Barstead Brokerage LLC

05/07/2026

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Straightforward Medicare education and guidance to help you understand your options and choose coverage that fits your individual needs.

03/28/2026

This page is in the process of being moved to a new page with a new look. Please click below and follow us there.

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Straightforward Medicare education and guidance to help you understand your options and choose coverage that fits your individual needs.

03/24/2026

UPDATE: Back up !

Our WiFi modem took its last breath last night so we have no internet. Comcast says it will be 5 days to get a new one here. Looks like I will be going to visit them today to get one and hopefully install it and be back up and running later today.

02/21/2026

02/21/2026

08/16/2025

If you have Sonder there is a special enrollment period that starts immediately to chose a new plan

Sonder Health Plans, Inc. (“Sonder Health Plans”) was placed into receivership by order of the Superior Court of Fulton County on August 13, 2025, to protect Georgia policyholders due to its reported insolvency and inability to raise additional funds from outside investors.

08/11/2025

Coming soon to your mailbox. Please watch for it and get the info sheet back to me asap

08/04/2025

Why Are Medicare Advantage Plans Moving Toward More HMO Plans (and Fewer PPOs)?

If you're exploring Medicare Advantage options, you’ve probably noticed that HMO plans are becoming more common—and PPOs a little less so. Here's why that’s happening—and why it might actually be a good thing for you.

🩺 Why HMOs?
HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plans are growing because they offer strong care coordination, lower premiums, and better value overall. They're designed to keep your healthcare simple and cost-effective—without sacrificing quality.

✅ No More Referrals? Yes, Really!
Many people still believe HMOs require referrals to see a specialist. But here’s the truth: most HMO plans today no longer require referrals. That means more direct access to care than ever before.

🔍 What’s the Catch?
The biggest limitation is that HMOs typically don’t cover out-of-network care (unless it's an emergency). But honestly, that’s rarely a problem.
Most people get all the care they need from in-network doctors who are fully qualified to treat them to their satisfaction.

🚨 When Do People Go Out of Network?
It’s usually not because there’s no doctor available—it’s because someone wants a specific doctor they believe is "the best," even if that provider is far away or out of network. While that’s totally understandable, it’s not the case for most people’s day-to-day healthcare needs.

💬 Bottom Line:
HMO plans today are more flexible, affordable, and comprehensive than ever before. If you want great care and better savings, it might be time to give an HMO another look.

08/03/2025

Yes it’s true. This is exactly why I stress every year to get the updated information form back to me as soon as possible. If you will be impacted by this, we need to be ready to act. Remember, I am not able to discuss specific plan information until October 1.

UnitedHealthcare will exit some Medicare Advantage plans that collectively cover 600,000 people.

07/27/2025

📵 Medicare Robo Calls: How I Finally Fought Back 📵

I’ve tried everything to stop the relentless Medicare robo calls—blocking numbers, signing up for the Do Not Call registry, even trying to trick them into giving up their info so I could report them. Every path? A dead end.

These scammers call from different numbers every time, and the second they realize you’re trying to catch them, click—they hang up. Worse still, the more you answer, the more they call. It’s exhausting.

💡 So here’s the only thing that’s actually helped me:
I forward all "Scam Likely" calls and numbers not in my contacts straight to voicemail. Then, I changed my voicemail message to say something like:

“Hi, I no longer answer calls from unknown numbers. If you’re a real person, please text me or leave a message and I’ll get back to you. Once we connect, you’ll be added to my contacts and future calls will go through.”
This simple filter puts me back in control of who gets through.

📲 Here’s how to do it:

📱 On iPhone (iOS 13 and up):
Go to Settings > Phone.
Toggle on Silence Unknown Callers.
Done! Calls from anyone not in your contacts, Siri Suggestions, or recent outgoing calls go straight to voicemail.
📱 On Android (Samsung, Pixel, etc.):
Method 1 – Silence Unknown Callers (Google Phone App):

Open the Phone app.
Tap the three-dot menu > Settings.
Tap Caller ID & spam.
Turn on Filter spam calls or Silence unknown callers, depending on your version.
Method 2 – Use Do Not Disturb:

Go to Settings > Notifications > Do Not Disturb.
Tap Calls > allow calls from Contacts only.
Done! Unknown numbers go to voicemail without ringing.

🔥 Bonus Tip: Add a custom voicemail greeting (via your carrier’s voicemail settings) to tell unknown callers to leave a message or text you if they’re legitimate.

It’s not perfect, but it’s the only thing that has given me peace from the Medicare spam madness. Inget great please checking my mossed calls lost now and seekng all the SCAM LIKELY calls listed

If you’ve had success with any other method, PLEASE share it below. We all need the help. 🛡️