Page 2 - Cover Letter & Evaluation for Patricia Letizia

She would probably choose two or three riders, however, each of which has an additional
premium.

We rarely need to evaluate Wisconsin Medigap policies and therefore recommend that you
speak with two or three agents from the insurance companies that sell these policies. I’ll send a
separate attachment with a list of the companies, their toll-free numbers, and sample
premiums. New Berlin is in Area 1 of Wisconsin – premiums are adjusted for each area’s
medical costs.

Medigap policies are very good but very expensive coverage. Perhaps their best feature is that
there are no network restrictions, and your mother will be covered when she goes to any
provider who accepts Medicare anywhere in the U. S.

Because of your mother’s age, I would estimate that her annual costs for a Medigap policy
would be $3,500 a year or more, depending on the riders she chooses. If you do call an
insurance company for quotes, you will be connected to a licensed agent who will collect your
mother’s information and then ask which riders she wants (the agent can explain the pros/cons
of each rider, but he/she may have a financial incentive to sell as many riders as possible).

Also, if your mother decides to get a Medigap policy she will also need to enroll in a Part D
stand-alone plan. If she does decide to get a Medigap policy, let me know and I will find the
lowest-cost stand-alone drug plans for the Rx drugs that she takes.

The three Medicare Advantage plans in Mrs. Letizia’s evaluation

The evaluation compares your mother’s current Advantage plan in Illinois to two Advantage
plans that are available in New Berlin, Wisconsin. All three plans are PPO’s and all three have
above-average four-star quality ratings from Medicare.

Moreover, all three have relatively low costs for her Rx drugs, although if your mother decides
to remain in Illinois, she can save roughly $500 next year by switching to mail-order refills
instead of getting monthly refills at a CVS Pharmacy. The estimated annual Rx drug costs for
2019 are total drug costs – premiums, deductibles, and co-payments.

To enroll in one of the Wisconsin plans, she can call the plan’s toll-free number, which is shown
on pages 2-3 of the evaluation. She is not restricted by Medicare’s open enrollment period
(October 15-December 7) but her enrollment timeline is based on her move date. If she moves
to Wisconsin in February, for example, she could change her coverage then. And to avoid future
surprises, she should verify that the doctors she wants to see in Wisconsin are in the plan’s
network.

Here’s an overview of each plan, with more details shown on pages 2-4 of the evaluation and in
the appendices that have the plans’ benefit summaries, including prescription drug coverage
and costs for the drugs that she currently takes.

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