Griego Family Insurance

Let me be honest with you about something.

Every Medicare agent you talk to has access to the same plans at the same prices.

So if the price is identical no matter who you call, what are you actually shopping for?

You're shopping for someone who asks the right questions.

Who are your doctors? What medications are you on? How often do you actually use your coverage? What does your budget look like not just today but five years from now?

You're shopping for someone who tells you the truth even when the truth isn't what you want to hear.

And you're shopping for someone who picks up the phone after you've enrolled. When you get a confusing bill. When your doctor changes. When something doesn't look right.

That's the difference between an agent and an advocate.

I work in Spokane Valley, but serve the Pacific Northwest. My clients are my neighbors. And I'm not going anywhere.

📲 Call our office at 509.862.5448 to schedule a free call and let's find the right fit for you.

Quick exercise. Without getting up, do you know where your Medicare insurance card is right now?

Now harder question. Do you know the member services number for your specific plan?

Not 1-800-MEDICARE. That's the federal Medicare helpline and while it's useful, it can't actually pull up your specific plan details, tell you if your doctor is in network, or help you figure out why a claim was denied.

The number you need is the one on the back of your actual plan's card. Your Medicare Advantage card. Your Part D drug plan card. Your Medicare supplement card. Whatever coverage you have on top of Original Medicare, that plan has its own member services line and that is the number that can actually help you in the moment.

Here's why this matters so much.

When something goes wrong (and hopefully it never does), you are already stressed. You are not in the mood to dig through a drawer looking for a card or spend twenty minutes on the wrong hold line before realizing you called the wrong number.

So here's what I want you to do right now.

Find your insurance card. Flip it over. Put that member services number in your phone contacts right now. Label it something obvious like "[Plan Name] Insurance" so you can find it fast.

Takes two minutes. Could save you a really awful moment later!

Not sure which card is which or what coverage you even have? That is such a common thing and I am so happy to help sort it out.

DM me the word SUMMER and let's get you organized!

Do you know where your insurance card is right now?

Let’s be honest for a second… Medicare can make perfectly intelligent people do some very questionable things. 😂

How many of these have you done?

⬜ Googled Medicare at midnight
⬜ Got advice from a neighbor who “knows somebody”
⬜ Said “I think I’m covered” without actually being sure
⬜ Called the 1-800 number and gave up after sitting on hold forever
⬜ Forgot where you put your insurance card
⬜ Asked your adult kid for help and instantly regretted it
⬜ Felt stressed about Medicare before you even needed to

Truthfully? Most people feel overwhelmed at some point. There’s so much information out there and a lot of it sounds completely different depending on who you ask.

That’s why having someone you trust to walk you through it matters.

How many boxes would you check? 👀

Or better yet… tag the person who would absolutely check off at least three of these. 😂

Let me introduce you to two words that have caused more frustration in American healthcare than almost anything else.

Prior authorization.

Here's what it means in plain English.

Your doctor examines you. Decides you need a specific medication or procedure. Writes it up. And then your insurance plan says — actually, before we cover that, we need you to prove it's necessary.

Your doctor. Who went to medical school. Who just examined you. Now has to stop what they're doing, fill out paperwork, and formally ask your insurance company for permission.

Sometimes it gets approved the same day. Sometimes it takes a week. Sometimes it gets denied and your doctor has to appeal the decision. Meanwhile you are just sitting there trying to get the care you were told you needed!

The official reason prior authorization exists is to control costs and make sure treatments are medically necessary. And look, in theory that makes sense.

In practice it often just feels like a waiting room inside a waiting room.

Here's what you need to know as a Medicare beneficiary. Prior authorization requirements vary by plan. Medicare Advantage plans use it more than Original Medicare. And certain medications, procedures, and specialist visits are more likely to require it than others.

If you've ever been told your medication needs prior authorization and had absolutely no idea what that meant, now you know. And if you're ever stuck in that process, call me before you spend three hours on hold with your insurance company!

DM me the word PRIOR AUTH and let's figure it out together.

Has prior authorization ever held up your care or your medication?

Most people assume health insurance has cancer covered.

It covers the treatment. The surgeries, the infusions, the hospital stays. That part is real and it matters.

What it doesn't cover is everything that surrounds the treatment.

The gas and hotel stays when the treatment center is two hours from home. The lost income during weeks of recovery.

The childcare while a parent is in chemo. The household help when someone can't do what they used to do. The things that don't show up on a medical bill but add up fast in a family's real life.

This is where cancer supplement coverage comes in and most people have never heard of it until they're sitting in a waiting room wishing they had it.

A cancer policy pays cash directly to you at diagnosis and throughout treatment. Not to the hospital, not to the provider. To you. No receipts required. You use it for whatever your family actually needs during one of the hardest seasons of your life.

Summer is the time of year people put off appointments. The check they've been meaning to schedule. The spot they've been watching. The conversation they keep pushing to next month.

Early detection changes outcomes. So does having a financial plan for what comes after.

I have several clients and family members, as well as my own father, who have gone through extended periods of treatment. Cancer supplemental coverage could have helped with so many different costs that they faced beyond the treatment.

Have you ever looked into cancer supplement coverage?