Business NOT as Usual Dear Clients and Friends of Healthcare Navigation: We are writing to assure you that we are all working remotely and available. Please know that the security of client information is always a top concern of ours, and all company computers operate with WatchGuard VPN encryption no matter where we do business, including temporary home offices. All company numbers are forwarded to password protected applications on cell phones so our staff can continue to communicate with you securely. We

It rarely, rarely, RARELY makes sense if you are sixty-five or older to elect COBRA (the…

Tis the (thinking about health insurance) Season In addition to football and colder weather, millions of Americans should be thinking about health insurance in the fall. We’ve outlined helpful hints below by major category of coverage. MEDICARE Annual Open Enrollment is October 15th through December 7th. This is a time anyone on a Part D drug plan can consider changing to another plan. This is also a time one can change from original Medicare to an Advantage Plan or from an Advantage Plan

Paying your premiums on time In my role as healthcare coverage evangelist, there remain too many topics that, to my great dismay, are still relevant. One of the most important is: PAY YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS ON TIME The obvious beauty of having coverage through an employer is that the employer subsidizes the coverage. Another beautiful aspect of group coverage is that your contribution comes out of your paycheck. Finally, when an employer offers group coverage, they’ve worked to select the Plan and

New Medicare Cards with New Identification Numbers on the Way Everyone who is enrolled in Medicare will be receiving a new card with a new claim or identification number (that is NOT a Social Security number) sometime between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019. Those going on Medicare for the first time effective April 1, 2018, will be the first to receive the new type of card. Social Security manages the enrollment for Medicare A and B so the cards

Medicare’s Annual General Enrollment Medicare’s annual General Enrollment Period (GEP) begins on January 1st   and ends on March 31st every year. Why is it important to know if you need to enroll in Medicare during the annual General Enrollment Period? Medicare enrollment rules are strict, unforgiving, and punitive.  If you have to enroll during the General Enrollment Period you may pay Part B premium penalties for life and most have a gap in coverage, typically to the following July 1st.  Since Part B premiums are calculated back

Maura Carley’s Book “Health Insurance: Navigating Traps & Gaps” “Maura Carley has written an important book for anyone who has to navigate our nation’s fractured, fragmented, inadequate health insurance system.  Case studies, drawn from years of experience helping individuals and families, provide insight into how these defects can affect us.  No one will emerge from reading this book without a deepened understanding of how today’s insurance model leaves us vulnerable to tragic medical and economic consequences.” David M. Lawrence Chairman and CEO (retired) Kaiser

More At Stake with Medicare We want everyone to know about a service we’ve been offering for several years and about which we’ve received extremely and uniformly positive feedback, our Medicare Essentials Consultation. We have historically provided this educational and basic advisory service to individuals and couples. Recently we’ve also been engaged by larger companies and have received inquiries from a wide array of professional firms who want this information for their staff and retirees. Why do so many people want to learn about

Affordable Care Act Debate Misses Core Problem Affordable Care Act Debate Misses Core Problem, Maura Carley, President, Healthcare Navigation, LLC Politics aside, many of us are not as blessed financially as Mitt Romney to be able to forego Medicare. In my opinion, the Republican Presidential candidate is making a big mistake, one that many Americans can’t afford to make. Will the Affordable Care Act, now being debated by the Supreme Court make health insurance any more affordable? No, it will not. The primary purpose