Medicare With Hometown Health
Hometown Health in a Nevada based insurance company that is owned by Renown Medical Group. Renown is one of our largest medical groups in Northern Nevada. If you are looking for Medicare with Hometown Health, then you should certainly consider the Renown Medicare. This is a Medicare Advantage plan and is one of the only Advantage plans that works with Renown providers. Although this article will cover some basics of Medicare Advantage, if you want additional details on the Renown Preferred Plan then you should speak with one of our health insurance brokers in our office. We do not charge you fees and are contracted with every insurance company in Nevada. We can help you find a plan that best fits your needs.
Enroll in the Renown Medicare plan by clicking on that link!
Medicare Advantage
Also known as Part C, Medicare Advantage is described as an all in one Medicare option. This is because it often includes medical and prescription drug coverage in one policy. It can also provide additional benefits such as dental, vision, hearing aids, and others. The Renown Medicare plan provides substantial coverage for both medical and prescription benefits while also including many other add ons. Most Medicare Advantage plans also have no monthly premiums. Although, you will still have to continue to pay your Part B premium. This means you can lower your copays for doctor visits, prescriptions, and other medical services without having to pay for an additional policy. There are generally two main periods of time when you can sign up for Medicare with Hometown Health.
When Can You Sign Up
The two most common scenarios are when you turn 65 and the annual enrollment period. When you are turning 65, you should start your Medicare process with the Social Security Administration. This is where you sign up for Parts A and B. Most people get Part A automatically without any cost. Part B will have a premium. This will be determined by your income from two years ago. Once you have Parts A and B, you can begin to search for additional coverage. You will certainly want to consider doing so since Parts A and B only cover about 80% of your hospital and doctor visits. Those parts also do not cover prescriptions.
AEP
Another common time you could sign up for a Renown Medicare Advantage plan is during the Annual Enrollment Period, also known as AEP. AEP runs from October 15th to December 7th. This is when anyone that is eligible for Medicare can make changes to their plan. You can enroll in or switch your Part C or D coverage freely during this time. If you are currently looking for Medicare with Hometown Health and you do not have the Renown Preferred Plan, this is a great time to get it. You can sign up for the plan and have it be effective on January 1st of the following year. Some other scenarios that allow you to sign up for a Part C plan include but are not limited to:
- Moving out of the service area of your current plan.
- Your current plan is ending its Medicare contract
- You had a change in Medicaid status
- You lost eligibility for a Special Needs Plan
Doctor List
Due to the size of Renown in Northern Nevada, many people see Renown doctors even before they are eligible for Medicare. We have found that keeping your doctors tends to be one of the top reasons someone chooses a certain health plan. If you are looking to keep your current Renown provider or are interested in gaining access to this group then the Renown Medicare plan is a great way to go.
Most Medicare Part C plans have a specific list of doctors that you can see. It is very important to check this list prior to receiving services. If you do not, your plan may only cover the service at a limited amount or not at all. Although, this is not true for emergency services. Emergency visits are generally treated as covered even if you are out of network. This means that if you have an emergency and you are in another state, you can go the ER and still have it covered as if you were at a facility in Reno.
Drug Coverage
Your prescription coverage is called Part D. Many Medicare Advantage plans cover prescription drugs and this includes Medicare with Hometown Health. As opposed to Medicare Supplement plans, you will not need to purchase a separate drug policy. Medicare Supplement or Medigap plans charge monthly premiums to enroll in addition to a monthly cost for the drug plan. Those plans also do not add coverage for dental or vision without paying an extra premium. Since Medicare Advantage plans include the medical and drug coverage without any premium, you can cut out those monthly charges. Over the course of a year, this could save you a substantial amount of money. Each Medicare Advantage carrier has a printed drug formulary that you can check to see how your prescriptions are covered.
Help With Your Plan
Every year, Medicare Advantage plans and benefits change and shift. Sometimes plans get better and sometimes they get worse. To ensure you are getting the best deal, it is extremely important to speak with a broker during the annual enrollment period. It can be very difficult to find all the information about every plan and compare them yourself. You do not need to do all this extra work alone. Our office can compare these plans for you and help you make an informed decision about your coverage.
