Daughter Solves Medicare Problem for Parents

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. Arleen and Harold Mank moved from Illinois to Kentucky to be close to their daughter. Jan Faust knew that finding coverage for her parents that allowed them to see doctors in both states would be a long and complex process. She did not know where to begin. Read how Allsup made life easier for Mrs. Faust and her parents.

 

 

 

Benton, Kentucky—Arleen and Harold Mank had lived long, happy retirements in Illinois—but by 2010, as Arleen turned 84 and Harold, 90, they needed more care from family members.

 

Their daughter, Jan Faust, and her family live in Benton, Ky., which called for frequent lengthy trips to her parents’ home. So they all agreed that the Manks would move to be near their daughter.

 

While it was an easy decision to relocate, it also posed a challenge because the Manks had Medicare plans through Secure Horizons based on their residence in Illinois.

 

“We needed to move my parents to Kentucky, and I didn’t know where to start,” said Mrs. Faust, wondering how they would wade through scores of Medicare plans available to find the right one for her mother and father.

 

As luck would have it, Mrs. Faust has two daughters-in-law who work in Belleville, Ill., for Allsup. 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.

 

Of most immediate interest to the Manks, the company offers Allsup Medicare Advisor, which is a Medicare plan selection service. Allsup experts work with customers to sort through a maze of options as they select the Medicare plan most suited to their needs.

 

“I talked with my daughter-in-law [Dana Faust] in June about Medicare,” Mrs. Faust said. “Allsup soon called and asked some simple questions about what my parents were looking for.”

 

Allsup experts then went to work to sort through more than 20 plans available in the Benton area. Adding to the complexity, the Manks would still need to see specialists in Illinois. Allsup had to find plan that would accommodate their medical needs in both Illinois and Kentucky.

 

Among those leading the search for plans was Noel Taylor, one of Allsup’s Medicare experts. She helped pioneer Allsup Medicare Adviser, which provides an objective, custom-designed evaluation to help people select the Medicare option that best fits their needs.

 

The first step in the Allsup Medicare Advisor process is an in-depth conversation between the customer and an experienced Allsup specialist. The goal is to identify the customer’s needs. The Allsup representative collects information such as the client’s location, health history, prescriptions, medical provider preferences and financial situation.

 

A person’s experience, Ms. Taylor explained, does not guarantee one can wade through the Medicare selection process and pick a plan that suits his or her needs. In the past, Allsup has helped people with business and medical backgrounds who were equally as stumped as Jan Faust.

 

After consulting with Medicare and the Manks, the Allsup team compiled all the plans that could work in Illinois and Kentucky, and then narrowed them down to what they believed were the top three offerings that would meet the Manks’ needs. Allsup then mailed the entire package to Mrs. Faust’s parents before the Fourth of July to review and make their selection.

 

Because plans are tailored to the needs of each individual, it would not be unusual for spouses to have difference plans. However, Mrs. Faust said with some relief, “It ended up that we received the same plans for both my mother and father, and that made it simpler for all of us.”

 

The Manks made their decision by July 15, and they transferred into their new Medicare plans Aug. 5.

 

“It was really simple for us because Allsup took care of setting up the plans,” Mrs. Faust said. “All my parents had to do was call Social Security to change their address after they picked their plans.

 

“The nice thing is that, with the Medicare plans they selected, they can go to the same doctors that my husband and I go to,” Mrs. Faust added. “Allsup’s help really made all our lives a lot easier.”