Senior Educators: Medicare and Medicaid

People who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid are considered “dual-eligibles” because they are participating in two health insurance programs. For many dual eligibles, there is little or no cost to seeing physicians and receiving Medications. And, for many dual eligibles, until recently, there was no reason to sign up for private Medicare insurance. However, in recent years, a number of insurance companies have introduced products specifically designed for the dual eligible population that provide extra benefits beyond these programs or access to a broader range of medical providers. And, dual-eligibles are allowed to change their insurance year-round because of a Special Election Period granted by Medicare.

What types of extra benefits are available?

Benefits are determined by the individual plans available where the recipient lives. Because these Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are newer, they are not available everywhere and they differ from company to company. Many plans include a benefit for over-the-counter medications and supplies, supplementary dental and/or vision, and the ability to see a broader range of providers than work with Medicaid.

If I want to sign up for a private insurance policy, can you help?

Many people like help deciding which plan is a good choice for them. Plans vary widely from company to company and from place to place, and when comparing plans between companies it’s important to compare the fine print—not just the premiums. That’s what Senior Educators Insurance Services was created for—to provide free, unbiased assistance to Medicare recipients to help them choose appropriate coverage. To request help now, please fill out the short informational form here so a licensed representative can be well informed about your healthcare preferences. Or simply give us a call at 1-800-236-4613 and speak with a trained and licensed representative now!

If you prefer to do the research by yourself, we’ve created a number of tools to help you do so. First, we have created the Senior Educators Insurance Services’ Top 10 Tips for Navigating Medicare, which captures a very high-level perspective on what to consider based on our years of experience. Second, we have created a plan comparison engine that shows you a list of the plans available in your area. To access that tool, enter your zip code on the side of this page and click the “Find Plans” button. We hope that if you find a plan through our tools, you’ll enroll through our organization, as it’s how we can afford to provide excellent, unbiased information and help.