Is theMedicareCoach a great deal at $1,297?

[LostDollar]

Largest percentage of my book is UHC. Biggest market share and good stability - they have documentation on rates, increases, etc.

But their 2024 and 2025 increases are higher than normal

Makes me think - it really just does not matter. They'll all go up no matter what. And we can't predict.

Another regular forum member with a "go-to, higher initial premium, carrier" for rate stability for uninsurable t65's faced that same issue 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[LostDollar]

I had just never heard of anything like this before. I cannot believe those vultures even exist and that people are gullible enough to pay them money.

Any decent agent does the exact same thing and cost them zero.

I am sure you have seen it, but you may not fully appreciate the levels of fear and uncertainty many people bring to entry into Medicare.

I can also tell you from experience the concern about some agents taking advantage is legitimate and I don't know how to tell someone ways to sort it out ahead of time.

If I had not asked questions and read here, and put up with all the associated abuse for 3-4 years, I don't think I would have the plan I have and I am pretty certain what I would have would have been a commission getter for the sales person and not necessarily what would be in my best interest.

 

[LostDollar]

I'm turning 65 this year. So my Facebook account is flooded with ads for Medicare pitchmen. But the most aggressive one is this lady from TheMedicareCoach.com that wants me to sit through one of her FREE webinars to learn all the traps I need to avoid when I make my Medicare decisions. She is VERY persistent and her main hook is that she is different because she's not an agent.

So I listen in to one. My first attempt I had to jump off after 1/2 hour because it was a full on sales pitch about her knowing more about Medicare than anyone else. More than agents because they just want a quick commission. More than the 1-800 Medicare people because they are too busy to care about you. More than the SHIP people because they just don't understand anything. Blah, blah, blah, …

But they wore me down again with all the ads. I had to see what her angle was. She just keeps pitching that she doesn't make any greedy commissions like agents do. So her information would be a lot better. So I commit to sit through the whole thing. And yesterday I finally did. It took two entire hours before she finally gets to the point. During that two hours she touches on all the normal topics just like any agent's presentation but acting like everything she says is stuff agents would NEVER tell you because they work on commission. Gasp!

Then at the end comes the real pitch. She gives us the opportunity to have a personal one on one call (up to 45 minutes) with her (or one of her trained associates) to sort out all of our Medicare decisions for the one time low low price of $1297.

You heard that right! For only $1297. I can get a 45 minute personalized phone conference with someone who doesn't work on commission to sort out my Medicare decisions. Wow! That sounds like a real bargain because she explained to me that if I make the wrong decision, it could cost me up to $8000 per year every single year and I will be trapped with my decisions forever and can never get out.

She did toss out there almost as a little side comment that the only form that they can't do for us is the actual enrollment form into an insurance plan. But that's the only thing that we will have to go off and do elsewhere.

She claims they have been doing this for 10 years and that they are one of the largest Medicare advisory companies in the nation and have enrolled, lots, lots of famous people, celebrities, athletes, and lay people all over the country.

Do you think anyone is actually falling for this stuff? Or is it just some new angle some one is trying out to see if they can pull it off? It's very polished and high dollar looking. I just can't believe all the ways that people come up with to separate seniors from their money. If this works, this might be the way of the future.

And if I signed up today during the webinar, I would actually get a 12 month review it actually no cost at all. And if we want to include my spouse at the same time, I can include them for only an additional $650. Wow!

That three hours was a very costly time investment for you. Personally I think you would be better off getting Mrs Newby's Medicare presentation, having her help you see your life events that would affect your Medicare choices and give you a choice of 2 Medigap plans to purchase -- with reasons for each.

CPA, CFP, and highly experienced Medicare Agent.

But that is just me.

 

[Newby]

That three hours was a very costly time investment for you. Personally I think you would be better off getting Mrs Newby's Medicare presentation, having her help you see your life events that would affect your Medicare choices and give you a choice of 2 Medigap plans to purchase -- with reasons for each.

CPA, CFP, and highly experienced Medicare Agent.

But that is just me.

Mrs Newby was trained by me. I'm pretty sure I can figure my own Medicare out. I've done it for about 2500 other people.

What I couldn't figure out was what their angle was. Where they were making their money. Because they're very pushy and aggressive sales people and spending a whole lot of money marketing yet they were claiming to not be agents and making a commission. So I didn't know how they would be paid. I didn't know that people would be gullible enough to pay someone to walk them through Medicare decisions and just do exactly what any good agent does for free but theMedicareCoach charges $1295 for it.

I guess WC Fields was correct. There really is another one born every minute.

 

[sshafran]

Not possible for many.

Correct.

And for those people, I simply say, you have the best medical health insurance you could possibly have. And mediocre drug coverage, but better than nothing. Fight the cancer and don't worry about the doctor/hospital bills. Find the best docs / facilities. Yeah, it'll start to get a bit high monthly but it could be worse.

 

[sshafran]

Correct.

And for those people, I simply say, you have the best medical health insurance you could possibly have. And mediocre drug coverage, but better than nothing. Fight the cancer and don't worry about the doctor/hospital bills. Find the best docs / facilities. Yeah, it'll start to get a bit high monthly but it could be worse.

Hopefully, you started to figure out around age 50 that medical costs would be a thing 65+...

 

[somarco]

Any decent agent does the exact same thing and cost them zero.

Yeah, kind of . . .

How many agents steer prospects to the plan(s) that pay the highest commission? No fee doesn't mean the prospect pays less.

 

[Newby]

There are a lot of bad agents. But I said any decent agent. It's pretty obvious to intelligent people when they are talking to a pitchman.

 

[somarco]

@Newby there are not enough decent agents out there IMO

 

[LostDollar]

There are a lot of bad agents. But I said any decent agent. It's pretty obvious to intelligent people when they are talking to a pitchman.

When you know nothing about Medicare, Medicare Supplements, and Medicare Advantage and are totally overwhelmed, confused and afraid about the choices, it really isn't.

(And when I started trying to deal with these concerns, I didn't even know there was such a thing as local agents (good or bad) that sold Medicare products or how to find them. I thought you had to go online or go to carriers to find and purchase these products.)

I am not able to make a coherent expression of the thoughts but I can understand exactly why people would pay for those services.

You have been in the Medicare world for so long I don't think you are any longer able to fully appreciate the fear and confusion this stuff creates for people who do not have your critical thinking skills and years of experience.

I shudder to think what a local agent would have done to me with an L....... MSA plan had I not had the benefit of critical thinking Shafran applied to the MSA plan and posts he made here about it two years prior to my local agent interview.