Insurance Update – Part 2

Following the first post on Insurance, I was given some great feedback from the SHIBA volunteer on Lopez. As a reminder, Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) provide free, unbiased and confidential help with Medicare.

The prior insurance update included a lot of detail on the LifeWise plans and transition from Kaiser for individuals under 65. Since LifeWise will be the only health plan available to those individuals, there isn’t much to decide beyond the particular plan within the LifeWise offerings.

Conversely, individuals over 65  have more choices and types of plans to consider. In addition to the MedicareAdvantage plans through Premera, there are Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans with various health insurance carriers. You should also be aware of some unique rules resulting from the fact that your current MedicareAdvantage plan will no longer be offered in the County.

To learn about your options and decide what’s right for your individual situation, it’s best to either contact your health insurance agent or go to the  WA SHIBA website for information.