As a Medicare agent, your role is to understand Medicare well enough to help clients understand what they need. This is important because Medicare is complex for someone who has been on Medicare for years, much less someone first being introduced to it.
During your career you can be sure you will face many questions about coverage, plans and what certain Medicare language means.
Thankfully, the Medicare and You book can help you answer these questions. This book is completely free as well.
The great thing about this is that your clients received the same book! Medicare sends this book out every year around September. It is available in both print and PDF.
That’s great because having the same book gives you credibility and they can follow along in their own book from Medicare.
Basic Tips for Using Your Copy of Medicare and You
Use Print and PDF
You can download the most current Medicare and You book at this link:
You can get a print copy at your local Social Security office or order one off Medicare.gov. (In September/October you may have to wait as they are still being shipped out.)
Study and Mark the Book
Don’t be too careful with your book. Mark it up, dog-ear the important pages, make notes to help you easily find and show your clients the answers to their questions. This helps build confidence as well, as a clean unused book doesn’t show that you know your material.
(Note: Do not mark the beneficiary’s book or alter their copy.)
Write Important Pages on the Cover
This is a tip from other Medicare agents that can help you quickly get to the pages you refer to regularly, so you don’t have to waste precious time flipping through pages or trying to locate it in the Table of Contents.
For example, you could write on the front:
Skilled Nursing Care Page 28
COVID Page 37
And so on.
For Medicare Advantage plan details on coverage and costs, check Explanation of Benefits (EOB’s). For easy reference, you can download the PDF’s to access from your phone, tablet or laptop.
Write Office Copy on the Front
Sometimes clients may ask if they can have your copy. It’s a good idea to mark your copy, simply with a black marker, to keep this copy for your use.
It’s important to note that for beneficiaries who are aging into Medicare, they will only receive a smaller version of this book with their Medicare card. You can show them yours, and let them know they will be receiving it each year.
If you are a Medicare agent and have questions about Medicare and You or Medicare, call Arnie Fulmer at 702-820-3133. Arnie Fulmer is a Senior Market Advisor and the principal owner of Fulmer Insurance Group, a Medicare Brokerage Agency located in Las Vegas and licensed in multiple states.
