A Minute of Medicare

Everything you need to know about the Donut Hole by: Ciarra Dobbs Quite often when I sit with my clients regarding their current #Medicare plan or their transition to #Medicare, the most confusion surrounds the prescription drug plan, more specifically, the Donut Hole . The initial creation of the "Donut Hole" had the intentions of helping keep costs low by encouraging generic drugs, but the folks who require name brand drugs can end up paying a lot of money out of pocket if they fall into the coverage gap.  The true definition of "Donut Hole" is "Most plans with Medicare prescription drug (Part D) have a coverage gap (called a "donut hole").  This means that after you and your drug plan have spent a certain amount of money for covered drugs, you have to pay all costs out-of-pocket for your prescriptions up to a yearly limit." * Essentially, the #Donut Hole was originally created to encourage people to opt for generic rather than name bran...

I got ahead of myself a little bit last week - I skipped an introductory post! I got RIGHT to the exciting stuff (Medicare :D), and forgot to fill you all in on who I am, my business and what I can do for YOU.  My name is Ciarra Dobbs, I am the owner and insurance agent of Senior Insurance Solutions. My business is based at the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri - where I was born and raised. I furthered my education at Westminster College and graduated with a degree in Business and Communication. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Eric and we have two fur babies, River a 2 year old black lab and Sadie a 4 year old Yorkie. We enjoy boating, hunting, and eating (what can we say, we're foodies).  I have worked in the insurance industry for 6 years and come from a family of self made entrepreneurs. I founded my business on the need of a professional in the lake area to help the people of this community with a very confusing process, the transition to...

Does Medicare cover everything ? Answers from Ciarra Dobbs, local agent and owner of Senior Insurance Solutions at Lake of the Ozarks I sit with a lot of people who are turning 65 and becoming eligible for Medicare for the first time - and let me tell you - the confusion is REAL. If this is you, don't feel like you are alone. Medicare can be extremely confusing, especially when you are new to it and are trying to navigate it on your own. One of the questions I get most often is does Medicare cover everything? It's a valid question and one you should be well educated on before transitioning onto Medicare.  The long and short of it is, no not everything is covered.  Part A of Medicare is what is called Hospitalization coverage – including inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility, lab tests, hospice, surgery and home health care. Part B, which is medical coverage, includes doctor services, outpatient surgery, durable medical equipment and home health care...