ORLANDO, Fla. — If you’re retiring soon, you’re probably counting on Medicare. But how much do you really know about what you’re eligible for?
Annie Martinez is a cancer survivor who lives on Social Security. Before she retired, she said she wasn’t aware of the benefits available to her through Medicare.
“At the end of the month, I said, ‘uh-oh,’ I’m broke,” Martinez said. That was until she met insurance broker David Campo.
Campo assists seniors in creating personalized plans that meet their needs. “The majority of them just kind of go, ‘Oh, I saw this commercial on TV. I called the 1-800 number, and I’ve been on it for two or three years,” said Campo, owner of Advantage Benefit Consultants.
As a broker, Campo collaborates with 14 insurance carriers to customize benefits for each person. “Now, they’re qualifying for low or zero cost co-payments and deductibles... zero or low cost share for their medications,” he explained.
Some seniors are often surprised to find out they qualify for assistance with food costs. “Certain plans offer a food benefit, a food allowance through the company, so it’s not through SNAP. It’s actually through that carrier,” Campo said.
For Martinez, that benefit has made a significant difference. “They give you a card, and they give you, like, 100 and something dollars a week for food,” she said. “If you want to eat healthy, like fruits and vegetables, that costs money, honey.”
Along with food benefits, Martinez discovered that she also qualified for free transportation, no co-pays and free medication. Campo notes that many retirees are missing out on these benefits.
“Somebody who has a limited income of maybe $1,000 a month, I just got them an extra $400 a month,” he said. “Forty percent more of a bump up, technically, on their income, or on what they can do with that, you know, for food, for utilities, for whatever it is.”
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