Expert guidance: Megan Canaday leads seniors through the Medicare maze
Ask any senior who recently turned 65 and enrolled in Medicare. He or she will tell you it is not a do-it-yourself job.
Sooner or later, most mortals will experience confusion, frustration, uncertainty or some combination of those when trying to make sense of Medicare’s four parts, how they interact, what the options are and how much everything will cost.
Don’t worry, though. Megan Canaday is here to help.
She opened Canaday Agency Senior Solutions in March with one employee – herself. She provides Medicare consultation and final-expense insurance, as well as supplemental dental and other forms of coverage seniors need.
With the coronavirus still circulating, her bread-and-butter Medicare work has taken on added importance.
“There are options out there,” said Canaday, who works out of her Festus home.
“Using someone like me allows you to compare all of the plans and really see what’s going to be the best for you. Working with an agent really gives you someone to call and talk (to) rather than just an 800 number.”
Her toolbox is the official Medicare.gov website, which has detailed information on Medicare Parts A (hospital), B (physician), C (Medicare Advantage plans) and D (prescription drugs), as well as Medicare supplement plans. She said about 60 percent of her clients, so far, have chosen a Medicare Advantage plan.
“(Medicare.gov) has every plan that’s available in a client’s area,” she said. “ZIP code pretty much drives it. From there, it has different ways to sort the information, so I always (start with) least out-of-pocket cost.”
“It’s an unbiased comparison, to sit down with the client and say, ‘This is how it works, these are going to be the costs. You will or will not have to change your doctor; what do you think?’
“That’s really what starts our conversation.”
