Choices, choices.
Just starting out in life, the possibilities for most of us seem endless—thoughts and frets about where to live, what to study, how to make a buck, or who to settle down with. In our latter years, you might assume, the burden of so many open-ended quandaries would give way to a narrower, simpler set of options.
In some regards, sure. But don’t try selling those expectations to anyone trying to figure out Medicare.
The myriad of program options for folks entering their golden years can be daunting. Thankfully, Idaho Falls has some excellent resources to help navigate the ins, outs and upside-downs of senior Medicare insurance.
Medicare looks simple enough at the outset, but once you dive in, questions abound. What are the different parts of Medicare? What’s the best plan for you? How does Original Medicare differ from a Medicare Advantage plan? What is Medicare Supplement Insurance? What are its benefits and how much does it cost? How does it all affect prescription drug coverage?
You can learn a fair amount by surfing the web, but for a better perspective, you’ll want to sit down with a professional who lives, breathes and eats Medicare.
For a great case in point, meet Ryan Job, founder of Golden Insurance, based right here in Idaho Falls.
For an early autumn interview at the Pickle Deli in Historic Downtown, Job shared his thoughts with some details of his own life choices and his ultimate exit from a career in a completely different line of work.
By the early ’00s, Job had found himself midstream in a wildly successful, 13-year career in business-to-business sales for the cable TV industry. By 2004, still living and working for Comcast in Golden, Colo., he set his sights on a new path that would be more about the service, and less about the sale.
The inspiration, he says, came from his long-time boss, mentor and friend, Randy Bendixen.
“Randy told me, ‘you can keep selling cable, but your life won’t really be affected when you die,’” Job said. ‘Instead of just going to work every day to make Comcast more money, do something that matters. If you get into Medicare, you’re going to change lives. You’re going to help people. You’re going to have something of a legacy.’”
The resulting move, bold as it was, ended any possibility of an affordable life in Golden. For two years, Job moonlighted as he learned about Medicare plans inside and out, got his certifications and started saving up for his new pursuit. Finally, with his nascent enterprise ready to take on its first batch of clients, he relocated Golden Insurance to Eastern Idaho in 2006.
“It took me another 10 years to match what I was making at Comcast, but the journey was worth it,” he said. “You take care of people, you do the right thing, you stay consistent—eventually, you’ll reap the rewards.”
Day-in and day-out, Job completed thousands of Medicare enrollments over the years. He was ranked as one of the top carriers for Medicare in the state. And for the lion’s share of that experience, he did so as a sole operator.
In 2018, however, Job was approached by Glen Ogden, a longtime executive in the banking industry. Ogden’s brother was a Medicare advisor whose career had been hampered with health issues, so Ogden had given up his profession in banking to become a certified advisor for Medicare-insurance plans. The only problem—he had little experience in the field.
But Ogden’s brother—already well-aware of Golden’s success—had an idea: Reach out to Ryan Job.
“When Glen approached me, initially I just said no,” Job said. “But later that day, I just had this feeling inside that maybe I should call him back. Just go to lunch. Well, the rest is history.”
Within a year, Ogden and Job had become business partners, making Golden Insurance one of the state’s most successful ventures of its kind. Job himself now serves on several advisory committees, including his appointment in 2020 as president for the Eastern Idaho chapter of the National Association for Health Underwriters. Its mission, Job says, seems perfectly in line with Golden’s own aspirations to advocate for people who need help navigating the waters of Medicare insurance.
“My mantra now is, ‘I’ve made my money.’ I far exceeded anything I ever made selling cable. Now I’m doing this for the consumer. I’m simply an advocate for my clients.”
And what, exactly, does that advocacy entail? For starters, anyone new to the enrollment process can benefit from a wealth of advice that cover four basic steps.
The first step is determining your eligibility, as enrollment will vary according to your circumstances. Are you 65 or older? Are you under 65 with certain disabilities? For example, do you have End-Stage Renal Disease?
The second step details all you’ll need to do in gathering relevant information. That includes healthcare history, prescriptions, current coverages, etc.
For the third step, it’s time to actually select a plan. This is the meat-and-potatoes step where an advisor like Golden can make all the difference. At this stage, it’s all about helping you to maximize your options and make the best choices. At this point you’ll learn about the unique benefits that you may need, depending on your circumstances.
The fourth step is about determining if you qualify for additional assistance. Be prepared to consider a number of plans that involve other types of coverage like Medicaid, Medigap, etc. This is also the time to think about costs that you may have to incur moving forward, such as co-pays, deductibles and other costs not covered by a Medicare plan.
For more information, Golden Insurance hosts a comprehensive website for all things Medicare, including the finer points of eligibility requirements as well as Medigap plans, hidden expenses, the Medicare program’s often misunderstood “parts” (A-D), additional enrollment details and a nice cross-section of frequently asked questions.
Visit www.medicaregi.com or call 800-910-1978.
What's the Medicare Open Enrollment Period? (OEP)
Learn about the OEP and determine whether or not it applies to you.
The OEP runs Jan. 1-March 31 each year.
If you are currently on a Medicare Advantage Plan you may be eligible to change from your current plan to a new Medicare Advantage plan during this enrollment period.
If you are currently on a Medicare Advantage Plan you may also be eligible to switch back to Original Medicare and pick a Part D Prescription Drug Plan.
—www.medicaregi.com
Click here to read more of the November issue of Idaho Falls Magazine.