Kris Koeger Medicare

11/29/2025

What Is a Scope of Appointment for Medicare?

The Medicare Scope of Appointment is a requirement for in-person and over-the-phone appointments. If you’re working with a licensed insurance agent to enroll in or change Medicare Advantage coverage, the Scope of Appointment Medicare must be presented to document the meeting. This may also be referred to as the Medicare 48-Hour Rule.

Agents must document their meetings with both potential and current beneficiaries using the Medicare Scope of Appointment form. The SOA form remains on file for ten years and protects all parties. It can also be collected verbally.

Sadly, many people have used a sales approach to profit from misunderstandings in the insurance world. Medicare Scope of Appointment rules are in place so that bad actors can be weeded out and to protect people like you from falling victim to scams.
However, you can also benefit by helping your agent get to know your needs a bit better before you sit down to make the actual changes. The 48-Hour Rule Medicare requires is also a good time for your agent to prepare material for the meeting that can help you better understand the right options for your needs.

You’ll fill out the form at least 48 hours before an agent is able to discuss plans with you or comes to your home. The SOA form lets the agent know beforehand which coverage options are open for discussion. It’s also important to note that if you don’t select one of the coverage options on the Scope of Appointment Medicare requires the agent to avoid discussing it with you unless you fill out a new SOA form.

The SOA protects you and the agent. When an agent uses this form and sells you a policy, they can use the SOA to say that you only discussed the things that were determined to be up for discussion. Be sure to always fill a form out before the meeting and to do so thoroughly to ensure your agent can review all the coverage options you may have questions about. This is a requirement before any set appointments, or unexpected calls/meetings.

05/21/2025

If you don’t have a medicare consultant that is willing to make sure there will be no surprises in your Medicare coverage, you’ve got the wrong consultant. Make certain all your questions are answered and you’re confident in your choices. It’s not that hard, but it does take time. If you feel rushed, that consultant might not be serving your best interests.

03/23/2025

If you've been affected by the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or the Government Pension Offset (GPO), there's finally some good news. T...

02/23/2025

When searching for the best Medicare Advantage plan, key factors to consider include: the plan's CMS star rating, your personal healthcare needs, in-network providers, monthly premium cost, additional benefits offered, and whether your preferred doctors are part of the network.

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02/13/2025

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02/13/2025

Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) costs

Part A monthly premium
Most people don’t pay a Part A premium because they paid Medicare taxes while
working. If you don’t get premium-free Part A, you pay up to $518 each month.
If you don’t buy Part A when you’re first eligible for Medicare (usually when you turn
65), you might pay a penalty.
Hospital inpatient stay
In 2025, you pay:
• $1,676 deductible per benefit period
• $0 for the first 60 days of each benefit period (after you pay the deductible)
• $419 per day for days 61–90 of each benefit period
• $838 per “lifetime reserve day” after day 90 of each benefit period (up to a
maximum of 60 days over your lifetime)
• All costs for each day after day 150
Skilled Nursing Facility stay
In 2025, you pay:
• $0 for the first 20 days of each benefit period
• $209.50 per day for days 21–100 of each benefit period
• All costs for each day after day 100 of the benefit period

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01/11/2025

Medicare Part C - Medicare Advantage
Cost: Typically low (or No) monthly premium

The cost for Medicare Advantage plans depends on which one you select. In most areas, you can find a quality Medicare Advantage plan for low or no monthly premium, but this is heavily dependent on your prescriptions, whether you want an HMO or PPO, and many other factors. Note that this monthly payment is in addition to your Part B premium.

For more information on Medicare Advantage Plans, see the page Medicare Advantage Plans.

For a 65 year old female non-smoker in Indiana, it will cost roughly $110/mo for a Plan G or $90/mo for a Plan N. This premium is in addition to your Part B premium.

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01/11/2025

Medicare Part B
Cost: $185.00/month

The minimum monthly premium for Part B in 2025 is $185.00/month. However, if you made more than $106,000 in tax year 2023 as an individual or double for couples filing taxes jointly, you may have to pay up to $628.90/month for your Medicare due to the IRMAA adjustment for high earners.

Sign up for Medicare Easy Pay to have your premium automatically deducted from your bank account.

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01/09/2025

Medicare Part A Cost 2025
Cost: $0/month

As long as you worked 40 quarters (10 years) in the United States, you won’t have to pay an additional premium for Medicare Part A.

The Part A deductible for 2025 is $1,676 per benefit period which means that you could have to pay that charge more than once per calendar year.

Once your deductible is paid, you’ll have no co-pays for Part A for your first 60 days as an inpatient in the hospital. Starting on day 61, your co-pay is $419 per day for days 61-90, and then $838 per day for your lifetime reserve days which cover days 91-150.

You only get 60 lifetime reserve days to use during your lifetime.

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11/30/2024

11/29/2024

Qualifying from a Spouse (or Ex-Spouse)

If you were a stay at home parent, you may be able to draw benefits based on your marriage to a spouse who qualifies for Social Security.

If you are married, you qualify after only 1 year of marriage.
If you are divorced, you qualify if you were married for 10 years.

Spousal benefits are NOT in addition to your own benefit. You’ll choose either your own benefits or, if 50% of your spouse or former spouse’s benefit is more than 100% of your benefit, you are eligible to draw off your spouse.

The spousal benefit tops out at 50%. In order to get the full 50% you’ll need to reach your Full Retirement Age. If you draw early, you won’t get 50%, you’ll get less depending on how early you draw.

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09/18/2024

Legally, a Medicare agent cannot cold call. One slick trick they do is have someone call you, then “transfer” you to an agent so technically the agent did not call you. Once you tell them they shouldn’t be calling you, they’ll just hang up and move on to their next potential victim.