Meet Medicare Insurance Agent Tracy Corwin

50plus recently met with Medicare Insurance agent Tracy Corwin of Corwin & Hayes Medicare Solutions in Albany. Wherever you reside, Tracy’s expertise and process can help you know what to look for and expect when meeting with an agent.

 

Before the meeting, Tracy asks basic questions, including whether you would like someone to accompany you. For some, it’s helpful to have a friend or family member who can help ensure that questions get asked during the meeting, and to discuss details with afterward.

 

When You Meet

Take a complete list of your doctors, current medications, and your Medicare card. The first two items ensure your agent can suggest plans that have your doctors in network and that your plan covers your meds at the best price. “I don’t want you going to an appointment and finding your doctor isn’t in network,” Tracy says. “With meds, some plans cover a prescription at 21% while another might cover it at 25%. Also, there can be different deductibles. We’ll consider all of that.”

 

Your Needs, Your Priorities

After getting acquainted, Tracy asks about your current plan, what you like or don’t like, and if there are benefits you want but don’t currently have. She’ll also ask about your coverage priorities. For example, some people are open to a higher co-pay in order to have dental coverage. “Do you need dentures? We’ll talk about what’s important to you right now,” she says.

 

This process helps your agent not only find available plans in your area that meet your criteria, but to go deeper, so consider all your needs. For example, Tracy says, “Some people see a specialist every two to three years, which is easy to forget during the meeting. We want to make sure that specialist is in network when the appointment comes around.”

 

Another, less common circumstance Tracy watches for: “Anyone with a heart condition or diabetes who has Medicare and Oregon Health Plan may be eligible for a plan that includes a stipend for groceries and certain supplies.”

 

Choosing Your Plan

With your detailed information, Tracy finds the plans that fit your needs and presents them for your review. She compares your existing coverage to other potential plans, pointing out pros and cons of both. “If it makes sense to change (the cost is low and the benefits are good), I’ll tell you,” she says. “The goal is to get you the best insurance at the lowest price — with extras.”

 

On the flipside, Tracy says, “If your existing plan is your best choice, I’ll say stick with it.” Even if the company holding your existing plan doesn’t offer commission for an agent’s time, Tracy will still recommend it. “The only goal is to find you the plan that best meets your needs.”

 

To do so, Tracy says, “We’ll weigh the factors most important to you: deductibles, premiums, in-network physicians and services.”

 

One and Done

Wrapping up, Tracy will have you review the recommended plans and ask questions. After that,

you sign off and. . . done.

 

Well, kind of. “We are now friends. I’m here to help with anything you need regarding your coverage.” She illustrates the point with a past client who called in terrible pain and needed a dentist covered by her plan. “I did the footwork and she was able to be seen right away.”

 

Another client who needed infusions had gone to her clinic’s Albany location and was told it was out of network — even though the same company’s Lebanon location was in network. Tracy says, “I climbed the ladder, asking ‘Why does your Lebanon clinic cover this but not your Albany clinic — they’re in the same county!” The matter was resolved. “That’s the service

I provide,” she smiles.

 

“I’m like your car insurance agent,” she continues,“If there’s an accident you call, right? Likewise, if you have questions about your health insurance, call me. If I can’t find the answer, I’ll find someone who can.”

 

About Tracy Corwin

Tracy came to her work in Medicare well equipped. Her experience includes decades of working in insurance management, billing, and customer service. She and her lifelong friend Jacki Hayes started a company together last year. She says Jacki — a longtime Medicare agent — had pestered her for years, saying Tracy was perfectly suited for it given her customer service experience, love of people, and knowledge of health insurance and billing. Jacki said she knew Tracy would love it.

 

Indeed she does. After decades of being busy with her career and family, Covid finally nudged Tracy to leave her management work with companies like Samaritan Hospital and Corvallis Clinic to start Corwin & Hayes Medicare Solutions with Jacki. “During Covid I had new grandbabies I couldn’t see as much as I wanted to. That had to change.”

 

She obtained the required education and certifications and got to work. “The first year we worked from home, and I met people in their homes, working with more than 200 clients.”

 

And the rest, as they say, is history. The longtime corporate health professional, wife, mother of two, and grandmother of five is living — and working — her dream.

 

“I love this work,” she says. “I love meeting new people, and helping them. All my clients are very dear to me. And the best part of all — I get to do this with a dear friend. I couldn’t have done it without her.”

 

Tracy Corwin can be reached at 541 740 3349 or tracycorwin25@gmail.com.

Kristan Dael

50plus Magazine

Kristan Dael is the alter-ego of Jennifer McCammon.