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Senior Medicare Advantage plan insurance in Folly Beach, SC
Trying to pick a health insurance plan can be a chore for anyone. For many people, just mentioning the word "open enrollment" sends shivers down the spine. It seems like there's always a nagging feeling that you're wasting money, choosing a plan with poor in-network care, or both. One would think that health insurance gets easier as you approach retirement age, but the truth is that picking an initial Medicare coverage plan can be daunting.
Unfortunately, the confusing process of signing up for Medicare causes many seniors to forego healthcare coverage altogether. After all, Medicare enrollment can involve several federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration (or SSA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (or CMS).
At Senior Medicare Insurance Services, our passion is guiding seniors through the confusion of Medicare. That way, they can enjoy retirement with peace of mind knowing they are protected and ready for life after 65. We work with dozens of insurance companies, giving our clients the chance to choose a plan that best fits their lifestyle.
We choose to design our senior insurance plans with a focus on optimal benefits structure, lower costs, and personalized service. Some independent insurance agencies see their aging customers as nothing more than a financial transaction waiting to happen. In contrast, we treat each of our clients with respect and dignity as we help them navigate the confusing waters of Medicare. Combined with individualized service, we help older Americans make well-informed decisions about insurance. Whether you're in need of senior Medicare Supplement Plan insurance in Folly Beach, SC or simply have questions about signing up for Medicare, our team is here to help.
- Helping Seniors Make Better-Informed Medicare Decisions
- What is Medicare?
- The amount of money you pay for your health care depends on several factors, including
- Senior Medicare Supplement Plan Insurance in Folly Beach, SC
- Important Information About Senior Supplement Plan Insurance
- Senior Medicare Advantage Plan Insurance in Folly Beach, SC
- How Medicare Advantage Plans Work
- Medicare Advantage Plan Insurance Rules
- Paying for Your Senior Medicare Advantage Plan Insurance
- The Senior Medicare Insurance Services Commitment
What is Medicare?
If you're approaching the golden years of your life, it's important you understand what Medicare is if you don't already.
Medicare is a federal health insurance program reserved for people older than 65 who have worked full-time for at least ten years. The Medicare program is paid for by a combination of worker payroll tax, premiums paid by Medicare enrollees, and the U.S. government.
There are four parts of Medicare:
This type of Medicare is free for most U.S. citizens. Medicare Part A helps older adults pay for care in a nursing facility, hospital visits, and some forms of in-home senior care.
This tier costs around $100 per month. It covers different outpatient services like lab tests, preventative care, doctor's visits, mental health care, clinical trials, and some forms of surgery.
This type of Medicare is most often called Medicare Advantage. This tier of Medicare allows seniors to choose health plans provided by insurance companies like Senior Medicare Insurance Services. Individuals who use Medicare Advantage commonly use Medicare supplement plan insurance to help pay for health care costs that Original Medicare won't cover, like coinsurance, deductibles, and copayments.
Sometimes called "PDPs," these plans add drug coverage to standard Medicare, some Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS), some Medicare Cost Plans, and Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans (MSA).
The amount of money you pay for your health care depends on several factors, including:
- What kind of care you need, and how often it is needed.
- The type of Medicare coverage you choose.
- Whether there are alternative insurance policies that will help fill gaps in your coverage
- Whether a doctor agrees to charge you the same amount that Medicare will cover for a medical service
At Senior Medicare Insurance Services, we offer a number of health insurance solutions for seniors. Two of our most used services include Medicare Advantage plan insurance and Medicare supplement plan insurance.
Senior Medicare Supplement Plan Insurance in Folly Beach, SC
Sometimes called Medigap, the purpose of Medicare Supplement Insurance is to help fill in "gaps" that might not be covered by Original Medicare. You can think of a Medigap policy as a supplement for your Original Medicare benefits.
Private companies like Senior Medicare Insurance Services sell this type of insurance right here in South Carolina. While Original Medicare will pay for much of the cost associated with health care services you need, it may not cover all of your expenses. Generally, Medigap policies do not cover costs stemming from eyeglasses, private-duty nurses, dental care, hearing aids, or long-term care.
Depending on the Medicare Supplement Plan that you choose, it may cover out-of-the-country medical services when you travel abroad. Assuming you have Original Medicare coverage, your policy will cover its share of Medicare-approved health care costs. Once your Original Medicare coverage reaches its limit, your Medigap policy will pay its share of the fees.
Our Medigap policies are drafted to meet your specific needs, and can help cover remaining health care costs such as:
Deductibles
Copayments
Coinsurance
Important Information About Senior Supplement Plan Insurance
To dispel some confusion, you should know that a Medigap policy is not the same as a Medicare Advantage Plan. The latter helps you receive Medicare benefits, while the former supplements the benefits you obtain through your Original Medicare plan. As you begin to explore Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans, keep the following important information in mind:
As you begin to explore Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans, keep the following important information in mind:
- To qualify for a Medigap policy, you must first have Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B.
- Payments on your Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan will be made to the private insurance company that you choose, like Senior Medicare Insurance Services. These payments are made every month and are paid in addition to the monthly payment you make for Medicare Part B.
- If you are the holder of a Medicare Advantage Plan, it is illegal for an insurance company to sell you a senior Medicare Supplement Policy. If you plan on switching back to an Original Medicare plan, you may be able to purchase a Medigap policy.
- If you have health problems as you age, your standardized Medigap policy is guaranteed to be renewable. So long as you pay your monthly premium, your insurance provider cannot cancel your policy.
- Medigap policies only cover one person. If you have a spouse or family member that would like coverage, they must purchase a separate policy.
- You may only buy a Senior Medicare Supplement Plan from an insurance agent that is licensed to sell them in your state. Senior Medicare Insurance Services has been licensed to sell Medigap policies in South Carolina for years. We have helped countless seniors get the Medicare coverage they need and continue to do so to this day.
- In the past, Medigap policies were able to cover costs related to prescription drugs. As of January 1st, 2006, prescription drug coverage is not available on Medicare Supplement Plans. The best way to get coverage for your prescription drugs is to join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, often called Part D. Contact our office today to learn more about paying premiums on Medigap and Medicare plans.
For many people, the best time to buy senior Medicare Supplement Plan Insurance in Folly Beach, SC is during the 7 months Medigap Open Enrollment Period. This period starts the day you turn 65 years old, so long as you hold Medical Insurance (Medicare Part B). Generally, during the enrollment period, you get more policy choices and better pricing. Once the enrollment period is over, you may not be able to purchase a Medigap policy. Contact Senior Medicare Insurance Services today to determine if you qualify for a Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan.
Senior Medicare Advantage Plan Insurance in Folly Beach, SC
A Medicare Advantage Plan is a kind of Medicare health coverage designed to provide seniors with all their Part A and Part B Medicare benefits. Many Medicare Advantage Plans will often include coverage of the following:
- Preferred Provider Organizations
- Special Needs Plans
- Private Fee-for-Service
- Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans
- Health Maintenance Organizations
In addition, most Medicare Advantage Plans give seniors coverage for their prescription drug needs. When you enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan through Senior Medicare Insurance Services, your Medicare benefits are covered through your plan and will not be paid for by traditional Medicare.
How Medicare Advantage Plans Work
Sometimes called "MA Plans" or "Part C," Medicare Advantage Plans are considered an "all in one" solution to Original Medicare. Senior Medicare Advantage Plans are only offered by private companies that are approved, like Senior Medicare Insurance Services. Seniors who enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan are still on Medicare. However, these individuals enjoy bundled plans that give seniors the benefits of hospital insurance (Medicare Part A), medical insurance (Medicare Part B), and sometimes drug coverage (Part D).
Medicare Advantage Plans are very popular because they cover all Medicare services and make life a little easier for seniors who have trouble understanding the nuances of Medicare.
When you contact Senior Medicare Insurance Services to choose your Medicare Advantage Plan, ask your agent about Medicare prescription drug coverage. Unless you already have drug coverage (Part D), you should seriously consider Part D coverage to help reduce costs associated with prescription drugs. You may also want to consider a Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan to help fill gaps in coverage that Original Medicare will not cover.
Medicare Advantage Plan Insurance Rules
Medicare works by paying a set amount of money to the companies that offer senior Medicare Advantage Plan insurance in Folly Beach, SC. That money is used to pay for the care services that you need. Because Medicare Advantage Plans are different, you should expect out-of-pocket costs to vary depending on the plan you choose.
Different plans have different rules for how you receive services, such as:
If you must go to facilities, suppliers, or doctors that belong to your Advantage Plan for non-urgent and non-emergency care.-
Whether you must get a referral to see a specialized doctor
Companies that offer Medicare Advantage Plans must follow strict rules, which are set by Medicare and can change every year.
Paying for Your Senior Medicare Advantage Plan Insurance
How much you pay for your Medicare Advantage Plan varies and depends on a few different factors. In most cases, if you need a kind of medical service, you will need to rely on the doctors and providers in your plan's service area and network to pay the lowest amounts. In some cases, if you choose to use a service outside of your plan's network of coverage, you may have to pay out-of-pocket.
We encourage you to contact our office today to learn more about Medicare Advantage Plans, how they work, what your options are, and how often you will have to pay out-of-pocket, if at all.
The Senior Medicare Insurance Services Commitment
Since our company was founded, we have led the insurance industry by providing our clients with the most valuable, helpful insurance solutions available. We are fully committed to our current and prospective clients by:
Choosing to focus on personalized, one-on-one service. When you work with our team, know that we will always design your health insurance plan with your best interests in mind.-
Listening to your specific needs. -
Responding to all inquiries and questions promptly and with a friendly attitude. -
Providing you with the best customer service in the senior health insurance industry, whether you have questions or are ready to move forward with a Medicare plan.
Our mission is to help give seniors the best Medicare assistance available so that they may understand the Medicare process and make an informed health coverage decision. We have the knowledge, skills, and experience to assist anyone interested in Medicare. Our personal goal is to become a lifetime resource for our clients and give them greater confidence in choosing their insurance plans.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 8 organizations which offer 82 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
Latest News in Folly Beach, SC
Surf Report, Surf Forecast & Surf Cam
Surflinehttps://www.surfline.com/surf-report/washout/5842041f4e65fad6a7708a85
With a number of jetties and varied coastline, Folly Beach has a number of different spots. All of Folly is lined with jetties. They've done a questionable job of protecting the beach, but they've produced lots of different peaks. The best spot at Folly is called the Washout. It's a long stretch of jettied beachbreak that can break with a tremendous amount of power on northeasterly swells or on hurricane swells. Beware of jetty rocks, underwater debris and current on larger swells. Take Highway... Read more...
With a number of jetties and varied coastline, Folly Beach has a number of different spots. All of Folly is lined with jetties. They've done a questionable job of protecting the beach, but they've produced lots of different peaks. The best spot at Folly is called the Washout. It's a long stretch of jettied beachbreak that can break with a tremendous amount of power on northeasterly swells or on hurricane swells. Beware of jetty rocks, underwater debris and current on larger swells. Take Highway... Read more
Sullivan's Island is just south of the Isle of Palms and gets energy from NE/E swells, but the jetty for the shipping lane blocks all southerly energy. On a NE windswell, the peak in front of Bert's Bar once offered board snapping power as it's right next to the shipping channel, so there's deep water just offshore. It's at the end of the south causeway to the island. It can be offshore here when it's howling side/onshore everywhere else. Strong north current on big swells. Shoaling has turned t... Read more
A low-quality but reasonably consistent beachbreak in an otherwise surf-stoked but wave-starved area of South Carolina, Pawleys Island Pier will occasionally offer long, shreddable lefts when offshore winds cooperate with powerful NE swells, but it saves its best face for SE swells — the more tropical, the better. The Pier only works on a mid to incoming tide and shuts down after the surf gets a foot or two overhead. Most of the action is concentrated on the south side. The waves can be crumbly... Read more
Toby Turtle, SC Aquarium collaborates for 4th annual Spooktacular Beach Sweep
Victoria Blairhttps://www.live5news.com/2025/10/26/toby-turtle-sc-aquarium-collaborates-for-4th-annual-spooktacular-beach-sweep/
FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - Toby the Turtle and the South Carolina Aquarium partnered with the City of Folly Beach for the 4th annual Spooktacular Beach Sweep, combining Halloween fun with environmental protection.Volunteers received buckets, gloves, trash pickers and bags, along with data sheets to record different types of litter collected.“It’s a little depressing to see the amount of trash that we can pick up because it’s just everywhere,” volunteer Ana Sofia Holmes said.The South Carolina Aqua...
FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - Toby the Turtle and the South Carolina Aquarium partnered with the City of Folly Beach for the 4th annual Spooktacular Beach Sweep, combining Halloween fun with environmental protection.
Volunteers received buckets, gloves, trash pickers and bags, along with data sheets to record different types of litter collected.
“It’s a little depressing to see the amount of trash that we can pick up because it’s just everywhere,” volunteer Ana Sofia Holmes said.
The South Carolina Aquarium uses information gathered during cleanups to target problem areas and sources of pollution.
“We take data during all of our cleanups and that helps us understand what the most problematic debris are and where the hotspots are,” Senior Manager of Conservation Kelly Thorvalson said. “And once we have those numbers, we’re able to find the sources of that debris and have conversations to reduce the litter.”
Volunteers dressed in costumes for the Halloween-themed event, including one participant who came as Santa.
“Who doesn’t smile when they see Santa, right? I do know who’s been naughty and nice and I got two more people on the naughty list after picking up some garbage today,” volunteer Darryl Strack said.
The cleanup provided a perspective on environmental impact for residents.
“Very eye-opening to do this because as someone who lives here, you realize how much trash we create,” volunteer Stacy Bizzell said. “And it makes you very aware of throwing everything away instead of on the ground after you do this.”
The most common items found were cigarette butts, straws and cans.
Local businesses offered discounts to volunteers in recognition of their service.
“What would be better than a loggerhead turtle to be out here to show how important it is that we pick up litter? Not only for the marine and wildlife, but also for human and domestic life,” Vanessa Oltmann, as Toby the Turtle said.
“It’s really fun because it’s the whole community’s out and we’re doing something good, cleaning up the beach and the streets,” Bizzell said.
The South Carolina Aquarium will use data collected during the event to identify the most problematic litter types and guide future environmental protection efforts.
It’s your first chance in 1,350 years to see a green comet blaze over South Carolina
Lynda Edwardshttps://www.postandcourier.com/news/sc-green-comet-meteor-shower/article_476d36c9-3a59-4427-b6e4-2df1297532b0.html
South Carolinians have the first chance in 1,350 years to see the vivid green Comet Lemmon sparkle across the moonless sky Oct. 21 and 22. It won’t come by Earth again for another 1,350 years. It’s just one of the celestial jewels visible in the nights leading up to Halloween.Comet Lemmon is named after Arizona’s Mount Lemmon Observatory, where the interstellar visitor was discovered as it streaked into our solar system back in January. Stargazers might be able to see it with their naked eyes Oct. 21-22, when it&rsqu...
South Carolinians have the first chance in 1,350 years to see the vivid green Comet Lemmon sparkle across the moonless sky Oct. 21 and 22. It won’t come by Earth again for another 1,350 years. It’s just one of the celestial jewels visible in the nights leading up to Halloween.
Comet Lemmon is named after Arizona’s Mount Lemmon Observatory, where the interstellar visitor was discovered as it streaked into our solar system back in January. Stargazers might be able to see it with their naked eyes Oct. 21-22, when it’s closest to Earth. Lemmon’s vibrant grass green color should definitely be visible through binoculars.
Here’s how to find it: About 45 to 90 minutes after sunset, look a bit below the Big Dipper constellation.
Astronomers believe Lemmon passed through the mysterious Oort Cloud, a sphere composed of giant ice and stone chunks at the outer edge of our solar system, far beyond Pluto.
Lemmon’s green hue comes from the comet’s carbon molecules interacting with sunlight.
“It could be amazing, or a bust. We have to wait and see,” Trident Technical College astronomy professor Blake Crosby said. He quoted a proverb, “Comets are like cats. They have tails and do what they want."
"The end of October and beginning of November, (Lemmon) will get higher in the sky and should become brighter,” he added. “A good opportunity may be Halloween, when it appears just after sunset in the western sky.”
Other cosmic wonders to view before Halloween
The Orionids meteor shower glitters above through Nov. 7, but peak viewing will be Oct. 21-22 with up to 20 meteors visible per hour. The new moon gives Americans “dark skies for what should be an excellent show,” Crosby said.
He advised astronomy lovers to take their binoculars far outside city light pollution to enjoy the shower.
Crosby said October also offers a chance to glimpse the mysterious Andromeda Galaxy climbing the eastern sky. Andromeda is twice as big as the Milky Way, and even at 2.5 million light-years away, it's our closest neighboring galaxy. It is so distant that humans may never get much chance to explore Andromeda.
The best night to see the Andromeda Galaxy in late-October is Oct. 28, the last new moon of the month, as it will be a dark night ideal for stargazing. Andromeda is best viewed from 9-11 p.m., high in the northeastern sky.
Even then, Crosby advises that Andromeda “takes a fair amount of skill to locate.”
Wando High School astronomy teacher Robbie Binnicker has seen Andromeda. He wasn’t using a powerful telescope, so the galaxy didn’t look like a spectacular luminous disc.
“It looked more like a wispy, bright cloud,” said Binnicker, who was awarded the state’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto, in 2024 for his 34 years as an educator.
Binnicker returned to his first career love, teaching, in Charleston County after he retired as Anderson One School District superintendent last June.
“This is the first time I’ve taught astronomy and I enjoy it, but I’m not an expert,” Binnicker told The Post and Courier.
He and his students use the SkyPortal astronomy app to locate constellations. The students have learned to set up telescopes to observe sunspots. With knowledge of classic sci-fi movies and novels, Binnicker said his students discuss astronomical wonders that can't be seen in the sky, like Albert Einstein's theories of time bending and gravitational waves causing ripples in the spacetime continuum.
The students can check telescopes out from the library. Binnicker loans telescopes to his students, too. Binnicker said they learned how to set up telescopes with filters to track sunspots. Binoculars enable the students to see most celestial phenomena they're studying.
Here's how to try and find Andromeda:
Look through binoculars northwest of Pegasus, or the flying horse constellation. It’s boxed-shaped and almost perfectly square.
Perhaps someone in that luminous smudge light-years from Earth will be gazing at the Milky Way and wondering if any life is there.
High tides, heavy rain impacting homeowners on Folly Beach
Victoria Blairhttps://www.live5news.com/2025/10/10/high-tides-heavy-rain-impacting-homeowners-folly-beach/
FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - As flooding is affecting many areas across the Lowcountry, the high tides are impacting many homeowners on Folly Beach, too.Homeowners on Folly Beach say they haven’t experienced flooding like this in a while, with the high tide impacting beachfront properties as well as homes on the riverside.“It’s hard to watch all that sand erode away and leave houses is kind of at risk,” homeowner Christine Bickel said.Officials say over the years the city has been maintaining effort...
FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - As flooding is affecting many areas across the Lowcountry, the high tides are impacting many homeowners on Folly Beach, too.
Homeowners on Folly Beach say they haven’t experienced flooding like this in a while, with the high tide impacting beachfront properties as well as homes on the riverside.
“It’s hard to watch all that sand erode away and leave houses is kind of at risk,” homeowner Christine Bickel said.
Officials say over the years the city has been maintaining efforts to mitigate flood risks by renourishing the beaches through extra sand, fencing and sea walls.
“That’s what keeps us able to have our big family-sized beaches. I don’t know what we would do without them because, as you can see, this has been a very tough time of having the erosion and from the King Tides and the coastal surf warnings,” Bickel said.
The city also plants vegetation along the beach for extra dune protection.
“What we do is every so often we renourish the beach with sand that gets pumped out of the river or sometimes offshore to put all the sand back that keeps getting eroded and moving south toward Kiawah,” Director of Public Works for Folly Beach Eric Lutz said.
Officials say these high tides are becoming more frequent, and that seems to be the main reason for the need for extra nourishment efforts.
“They’ve got a huge problem out here. As you probably know from the beach side, mostly is where they pay a lot of attention, but the uniqueness of Folly is there’s a river back there and the beach. So, as my property is kind of smooshed in the middle, so I think they spend a lot of time with the beach, but that is an issue too for Folly residents,” homeowner Tami Bourne said.
Homes on East Ashley Street experienced flooding throughout their properties due to water rising from the river and marsh area.
“I’ve been out here since 1989, and this is really something that you don’t see this type of water levels even during hurricanes,” Bourne said.
Officials say to be aware of your surroundings and avoid any flooded areas with standing water.
“Crazy part is it all happened so fast. Like I was just here this morning at 9:30 a.m., and then I get home at 11:30 a.m., and this is what it is. That’s how quickly it can come up. That’s kind of frightening,” Bourne said.
My View: Five days in South Carolina's Folly Beach
Amy Sierackihttps://buffalonews.com/opinion/article_cc06402b-b958-49b5-b890-dd71a9941ffc.html
‘Would you like some cornbread, Ma’am?” A server wearing an elegant floor length black apron deftly placed a warm muffin on my bread plate.That was before we had even opened the menu at the upscale restaurant after a morning browsing the City Market in Charleston, S.C. The meal was outstanding, but the first and best meal of our trip was grilled shrimp, cheesy grits and sweet tea at a place in Folly Beach called the Lost Dog Café.Southern manners are not a cliché – they were everywhere we w...
‘Would you like some cornbread, Ma’am?” A server wearing an elegant floor length black apron deftly placed a warm muffin on my bread plate.
That was before we had even opened the menu at the upscale restaurant after a morning browsing the City Market in Charleston, S.C. The meal was outstanding, but the first and best meal of our trip was grilled shrimp, cheesy grits and sweet tea at a place in Folly Beach called the Lost Dog Café.
Southern manners are not a cliché – they were everywhere we went, even before we landed at the airport. On the flight from Detroit to Charleston, a gentleman in an aisle seat stood up, took my overloaded wheelie bag and swung it up into the overhead compartment for me.
After we landed he took it down, and slid it towards me with the nicest smile. The young man bagging our groceries at Publix supermarket on James Island asked if we were from Wisconsin. Hearing that Buffalo was home he nodded politely, said “Josh Allen,” then explained that he actually followed college football, and he was still reeling from the South Carolina’s recent loss to Vanderbilt.
The traffic up and down the main street of Folly Beach was heavy, especially on Saturday afternoon. There weren’t many traffic lights – even so, the drivers on the main drag didn’t gridlock, or lay on their horns.
The lady who rang up my souvenirs at Mr. John’s Beach Store wrapped up my tchotchkes like they were the crown jewels, gave me a free reusable shopping bag, and carefully arranged all my other purchases in it. Later that day, a father and son carrying surfboards walked back across the beach and stopped us as we were headed into the water, warning us there were a lot of jellyfish that day − they’d both gotten stung.
The local paper − the Folly Current − ran multiple half-page ads for the six candidates running for mayor. No mudslinging or malicious words about opponents in this municipal election, just bullet points about each candidate’s agenda, and the story of how they came to Folly Beach in the first place.
It wasn’t just the people who were courteous. To someone used to Buffalo’s changeable climate, the weather along South Carolina’s barrier islands was more than hospitable. The humidity felt balmy and welcoming, different from the heavy steamy air you might find in Florida. The sunrise over the grassy marsh next to us – we learned to call it the salt flats – was a soft blush pink, and misty.
We could see tiny bats silhouetted against the sky. They left at dawn, passing a white egret coasting in to stalk its food for the day. And a tiny, fast-moving thing that looked like the Geico gecko scooted around on the wall of the screened-in porch − never coming too close or intruding on our moment. The only rudeness that week was a rogue grackle at the beach − brashly rummaging through someone’s unattended bag, pecking a hole in a bag of Goldfish crackers, and causing a seagull riot as it simultaneously gobbled and lunged at the other birds.
Five days in Folly Beach made a lasting impression − as distinct as a footprint in the firm sand at the edge of the water, and as permanent as the sand in the miniature souvenir jar that traveled home with us.
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