UPDATED VERSION SINCE PRINT EDITION 9/26/19

Annual period enrollment is coming, Medicare F supplement going away

By LOIS KINDLE

LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
nsurance broker Marcie Maisonet and Payant Insurance Solutions are offering free, public seminars to provide information on what you need to know about Medicare’s upcoming Open Enrollment Oct. 1, 8, 10 and 22 and Nov. 7.

If you’re turning 65 between now and Dec. 31, this year’s open enrollment is the last time you will be able to sign up for Medicare F.

Medicare F is sometimes referred to as the “Cadillac” of Medicare supplement plans because from day one it totally covers the 20 percent left over after Medicare Part B pays. That’s because it covers a recipient’s annual Medicare Part A and B deductibles, which creep up in cost every year. For 2019, it was $1,364 and $185, respectively.

Here’s a list of Medicare F Plan benefits:

• Part A and Part B deductibles
• Part A hospice care co-payments or co-insurance
• Part B co-payments or co-insurance and deductibles
• Part B excess charges
• Part B preventative care co-insurance
• First three pints of blood used annually in an approved medical procedure
• Co-insurance for a skilled nursing facility
• Foreign travel emergency

“Congress has decided to eliminate supplement Plan F after this year, so anyone who is eligible should sign up during this year’s open enrollment,” said insurance broker Marcie Maisonet. “It is also eliminating supplement Plan C.”

The enrollment dates for 2020 coverage for folks new to Medicare or those already covered by it are Oct. 15 through Dec 7. During this time, you can sign up for or change to any Medicare supplement, Advantage Plan or Part D coverage.

“You must be enrolled in both Medicare A and B to buy a Medicare supplement,” Maisonet said.

Anyone enrolled in Medicare F or C by Dec. 31, 2019, will be grandfathered in and their benefits will remain intact for as long as premiums are paid on time.

Here’s something else to consider. Florida is issue-age rated, which means your rates can never go up specifically based on age. If you sign up at 65, for example, you will always pay the rates for this age group, even when you’re 90.

If you’d like to learn more, Maisonet and Payant Insurance Solutions have partnered to offer free, public seminars Oct. 1, 8, 10 and 22 and Nov. 7. Each will include a Power Point presentation and a Q & A session. Appointments for private consultations and sign-up may be scheduled afterward.

Here are the times and locations:

Oct. 1: 1 p.m., Kings Point North Club, 1900 Clubhouse Drive

Oct. 8: 10 a.m., Sun City Center United Methodist Church, 1210 Del Webb Blvd. W

Oct. 10: 10 a.m., Kings Point North Club, 1900 Clubhouse Drive

Oct. 22: 10 a.m., Payant Financial Plaza, 1653 Sun City Center Plaza

Nov. 7: 10 a.m., Payant Financial Plaza, 1653 Sun City Center Plaza

All seminars are open to residents of Sun City Center and surrounding areas.

For more information, call Maisonet at 813-634-7001.