Finding the right Medicare plan can be a confusing, time-consuming and stressful experience. However,
Allsup Medicare Advisor® makes it easy to choose the best, most affordable Medicare option based on an individual’s healthcare needs and preferences. Mark Brock, an experienced carpenter who spent his career building custom homes, said the best part of his job was working on the details. But when his Medicare plan couldn’t cover all of his medical needs and expenses, he knew it was time, once again, for him to pay attention to the details. During an open enrollment period, Mr. Brock made changes to his
Medicare plan. Read how Allsup helped him.
* This is a true story as told to Allsup.
Former carpenter turned self-proclaimed “weed mower” turned to Allsup Medicare Advisor to help cut through the brush and find the best Medicare Advantage plan.
Mowing Down the Weeds to Select the Best Medicare Plan
By Ann Marie Mayuga
Newcastle, California – Mark Brock, 60, spent 35 years working as a carpenter building custom homes in and around Sacramento. His favorite part of the building process was working on the finishing touches—handcrafted work on a newly built kitchen cabinet, recently laid granite entryway floor or finished crown molding in the master suite.
By 2002, his interest and desire in building custom homes, or really anything else, began to wane. Mr. Brock was later diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders that prevented him from working full time. Later that year, his doctor recommended that he file for Social Security
Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
In 2008, he started receiving SSDI and became eligible for Medicare benefits because of his disability. He enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan with prescription drug coverage. This was one of several options from which he could choose. A Medicare Advantage plan, known as Part C, combines the two traditional parts of Medicare: Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (medical coverage). It also can be combined with prescription drug coverage, or Part D.
Over time, Mr. Brock knew he had to make a change because his current selection wasn’t covering all his medical needs and expenses.
He learned about the Allsup Medicare Advisor program from his daughter. She was researching the Internet for companies that could help make sense of the Medicare maze and came across Allsup’s website, www.allsup.com.
Allsup is a nationwide provider of
Social Security disability, Medicare and Medicare Secondary Payer compliance services for individuals, employers and insurance carriers. Founded in 1984, Allsup employs nearly 700 professionals who deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. The company is based in Belleville, Ill., near St. Louis.
Thousands of Medicare plans are available nationally and dozens more usually are available locally. The most difficult task is determining which will work best for each individual situation. Specific questions to ask are: Will the plan include your doctors? Will your prescription drugs be covered? What are the overall costs? An experienced Allsup Medicare specialist can help make sense of the information and present it in a way that is easy to understand.
The first step in the Allsup Medicare Advisor process is an in-depth conversation between the client and an Allsup Medicare specialist. The goal is to identify the client’s needs. The Allsup representative gathers information such as the client’s location, health history, prescriptions, medical provider preferences and financial situation.
Allsup was the first company Mr. Brock and his daughter contacted. “My daughter told me about Allsup and we liked what we read on their website. Then we worked together to complete the online Allsup Medicare Advisor questionnaire,” Mr. Brock said.
“An Allsup representative called me a few days later for a short interview. I had little paperwork with Allsup. It wasn’t a big ordeal—all I had to really do was sign my name. It took about a year to get my Medicare plan in place, but it was well worth it. Allsup did everything for me,” he added.
In 2010, Mr. Brock switched from Medicare Advantage Part D to a plan he found with the help of Allsup Medicare Advisor. He later worked with Allsup to help secure his health and prescription insurance.
Mr. Brock recently referred Allsup to a friend to help him select his Medicare plan. “I suggested he use Allsup. He did, and he loves them. Allsup really helped him out,” he said.
Today the former carpenter spends much of his time outdoors enjoying his vegetable garden and working around the yard, which happens to be two and a half acres. “There is always something to do outside,” Mr. Brock said when describing how he spends much of his time. His daughter and granddaughter and their two dogs live with him. He enjoys having family constantly around.
“I’m really pleased with Allsup. They are well worth the money,” Mr. Brock concluded.