My Personal Medicare Story
My name is David Lin. I am a practicing attorney. I started my legal career handling maritime issues in New Orleans. Now, in California, I primarily advise corporate clients in the Bay Area about immigration compliance issues.
My first experience in traversing the Medicare troubled waters was in 2004. It was then that my father was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer.
At the time, my parents lived in Orange County, CA and were vibrant, active people. My dad was a realtor and my mom was a purveyor of quality seafood, not only to local restaurants but to faraway locales like Tokyo and Taipei. Their businesses did not make them rich, but they did provide genuine financial comfort.
As with many first-generation immigrant parents who made the most of their American dream, Mom and Dad were generous to their children but tended to skimp when it came to their own welfare. I suppose that's the reason why my dad did not get a Medicare supplement policy (commonly known as a Medigap policy) or enroll in "Medicare + Choice" (known today as a Medicare Advantage plan).
By the time he was diagnosed with cancer, his open enrollment period for Medicare supplement insurance was long gone, and although such plans can be purchased at later enrollment dates, the Medicare supplement insurers tend to reject applicants with certain preexisting conditions. If he had purchased the plan during his initial, designated open enrollment period, almost any preexisting condition would have qualified for coverage. Just how vitally important "at-the-right-time" proves to be in Medicare issues comes as a shock to most folks.
My mom was faced with having to divert her attention from the foremost responsibility of caring for my dad, just to try and figure out what Medicare would pay and what out-of-pocket payments she would be responsible for. Neither job was easy.
As smart and as business-savvy as my mom was, she was constantly confounded by all of the medical bills she received. The Medicare waters run deep and often seem counterintuitive to common sense.
Bills come in as partial debts, with other bills from the same circumstance arriving later, sometimes much later.
Bills come in from unrecognizable sources with unrecognizable amounts, and erroneous billing. Even double billing is more common than one would think.
When Mom did manage to get Dad into a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, bills came in from doctors and providers that were called in on the case but were not in the MA plan's network, making the entire debt for those particular services substantially higher. This occurred without any disclosure to the patient or the family that those doctors and providers were not in the specific network provided for in my dad's plan.
Trying to resolve such issues while being a caregiver is harder than anyone anticipates. Both feel like full-time jobs. And in my mom's case, those two jobs, by necessity, had to coincide with her real job, her fish business. She was trying to do it all.
That was when Mom reached out to me for help, which was no small thing. Throughout our lives, my parents had always strived to keep their kids worry-free by not revealing unpleasant news. Suddenly, that was a protective kindness she could no longer afford.
I wanted to help in any way that I could, but in all honesty, I was as woefully unaware of how to navigate Medicare as she was. Sure, I knew what Medicare was. I studied American History in college, so I knew that it was a health insurance program signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s. But understanding how Medicare actually works? That I didn't know.
By that time I had been a practicing attorney for a couple of years, but even with all of the education and experience that I had under my belt, I did not have any understanding of the machinations of Medicare. My first examination of the Medicare processes left me with far more questions than answers. For all of the real benefits of Medicare, its actual functioning structure can be difficult to comprehend.
So I dove in. I began a thorough study of Medicare so that I could give my mom helpful advice. It was then that I realized just how truly complex the Medicare system is. It's a complicated web of "do's and don’ts", of "yeses and no's", of "nows and nevers". The stress of dealing with such intricate matters while facing a health challenge, either your own, or that of a loved one, is monumental. Certainly not every individual has the time, inclination, or wherewithal to become a Medicare policy expert.
I hate to see anyone go through what my mom went through. It was so painful. So I studied and absorbed and began to help my mom's friends, and their friends, with their own unique Medicare decisions. The more I became immersed, the more I learned. Now, I hope to be able to help you, too.
After years of study and involvement, I came to the realization that the best way to help Medicare-eligible people was to search out viable plans and make them available to those who seek my assistance. I will help everyone to understand their Medicare choices. I do not charge anyone for my advice and consultation, but in a typical policy-based business arrangement, I do get a fee from the insurance providers.
Realizing income from the insurance providers means that I can consult with people without a need to charge them. That seems like the very best way to help people with their Medicare needs but not create any additional financial burden for them. My fee from the providers does not increase anyone's premiums.
I work only with highly respected health insurers that specialize in senior health plans. All of them come with great customer service teams that strive to serve you well.
If my long study of Medicare can be of service to you, providing assistance with your Medicare-related needs, you have but to ask.