Avoid these classic Medicare scams.

Medicare Open Enrollment always presents an opportunity for unscrupulous people to come out of the woodwork with financial scams designed to separate you from your hard earned money. Here are a few tips to help you avoid getting scammed:

- Never pay upfront fees. If someone asks for money to help you shop for insurance, it's a sure sign they're not legitimate.

-   Be wary of anyone calling you, claiming to be a Medicare representative or a representative of any other government agency. Official government agencies typically communicate by mail. If you’re concerned, ask the caller to send the information to you in writing through the mail.

- Do not fall for phone calls where someone pretends to be a representative from the government selling insurance or signing you up for Medicare. The government will not call you to sell you health insurance.

-  Do not provide personal information including your Social Security or banking info to anyone you do not know and trust. Your Medicare card has your social security number on it too, needs to be safeguarded. If you give out this information by mistake, immediately inform your banks and credit card providers.

-  If you are suspicious of a caller, simply hang up the phone.  Don't count on caller ID to prove who the caller is.The phone number and/or organization name on your caller ID can be faked to look like a legitimate organization.

- Never give your medical history or specific treatments you have received, to anyone who asks you for it.

One of the easiest ways to protect yourself from insurance scams is to seek out a knowledgeable insurance professional who has a well-established reputation in your community. By doing so, you’ll know that your insurance agent will be around when you have questions or a claim. Mutsko Insurance Services, LLC is this kind of insurance agency. We are conveniently located in Mentor, OH and have been serving customers throughout N.E. Ohio for nine years. You can count on us to be here for you now and in the future. 

Call us at 440-255-5700 for all your health insurance needs

Check out the latest online Senior Citizen's Resource Guide

The Fall/Winter edition of the Senior Citizens Guide is now available online. This is a great little resource guide for Seniors and Boomers with articles on a variety of topic In this edition, you can read about:

•          Reverse Mortgages. Common Misconceptions
•           What’s Your Plan When You Leave the Hospital?
•          Senior Real Estate Specialists
•          Charitable Gift Annuities Offer Steady Income, Attractive Rates
•          Managing Work/Life Imbalance for Caregiver

Plus, there's a handy list of phone numbers for local health, housing and community services.

Click here  http://www.seniorcitizensguide.com  to check out the latest online edition. 

Open Enrollment for Affordable Care Year 2 begins Nov.15

What do I need to know about Affordable Care Act 2015?

Here are four key points you need to know:

1.  Now is the time for you to look into getting health care insurance. The Open Enrollment Period for the Affordable Care Act begins this Saturday, Nov. 15 and continues through Feb. 15, 2015.

2.  Open Enrollment is the one time of year when you can enroll in a new plan or switch from one plan to another. You will not have another opportunity to enroll until the next Open Enrollment Period in the fall of 2015 unless you have a qualifying life-changing event such as the birth or adoption of a child, divorce, marriage or death of a spouse

3.  You must enroll in a plan by December 15, 2014, if you want your coverage to start on January 1, 2015.

4.  If you don’t have health coverage in 2015, you may have to pay a penalty equaling 2% of your taxable income or $325 per adult, and $162.50 per child, whichever is more.

A variety of plans are now available for individuals and families to suit your needs and budget. To find the best plan for you click her to Get a Quote. Complete the online application and we will be in touch with you within 24-48 hours to answer your questions and complete your enrollment.

For more information on Affordable Care Plans, please contact Laura Mutsko at Mutsko Insurance Services, LLC, 6966 Spinach Drive in Mentor, OH. Call 440-255-5700 or email lmutsko@mutskoinsurance.com. 

Here are three good reasons you should have health insurance.

Reason 1: 

1-day hospital stay                $1,910*

Physician, drugs and treatment costs not included

Reason 2:

5-day hospital stay                $9,550**

Physician, drugs and treatment costs not included

Reason 3:

Broken leg (with surgery)  $17,000-35,000***

Physician, drugs and treatment cost not included

According to the National Safety Council, one in eight people will need medical care for an accident. Will you be that one in eight?

Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act begins November 15. If you don't have health insurance, please make it your business to get insured this fall. Don't risk the financial setbacks that one injury can cause.  

For a fast, no-obligation free quote, got to www.mutskoinsurance.com and click on 'free quote.'

*statehealthfacts.org, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

**National Hospital Discharge Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

***Costhelper: http://health.costhelper.com/broken-leg.html. 

Will Medicare cover my dental work?

If you plan to stay with Original Medicare, your dental options will be very limited. 

Original Medicare DOES NOT pay for routine dental care, including the cost of exams, teeth cleaning, tooth extractions, x-rays and dentures. This means that you can expect to pay 100% of the costs for all these services if you want to keep your healthy smile.

Original Medicare will only cover the cost of dental procedures related to covered medical procedures. For example, Medicare will cover extractions before cancer radiation therapy or jaw reconstruction after an injury. Procedures such as these are covered because they are necessary to treat a non-dental condition. They must be treated at the same time and by the same doctor as the covered condition.

There are,  however, other affordable options for dental coverage available to you. At Mutsko Insurance Services, LLC we offer a number of Medicare Advantage Plans that include coverage for routine dental care as well as vision, hearing and prescriptions.

Coverage and costs will vary from plan to plan, and some plans may charge additional for dental coverage. There are plans that cover a percentage of your costs for cleanings, x-rays and exams while other are more comprehensive and will cover major dental services like crowns, bridges, root canals and denture, in addition to your routine care. It all depends on which plan you choose.

Before you sign up for any Medicare Advantage Plan, compare the dental coverage and costs and the find out whether your dentist is in the provider network. At Mutsko Insurance Services, we’ll do the work for you. We’ll show you your coverage options and determine whether your dentist is in the network. Our job is to help you find the plan that works best for you.

For more information on Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Supplements, dental, vision and other coverage options, please contact Mutsko Insurance Services, 6966 Spinach Drive in Mentor, OH or call 440-255-5700 or at lmutsko@mutskoinsurance.com to make an appointment for a Medicare review.