FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 16, 2020 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 37
health
Emotionally preparing your children for back-toschool
Elder Law Minute TM
Shop Around Before Choosing a Medigap Policy
BY RONALD A. FATOULLAH, ESQ.
AND DEBBY ROSENFELD, ESQ.
While our articles oft en focus on
Medicaid and estate planning, clients
oft en pose questions regarding the various
machinations of the Medicare program.
People oft en confuse Medicare and
Medicaid and refer to the two programs
interchangeably. To begin with, Medicaid
is both a federal and state program that
provides health coverage for low income
people. Medicaid is a payer of last resort
and is oft en utilized for the coverage
of a person’s long term care needs. Th e
Medicaid applicant must be below a certain
asset and income level in order to
qualify. Medicare is a federal program
that provides health coverage for people
who are 65 and older and certain younger
people with disabilities. A person’s assets
and income have absolutely no bearing
on Medicare eligibility.
Once an individual turns 65 years of
age and is no longer working, Medicare
oft en becomes the primary health care
insurance provider for this person. While
Medicare Part A and B will cover a good
portion of a person’s doctor visits and in-
patient care in a hospital, it does not pay
for everything in full. Typically, people
who have straight Medicare are advised
ELDER LAW
to purchase supplemental insurance in
order to address any gap in coverage.
Th ese policies are referred to as Medigap
policies and, according to a new study,
the costs can be vastly diff erent depending
on the company selling the policy.
Th e fi ndings of this study highlight the
importance of shopping around before
one purchases a policy.
When a person fi rst becomes eligible
for Medicare, he/she may purchase
a Medigap policy from a private insurer
to supplement Medicare’s coverage
and essentially avoid some or virtually all
of Medicare’s coverage gaps. Currently,
a consumer can choose one of eight
Medigap plans that are identifi ed by letters
A, B, D, G, K, L, M, and N. (If an
individual was eligible for Medicare
before January 1, 2020, but not enrolled,
he/she may also be able to purchase Plans
C and F, but those plans are no longer
available to people who are newly eligible
for Medicare.) Each plan package off ers a
diff erent menu of benefi ts, allowing purchasers
to choose the combination that is
right for them.
While federal law requires that insurers
must off er the same benefi ts for each
lettered plan (i.e., each plan G off ered by
one insurer must cover the same benefi
ts as plan G off ered by another insurer),
insurers set their own prices for each
plan. Th is means that the price of each
plan varies considerably depending on
the insurance company. Th e American
Association for Medicare Supplement
Insurance compared costs of plans in
the top ten metropolitan areas and found
huge cost diff erences. Using the most
popular plan--Plan G--for comparison,
the association found that in Dallas, the
lowest price for a 65-year-old woman to
purchase a plan was $99 a month while
the highest price was $381 a month. Th is
presents a yearly diff erence of more than
$3,000 for the exact same plan.
Th e Association also found that no one
insuranc e company consistently off ered
either the lowest or the highest price for
coverage. Th is means that a consumer
cannot rely on just one company to
always have the better price for a policy.
Based on the foregoing, when looking
for a Medigap policy, it’s important to get
quotes from several insurance companies.
In addition, people using a broker to
help with the process should check with
two or more brokers because one broker
might not represent every insurer. It can
be an arduous task to shop around, but
the price savings can be worth it.
From a health insurance perspective,
having Medicare and a good Medigap
policy provides for comprehensive coverage
with respect to hospitalizations and
doctor’s visit. It is still vitally important
to ensure that one is prepared for
any long term care emergency. An experienced
elder law attorney can provide
guidance with respect to navigating this
area.
Ronald A. Fatoullah, Esq. is the founder
of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates, a law
fi rm that concentrates in elder law, estate
planning, Medicaid planning, guardianships,
estate administration, trusts, wills,
and real estate. Debby Rosenfeld, Esq.
is a senior staff attorney at the fi rm.
Th e law fi rm can be reached at 718-
261-1700, 516-466-4422, or toll free at
1-877-ELDER-LAW or 1-877-ESTATES.
Mr. Fatoullah is also a partner advisor
with Advice Period, a wealth management
fi rm that provides a continuum of
fi nancial and investment advice for individuals
and businesses, and he can be
reached at 424-256-7273.
RONALD FATOULLAH
ESQ, CELA*
season
Between sheltering-in-place, online
learning and time away from friends,
many children will need a little extra support
as they head back to school this fall.
Consider these tips from the experts at
KinderCare to help you emotionally prepare
your children to return to school
with confi dence, optimism and excitement.
Address your feelings
(and theirs)
Children oft en take cues about how
to react from their parents. Th ink about
what it takes for you to feel calm and prepared
(or even excited) for the start of a
new school year. Th at could mean talking
with your child’s teacher or school about
the safety precautions they’re taking so
you can feel more at ease, taking a few
minutes to establish a morning routine
or stepping away from news that makes
you anxious. Focus instead on the positive
aspects of school, like the opportunity
your child will have to learn, make
friends, interact with others and grow into
his or her own person.
“Children need a sense of belonging,
and school provides an important connection
point for them,” said Dr.
Elanna Yalow, chief academic
offi cer for KinderCare Learning
Centers. “Nothing builds a sense
of community like personal contact
with friends and teachers.
Th at connection is essential in
supporting a child’s growth and
development.”
Set expectations
about what to expect
before the fi rst day
Some children may feel ready
to go and eager to explore, while others
can be more reserved or even fearful
of new places, faces and routines. When
your child knows what to expect, it can
go a long way in soothing any worries he
or she may have about leaving home and
going to school.
It’s also important to respect your child’s
growing independence and empower him
or her to help others. As you explain safety
precautions like covering the mouth
when sneezing or coughing, or proper
hand washing, emphasize how your child’s
actions can help keep family, friends and
teachers safe.
“Children may already be apprehensive
about returning to school,
let alone trying to cope with new safety
practices,” said Dr. Joelle Simpson, a
pediatric emergency medicine physician
and medical director for emergency
preparedness at Children’s
National Hospital. “Explaining these
precautions ahead of time can help
your children see them as part of the
school day routine instead of something
to fear. For parents, remember
that while children can get
sick from this virus, it occurs
less frequently than in adults
and at lower rates than the fl u.”
Celebrate the start of
a new school year
Try to plan a special activity or some
extra family time the week before school
starts and encourage your child to participate
in the planning.
“Remember, children
didn’t have
time for a clean
break and celebration
at the
end of the last
school year,
and this
can help
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