Medicare agents serving Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana

Yes. Fussell Group serves all of Tangipahoa Parish, including Amite, Kentwood and Independence as well as Hammond and Ponchatoula. See how we serve communities across the state on our Louisiana Medicare page.

Not necessarily. Medicare Advantage plans are usually offered by parish, so the plans available in Tangipahoa Parish can differ from those next door in St. Tammany Parish. Your agent will review the plans available at your own address, and benefits and costs can also vary by parish and eligibility.

They can. Medicare Advantage plans are tied to where you live, so a move to a different parish can change which plans you can join. Talk with your agent before you move if you can. After a move, the time you have to change plans is limited.

It depends on the coverage you choose. With Original Medicare, you can generally use any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the U.S. With a Medicare Advantage plan, you may need to use doctors and hospitals in the plan’s network for non-emergency care. Networks can change: a plan can add or remove providers, and a doctor can leave a plan’s network. Your agent can help you check your doctors against the plans available to you.

It depends on the plan. Drug coverage and costs can change from one year to the next. Bring a list of every prescription you take, with doses, so your agent can help you compare how each option covers them.

There are three main Medicare enrollment periods to know:

Initial Enrollment Period (IEP): Generally a seven-month window around when you first become eligible for Medicare: three months before your 65th birthday month, your birthday month and three months after.

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): October 15 through December 7 each year. This is the yearly opportunity for people with Medicare to review and change health and drug coverage for the coming year. Changes generally take effect January 1.

Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP): January 1 through March 31 each year. This is for people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan and allows one change, such as switching Medicare Advantage plans or returning to Original Medicare and, if applicable, joining a standalone Part D plan.

Your Fussell Group agent can help you understand which enrollment period applies to your situation.

It’s a good idea. Your Medicare costs, benefits and providers can change each year, so a yearly review helps you check that your coverage still fits your doctors, prescriptions and budget.

No. Fussell Group Insurance Advisors is an insurance agency and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the government or the federal Medicare program.

Yes. For free, unbiased Medicare counseling from the state, you can call the Louisiana Senior Health Information Program (LaSHIP) at 1-800-259-5300. Fussell Group is not affiliated with LaSHIP.

A Medicare Advantage plan is another way to get your Medicare coverage, instead of Original Medicare. A Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy works alongside Original Medicare and helps pay some of the costs it doesn’t cover, like copayments, coinsurance and deductibles. You can’t have both at the same time. Your agent can walk you through how each option would work with your doctors, prescriptions and budget.