Medicare Plans

Medicare Renewal: Do You Need to Renew Every Year?
If you are enrolled in Original Medicare, you do not have to renew your Part A and B Coverage.
If you enrolled in a Medicare Supplement or Medigap plan, coverage renews until you decide to change.
Compare Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Part D (Prescription Drug) plans, during the annual open enrollment period (October 15 – December 7th) because coverage and premiums change regularly.

Why use a Medicare Insurance Broker?

A Medicare insurance broker represents plans from different insurance companies. A broker has many options to share with clients.
How Does an Agent or Broker Help You with Medicare Choices?
A Medicare broker or agent can help you narrow down your options and pick a plan for your individual needs. Everyone has different DNA and shoe sizes, one plan does not fit all. To help you with options, we will listen to your health goals and budget and present you with options to meet your goals within your budget. We can also help you enroll in the plan you choose.
You can also contact an agent or broker to help you change plans, if the plan you are enrolled in changes coverage or doesn’t meet your needs any longer.
How Much Does it Cost to use a Broker or Agent?
Using a Medicare broker or agent is at no cost to you, you don’t pay for their service directly, the broker or agent is compensated directly by the insurance company.

What Is Medicare?

Medicare is the federal health care program for people 65 and older, signed into law in 1965. Today, more than 65 million Americans are enrolled in some type of Medicare Coverage.

Medicare won’t take care of all your health care costs. You’ll be responsible for monthly premiums, deductibles and copyaments and some elements of health care, including long-term care, are not covered by Medicare at all.

Medicare is available to U.S. Citizens or those who have been a permanent legal resident for the past five years. Medicare is also avilable to younger people with disabilities and people with End-Stage Renal Disease, sometimes with a waiting period. Understanding what each Medicare part covers and what your costs will be can help you successfully plan for healthcare costs as you age.

How Much Does Medicare Cost?

The amount of money you’ll need to spend on Medicare depends on several factors, including the type of coverage you choose, when you enroll, your annual income, the amount of medical services you need, and whether you have other health insurance. Your costs include your premiums (monthly payments), deductible (the amount you pay before insurance kicks in), and coinsurance or copayments (the amount you owe a medical provider or prescription drug provider after Medicare has paid its portion).

What You Need to Know

For most, nearing your 65th birthday is the best time to sign up for Medicare Part A hospital insurance, and Part B, medical insurance, also called Original Medicare. Enrolling during the seven month Initial Enrollment Period (three months before your 65th birthday, the month of your birthday and the three months following your birthday) around your birthday will help avoid coverage gaps and penalties for late enrollment.

If you are 65 and have medical benefits through your employer or your spouse’s employer, you may be able to delay signing up without paying a penalty. When that coverage ends, you will be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period that lasts eight months. It is important to know the difference in small group and large group insurance. Normally, small group insurance requires enrollment in Medicare Part A and Part B. Normally, large group insurance does not require enrollment in Medicare Part B.

If you do not enroll in Medicare when you are first eligible, and if you don’t qualify for an exception, you might have to pay a higher monthly premium for late enrollment in Part A and/or Part B.

Once you have signed up for Original Medicare, you have options:

You can stay with Original Medicare and buy a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan (also known as a Medigap policy) and standalone Part D prescription drug plan. By keeping your original Medicare, you may visit any physician or hospital who accepts Medicare, you do not have a network. Prior authorization for medical services is not required when using medical services with your original medicare card.
OR
You can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, also known as Medicare Part C. Medicare Part C is a popular form of health insurance coverage for U.S. adults age 65 and older and individuals under 65 with a qualifying condition. Picking the right plan can be complicated, nationwide, insurance providers offered a total of 4,064 different Medicare Advantage plans in 2023 alone, and finding the right insurance plan is highly personalized to the individual. Locally, you are most likely comparing the details of over 40 plans. These plans are offered by private insurance companies who have a contract with the federal government, they often include prescription drug insurance, use networks of physicians and hospitals and require prior authorization for certain medical procedures outside of an emergency situation.

“The best way to navigate the overwhelming task is to seek the assistance of an independent insurance broker or agent”.

Suncoast Benefits is a licensed and certified representative of Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO and PFFS organizations and stand-alone prescription drug plans with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any plan depends on contract renewal.

Medicare supplement insurance is available to those age 65 and older enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B and in some states to those under age 65 eligible for Medicare due to disability or End Stage Renal disease. Medicare supplement plans are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or Federal Medicare program.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. We represent Aetna, Cigna, Freedom, Humana, Optimum, United American, UnitedHealthcare®, Wellcare and many other carriers. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except some federal holidays) to get information on all of your options. The plans we represent and their subsidiaries do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion.