Endres Insurance Agency

Dental Insurance in Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Portage, St. Joseph Dental Insurance in Battle Creek, MI, Kalamazoo, MI, Portage, MI, St. Joseph, Three Rivers, MI. Affordable Health Insurance, Health Insurance, Health Insurance Plans.

Medicare Advantage Plans in Battle Creek, MI, Kalamazoo, MI, St. Joseph Medicare Advantage Plans in Battle Creek, MI, Kalamazoo, MI, Portage, MI, St. Joseph, and Three Rivers, MI. Medicare Insurance, Medicare Insurance Plans, and Medicare Supplement Plans.

IMMUNIZATIONS FREE? YES AND NO

Medicare offers immunizations, such as flu, covid or pneumonia etc., free of charge to its members. Since this is a Medicare benefit all Advantage plans offer this too, at the same price, FREE!

If this is so then how come our office routinely gets our Medicare clients calling or coming to the office to find out why they are being billed. Maybe that bill is a doctor copay and/or a charge for the “use of the room.”

The reason is that providers have a right to charge for a doctor’s visit when getting that shot at the doctor’s office, although some do and some don’t make that charge. Furthermore if the doctor or his/her practice is “owned” by a hospital, as many are these days, the hospital has a right (ahem!) to make a “room” charge up to about $250 as we’ve seen recently.

Sooooo, if you really want an immunization to be “free” of charge make sure you get it at your local pharmacy. At this point they have not latched on to the extra charges bandwagon and just give you the shot and bill Medicare or your Advantage plan for a shot and you have no expense. Keep in mind that pharmacists are “doctors” or PHD of pharmacology and quite able to give injections properly.

Now not all pharmacies do this so you need to check ahead. Most of the national chains do and some small mom and pop’s do also. You need to make sure the pharmacy is IN YOUR ADVANTAGE PLAN’S NETWORK and then you are good to go.

If similar billing questions come up and you don’t know who to turn to give our office a call. Our agents are so capable!!! If they don’t have the answer they know how to get it. CALL US AT 269-323-7888 AND ASK TO SPEAK TO KRISTA, PAUL OR CHARLEY. And be sure to get up to date with all those immunizations😊