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[Opens with real estate agent showing property to client.]
Announcer
If there’s one thing Bonnie Roberts-Burke is a whiz at, it’s selling real estate. Bonnie never dreamed she’d be a successful real estate agent. In fact, 16 years ago she was happily working as a teacher at George Washington University, when her department was unexpectedly closed.
Bonnie Roberts-Burke
After I picked myself off the floor I felt like I had a mini nervous breakdown, and I thought, oh, what am I going to do with my life?
Announcer
She took a class in real estate so she could learn how to buy a house. It wasn’t long before she realized selling houses was right up her alley.
Bonnie
Real estate is short-term adult problem solving – not terribly different from teaching, only I get to work with adults. They’re constantly changing. I have new, wonderful people coming into my life all the time.
Announcer
Something else is coming into her life soon.
Dr. Kevin Soden, RLTV Chief Medical Expert
You’re approaching the age of Medicare.
Bonnie
I am. Within months.
Dr. Soden
Hard to believe?
Bonnie
Hard to believe.
Announcer
Selling prime real estate in Washington, D.C., is something Bonnie has mastered. But deciding on which Medicare plan to get? Well, that’s a different story.
Bonnie
Come on in. Let me show you some of the papers I’ve been collecting. You won’t believe it. Stacks. How many inches is this? Unbelievable! I think that, really, you just want to scream when you look at all this. It’s like…
Dr. Soden
Confusing for you?
Bonnie
Confusing, overwhelming. I mean, am I really supposed to read all this? I want to be a collaborator in my health. I’m very health conscious. I’m very diet conscious. I take very good care of myself.
Announcer
So, she finds herself looking through mountains of material, trying to figure out which Medicare plan would be the best for her.
Bonnie
You have choices like, do I do Medicare Advantage? Do I do a Medigap Supplemental program? Which is going to be best for me? Who is going to be able to answer these questions for me? Is there anyone I can go to that’s going to be able to give me the information I need to make the best informed decision?
Announcer
Bonnie has no plans to slow down, and no plans to retire any time soon. But her decision on Medicare can’t wait.
Bonnie
I have to make this decision. I’m Medicare age. Does this mean I have to act like a grownup? I guess so. It’s very emotional, and it’s very confusing, and it feels overwhelming. So the emotional part on top of the fact that there are so many options and so confusing have me feeling challenged.
[Panel discussion]
Deborah Norville, Host
I love this woman because she speaks for everyone who is going through this. Inches and inches of materials, Kevin, that she was looking at.
Dr. Kevin Soden, RLTV Chief Medical Expert
It was overwhelming, and she was confused and she was frustrated, but she’s a take-charge lady, as you saw.
Norville
She is! Okay, Amy, she’s a healthy woman, she looks great, she takes care of herself. She is a take-charge woman. Does she need more than just the Medicare A and B? Are their supplemental plans she should be looking at?
Amy Larrick, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Generally, yes. Generally, a person gets their Medicare. They get their A and B, and then they need to make a choice on how they want to get the rest of their Medicare coverage. So you can have A and B and you can add on a Medicare Supplement policy, Medigap, that goes onto A and B. Then you can add a Medicare prescription drug coverage onto that. You put all the pieces together, and you have your A, your B, your Medigap, and your Part D plan.
Or she could choose if she wants to – and it’s all based on choice – she could sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan. A Medicare Advantage plan is where you get all your Medicare benefits, all those 4 pieces, all wrapped together into one plan.
Norville
Is there an advantage to the Medicare Advantage plan because it is one-stop shopping?
Larrick
It kind of depends on the person. Some people kind of like that kind of situation. They like having managed care. Other people would rather not. People like to be in Original Medicare; they like to know that they can go to any doctor that will take Medicare patients. They don’t have to worry about a network. So it really all depends on the person.
Announcer
Making Medicare Work for you is brought to you by UnitedHealthcare.
Making Medicare Work for You
Figuring Out Your Medicare Choices
Making Medicare Work for You
New to Medicare? The choices can be confusing. Should you do more than Medicare Parts A and B? What about supplemental plans? A panel of experts helps you put the pieces together and pick the Medicare plan that suits you best.
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