Part B for doctors & outpatient care.

Tricare & CHAMPVA can be your secondary insurance to either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage. Plus, Veterans with VA can have access to Medicare Advantage as well. Original Medicare is “one size fits all” and the same for everyone in the country. Medicare Advantage gives you various choices that may be a better fit for your unique situation. This includes plans that are designed specifically for those with Veterans and Military benefits.

The “Advantage” in Medicare Advantage is that they include more benefits than Original Medicare, at the same or lower monthly cost. The additional benefits you can get with Medicare Advantage include;

Dental, Vision, and Hearing Aid coverage.
Silver Sneakers – Gives you free access to exercise facilities and online exercise videos.
Part B Giveback $ – This is a benefit included with some plans that gives you a monthly rebate to lower your monthly cost of Medicare.
Prescription – There are Medicare Advantage options that include pharmacy coverage and some that do not, you have choices. Many with Veterans & Military benefits do not need pharmacy prescription coverage.

Those with VA, Tricare, or CHAMPVA have a choice with their Medicare. Tricare & CHAMPVA can be secondary insurance to both Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage.

Medicare Advantage Vs. Original Medicare Comparison

To get a better idea of how Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare compare, here is a comparison chart of the main features.

Feature	Original Medicare	Medicare Advantage
Total Monthly Cost	$148.50 In 2021	$64.60 – $148.50 In 2021
Hospital & Doctor Coverage	Yes	Yes
Doctor Networks	No Networks	Yes: PPO & HMO Options
Rx Included	No	Yes: Options With & Without
Dental & Vision Included	No	Yes
Hearing Aid Coverage	No	Yes, Often Included
Free Fitness / Gym Access	No	Yes

*If viewing this on mobile phone, scroll right & left with the chart.

Medicare Supplements

Medicare Supplements are insurance plans that work with Medicare A & B to help cover Medical bills. They should not be confused with Medicare Advantage, which we covered in the previous sections. There are a variety of plans and insurance providers who offer Medicare Supplements.

Tricare and CHAMPVA provide the same function as Medicare Supplements, so for those who have these benefits, Medicare Supplements are unnecessary. For those who only have VA benefits, Medicare Supplements can be beneficial in certain situations.

Things To Know About Medicare Supplements

Medicare Supplement’s are provided by private insurance companies.
They are separate policies and are secondary to Medicare A & B. Therefore, they have a monthly cost that you pay in addition to Medicare.
Medicare supplements cover you at any doctor that accepts Medicare A & B, there are no networks.
Medicare Supplement policies are represented by a letter, which means the amount of coverage you get.
The top Medicare Supplement plans can help you limit your annual out of pocket medical bills to around $200 per year.

The Annual Enrollment Period is from October through December 7th. This is a once per year opportunity for Vets, Retired Military, & Their Families to take advantage of new benefits, including ones that cost $0 extra.

Request A Benefits Assessment

This is an important step to determining your best options and what new benefits you can take advantage of. Please take a minute to fill out the form below and click submit. Once we receive your submission, we will reach out to you with more details.

Call Us

Call 855-625-7633 to request more information. We are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. to 6 P.M CST.

Email Us

Email [email protected] with your questions and to request details about your Medicare options.

About Us

We are Lone Star Medicare, a top independent agency that specializes in offering a variety of Medicare plans, including; Medicare Advantage, Supplements, Prescription, and Dental & Vision. Located in Austin, we provide services in all of Texas and other select states. It’s our mission to help improve the lives of Medicare recipients and make a difference in communities. We do this by educating, advising, offering quality insurance plans, volunteering and donating.

We proudly donate to these charities

Offering Plans With Select Top Insurers:

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Medicare Advantage and it’s extra benefits cost me more monthly? In most cases no. The nice thing about Medicare Advantage is that you can get extra benefits included, for no extra monthly cost. In fact, in some cases you can get the extra benefits and lower your overall monthly cost (see Part B giveback below.)

What is Part B Giveback? Part B Giveback is a benefit of certain Medicare Advantage plans, and in particular, designed for those with Military or Veterans health benefits. In these cases the plan gives you money back, which lowers your overall monthly cost of Medicare. This could save you hundreds or more dollars per year. Part B giveback doesn’t lower the quality of your coverage.

How does Medicare Advantage provide extra benefits for no extra monthly cost? When you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan it is provided by a private insurance company and it becomes your Medicare benefits. Medicare then pays your insurance provider a monthly amount to provide you with your benefits. Insurance providers are already efficient at providing extra benefits (dental, vision, hearing, etc), so they’re able to include them for no extra cost.

Will having Medicare Advantage lower the quality of my coverage or care? No. Medicare Advantage is regulated by the federal government. Medicare Advantage plans provide coverage for medically needed care and treatment. However, the quality of service and doctor / hospital networks can vary with different plans and insurers.

If I sign up for Medicare Advantage, can I keep my doctors or will I need to change them? In most cases, you will be able to keep your doctors. Medicare Advantage plans have networks, meaning a list of doctors and hospitals that are accept the plan. Some Medicare Advantage plans allow you to go out of network. When evaluating a Medicare Advantage plan, you should check if your doctors and medical providers accept the plan. If you’re working with us, this is something that we will do for you every time.

When can I enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan to get additional benefits? There are two primary periods when you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. 1. When you first start Medicare A & B. 2. During the Annual Open Enrollment period which begins October 15th and lasts through December 7th.

If I decide to take Medicare Advantage instead of Original / Standard Medicare, can I ever change back? Yes. Each year from January 1st through March 31st you can dis-enroll from a Medicare Advantage plan and go back to Original Medicare.

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