Melissa Andrews offers a spring & fall course through Door County Learning In Retirement. This two hour class takes a deep dive into Medicare options, with a brief intro discussing the ACA/Marketplace offerings. You can learn more about this program and see all course offerings here.

COBRA coverage is sometimes offered to individuals who are losing their employer-sponsored group coverage due to a loss of employment, reduction in hours, or retirement. COBRA is the ability to continue with the coverage you had as an active employee for yourself and/or your dependents for up to 18 months following a loss of coverage. If you want to review your COBRA options and compare them to your ACA/Marketplace options that is something we can assist you with. Contact us today to learn more.

The Social Security Administration has valuable general information available to you regarding the benefits available to you, eligibility requirements, enrollment instructions, etc. To obtain specific information about your benefits, you will need to create an online account with Social Security (using login.gov). This can be done here. Once you are granted online access and have a username and password, then you can login to see your estimated retirement benefits, your full retirement age, etc. If you would like to learn more please contact us.

The Aging and Disability Resource Center is a local resource for our community. Each county in Wisconsin has their own office. Door County residents can view their ADRC information here or call the office at 920-746-2372. They have a Disability Benefit Specialist (DBS) available to help residents 18-59 years old with benefits and an Elder Benefit Specialist (EBS) who helps residents who are 60+ years old with benefits. They also have Information & Assistance (I&A) Specialists who help residents understand and access the various local programs that are in our community to help us live successful, independent lives.

Medicaid is a joint program between the Federal & State governments to offer health insurance to individuals who meet the eligibility requirements for income and assets. An individual can apply for Medicaid (known as BadgerCare+ in Wisconsin) at any time. The quickest way to apply is to create an online account and complete an application at www.access.wi.gov. There is also an app you can use once you have an open case established. Door County residents may also call the Baylake Consortium to receive assistance via phone. Their number is 888-794-5747.

Medicare is a program offered by the Federal government to provide health insurance to individuals who are 65 or older (in some cases individuals may be eligible under 65 years of age). Individuals who are currently collecting Social Security Retirement benefits will be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A & B and receive their Medicare card in the three months before the month they turn 65. Individuals who are not collecting Social Security Retirement benefits will need to take action and enroll in Medicare Part A & B in the three months prior to the month they turn 65. The most efficient way to apply for Medicare is through the www.ssa.gov website. In addition to enrolling in Medicare A & B, individuals need to obtain creditable prescription drug coverage and additional policies that are of interest to them. Medicare.gov is a resource with valuable information pertaining to options and offers a plan comparison tool to see what options are available to you in your service area. There are many factors involved when transitioning to Medicare and we are here to help make it easy for you, contact us today to discuss all your options and get your timeline in place so you know when to take action.

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