How I got up to speed after enrolling in an Aetna Medicare plan
By Mark Pabst
When Vicky Lindquist retired, she had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to do with her newfound freedom. She wanted to spend more time in nature, help raise her grandkids and hit the lanes enough to finally bowl that elusive score of 180. But after spending 27 years as a customer service associate in a hospital, she had seen many examples of how poor health can derail even the best-laid plans. She knew staying healthy would be essential to accomplishing her retirement goals.
A big part of staying healthy for Vicky meant maintaining reliable health care coverage, so she signed up for Medicare as soon as she was eligible. But when it came to choosing a Medicare Advantage plan, she quickly discovered there was an assortment of options. By doing her homework, she was able to find a Medicare Advantage plan from Aetna® that had the features she was looking for, like dental coverage and a provider network that included her current primary care doctor.
She also learned that she could help support her health goals by paying close attention to the materials and communications she received from Aetna throughout the year. She visited her plan web page too, where she could download her plan documents, access her secure member website and watch a quick video about her plan. Not only did it help her make the most of the Medicare plan features she knew about, it also introduced her to other benefits she didn’t know she had.
By studying her Aetna Medicare Advantage materials, she was able to learn:
- Which specialist doctors were in her network
- Which pharmacies she could use
- Which local gyms she could attend
She also received an email with a link to a personalized video. It highlighted how she could best use the benefits that were most important to her, like where to go to find dentists.
“Because of all the support that was available I don’t worry about my plan,” says Vicky. And that gives her more time to spend her retirement focusing on the things that matter to her the most.
About the author
Mark Pabst has worked as a writer and researcher in the health care field for almost two decades. When not writing about health he tries to stay healthy through activities like hiking, climbing and paddling in the far flung corners of his native state of California. However, despite his best efforts he still has a few unhealthy habits he can’t shake, most notably a weakness for jelly donuts.
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