09/03/2026
Benefits change. Copays come and go. Ancillary benefits come and go. Premiums change.
When I first started in this industry, I remember HMO premiums of $69, $79 and even $100+ per month. The health plan and model I worked with did so well that it was eventually acquired by Anthem Blue Cross.
A couple of years ago, I told our team: more higher copays/deductibles are coming, and monthly premiums will become more common.
Fortunately, our agency model has never been built around selling benefits or focusing only on a $0 premium — or calling a plan “free,” as we sometimes hear it described. (Which is not compliant…basically we can’t say “free”. We don’t make the rules up. It’s Medicare. Federal regulated program rules)🤷🏼♂️
Our model is education.
We educate from the big picture all the way down to the granular details. Because if you’re confused, frustrated, or having Medicare explained to you in transactional language instead of in a way that actually makes sense, give us a call. ☎️
We like the hard questions.
And shout-out to Alignment for continuing to bring up thought-provoking topics — including an important one involving Medicare & Medi-Cal:
“If you have Medicare & Medi-Cal, does everyone have to be in an aligned plan or DSNP by 2030?” (Dual Special Needs Plan… Dual means Medicare/Medi-Cal aka Medi/Medi)
We’ve personally encountered agents using a version of this argument to persuade people to switch plans:
“Eventually you’ll have to be in a plan that coordinates Medicare and Medi-Cal anyway, so you might as well switch now to this plan that covers (coordinates) both your Medicare & Medi-Cal benefit.” 🤦♂️
That kind of blanket statement can be misleading. Future policy changes should never be used to pressure someone into changing their coverage today without explaining the actual rules, timeline, exceptions and — most importantly — the options available to that individual.
That’s exactly why education matters.
Medicare and Medicare/Medi-Cal community: You have rights. You have options. And you deserve to understand them before making a decision.
Have questions? Need clarity? Want a
