Paula Gorbutt, Medicare navigator
Let me introduce myself. I’m Paula Gorbutt, a West Valley native and Medicare navigator. I was born and raised in the Avondale/Goodyear area and attended high school at Agua Fria. Aside from a few brief years in Texas, Utah, and California, I’ve lived here most of my life. My husband of more than 36 years and I raised our three children here, and our two grandchildren live nearby in Goodyear.
It seems that life conspired to push me towards Medicare. My father was 59 years old when I was born, and most of my parents’ friends were their age or older. I’ve always loved solving puzzles, and Medicare is the ultimate puzzle. I left my job in sales at FedEx in 2006 to serve as the Family Readiness Group leader for my husband’s deployed Army unit, so when they returned in November 2007, I was ready to look for a new challenge. I took some time to see our kids through the rest of high school and then began actively looking for the next thing. A friend with an agency in the Bay Area thought I’d do well in insurance, generally. Then I chanced upon my Medicare mentor a little over 12 years ago, and I just knew it was the right thing for me.
Now I’m licensed in five states so that I could help friends and family who live there, but my background makes me uniquely suited to serve the residents of Arizona. I know the medical groups and systems, and I have relationships with many doctors and clinics in the Valley and in the north of the state. I’ve also had a lot of rare experience working with veterans’ issues and the interchange between the VA, TriCare, Medicare, and all of the different insurance carriers. My husband is a disabled veteran, so I kind of have an “in” when it comes to how the VA works with private insurance.
I’m an independent agent, so I work for my clients year after year. I’m contracted with all of the carriers that will work with outside agents, so I can find anything my clients need to make the best healthcare decisions possible for themselves, at the lowest costs possible.
With the Annual Enrollment Period over, I hope you had a chance to review your Part D Plans to make sure you wouldn’t be paying too much for prescriptions in the coming year. This is one of the things I do annually for my clients. The plans change every year, and some just end. In one case this year, one of the lowest-cost plans ended. The carrier automatically assigned their beneficiaries to a very high premium plan to replace it in 2022. My job is to watch for these kinds of pitfalls on your behalf.
Coming up, from Jan. 1 through March 31, Medicare has a relatively new election period called the Open Election Period or OEP. During the OEP, if you have a Part C (Advantage) Plan, you can drop it, return to original Medicare with a Part D Prescription Drug Plan, and look at getting a supplement plan. Supplements have no networks—you can go to any hospital or provider that accepts Medicare, anywhere in the country. Some even provide coverage outside the USA. You can also change from one Part C Plan to another if you’re unsatisfied with your current plan. Part C plans usually include prescription drug coverage, but the list of drugs they cover and the pharmacy networks change every year. If you find that your current plan isn’t suiting your needs, or your doctor is no longer in your network, give me a call. We can look at all of your options, so you can get the best care at the best prices available.
I love what I do, and I would love to meet you and help you get through the ever-changing maze of Medicare. I’m not happy unless you are comfortable with your choices.