Over the last seven years, I have had thousands of conversations about Medicare.  During that time,  I have never met anyone in the process of transitioning to Medicare that did not incur some level of Medicare stress.  Literally, not one person has every walked into my office without some level of uncertainty or questions about Medicare.  So, in this episode, I clarify my definition of Medicare stress.  

As part of the revision of my book Medicare & The Stres of Turning 65, I decided to rename the book and podcast to Medicare Stress Relief.  Frankly, it is not only individuals who turn sixty-five that experience stress with Medicare, but also individuals who have been on Medicare.  So, this podcast is an introduction to this process of revising and improving both the book and the podcast.  I hope you enjoy.  

We are at the end of season one of the podcast.  In this episode, I discuss contacting a local agent.  Local agents can be invaluable as you sort out your Medicare enrollment options.  

In this episode, I complete this series on Medicare agents by discussing call center and telesales agents.  I do not recommend call center or telesales agents because of the complexity of Medicare and the decisions that need to be made by the consumer.  Also, I still believe that Medicare beneficiaries are best served by a local agent.  

There are several categories of Medicare agents.  In this episode, I discuss the Captive Agent.  

There are several types of Medicare insurance agents working today.  In this episode, I share information about "local" independent agents.  The local independent agents are my first recommendation for anyone needing Medicare assistance.  Listen for reasons why!

In this episode, I conclude the discussion about how to identify Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans available in your area.  

There are several ways to identify Medicare plans that are available in your area.  In this episode, I discuss the Medicare.gov website.  

There is often a lot of confusion about what Medicare plans are available.  In this episode, I discuss two options for determining what Medicare plans are available in your geographic area.  

Last week, I shared the first set of questions designed to help individuals select between a Medicare supplement versus a Medicare Advantage plan.  Here is the second set of questions that can be helpful in the process.