Make Your Lab Life Easy

by Marc Manor

A trip to the lab can be stressful, especially if you have a fear of needles!  The last thing you need is to skip breakfast and show up to the lab, only to find out there is a hitch with your lab order or insurance coverage.  Here are a few tips for a smooth trip to the lab:

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- Make sure you use a lab that is in-network.  Whether you have a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or Heath Maintenance Organization (HMO) insurance plan, you will usually save money if you use an in-network lab provider.  You can check this by calling your insurance carrier or agent.  If you have an online account with your healthcare insurance provider, you can usually find in-network lab there.

- Take a printed copy of your lab order to the lab.  Many healthcare providers send faxes and use other methods to send your lab orders over but sometimes there are glitches and the lab may not receive your order.  Without your order you may have to contact your healthcare provider and have them send it over causing long waits.

- Make an appointment if possible.  Some of the major chain type labs have websites where you can make an appointment.  There are a number of labs that require fasting.  These you will want to schedule early in the morning.  If there is no appointments available and you have to fast, show up early.  People usually start queuing up 30 minutes prior to the lab opening.  Some labs open as early as 6am so show up early to avoid waiting while you are hungry.  If fasting is not required for your labs, it is better to show up late morning or afternoon after the "fasting crowd" has cleared out.

Co-pays associated with lab tests can be hard to predict.  It depends on how they are coded and ordered.  You can ask the lab when you check in what your co-pay will be based on your lab order.  If they have your lab order sent over to the lab ahead of time, you may be able to call the lab to find out.

These simple steps can save you time, money, and a little stress when it comes to trips to the lab.

Marc Manor is a 30-year military veteran who is now dedicated to teaching his fellow Americans how to make the most of their Medicare and healthcare benefits. As an independent agent, Marc has access to a wide variety of carriers with an abundance of resources to find tailored solutions. There is no charge for a consultation so call 904-222-0698 or email: marc@marcmanor.com.

Employee Group Plans vs. Medicare; When to Cut the Cord.

by Marc Manor

If you are coming up on age 65 and you are still working and are using an employee group health insurance plan you may be asking yourself if you should dump the employer plan to take advantage of your Medicare benefits.  If you thought that, you are not alone.  This situation comes up frequently and as an agent, I can only really answer by making a recommendation that you seek assistance from your company benefits advisor.

Seeking assistance from your benefits advisor is really the only answer because they should be the most knowledgeable about the group plan benefits.  Human Resource professionals earn their living managing employee benefit plans.  So, as you ask yourself the question of whether to part ways with your employee group plan to join Medicare, you need to go to HR.  You may be fortunate and get the HR professional that provides you with all the information you need to make an informed decision; or you may just be handed a form and be left on your own to make the decision.

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Either way, you need to know the questions to ask just in case you aren’t presented with enough information to make a determination best suited for your situation.  Here are some tips:

Save $ with the right “Pharm” Team

By Marc Manor

Please forgive me, but as a lifelong sports fan, I always try to squeeze in a sports analogy or pun when I can. If you have seen the movie “Money Ball” and/or you are a baseball fan, you know the importance of a good “Farm” Team System. Major League Baseball teams find young talent and sign them to Minor League Farm Teams to develop them as opposed to signing high priced free agents to help their team win. This is good business for professional baseball and the same holds true for Medicare beneficiaries. In this blog I will explain how Medicare beneficiaries can save money by using the right “pharm” (pharmacy) system to put together a winning team in the medicine cabinet!

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Beneficiaries using Medicare Part D benefits have a vast landscape of plans they can choose from. Many Medicare Advantage Plans have Part D Prescription Drug coverage included. So how does one go about choosing the right plan? There are a number of factors, not least of which has to do with what pharmacy they use.

Medicare Prescription Drug Plans frequently contract with certain pharmacies for discounted prices for their prescription drugs. This can make a big difference with how much a beneficiary pays for their drugs on a recurring basis. Usually there are three categories to consider:

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! It’s a bill!

By Marc Manor

Those of us old enough to remember “Gomer Pyle”, can visualize the scowl on Sergeant Carter’s face when Gomer revealed his many surprises!  Surprises can be great but not when it comes to healthcare insurance claims, most of us want to our bills to be exactly what we expect – NO SURPRISES! 

Healthcare insurance claims are based on a long list of medical codes that are associated with each treatment, diagnosis, and/or medical procedure.   The codes are entered by medical data entry people to base them on a patient’s chart or doctors notes.  The codes have a variety of uses in the medical field but the codes that are probably most important to us as healthcare insurance beneficiaries are the ones correlated to our healthcare benefits.  The codes submitted to the insurance company will determine how claims will be processed.  Allow me to provide you with some examples that may help in understanding how the codes affect healthcare insurance claims:

“I received a bill for a recent lab test.  I thought lab tests associated with qualified preventive care was 100% covered!”

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