Skip to main content

A Medicare Primer

By August 11, 2021August 22nd, 2021Medicare
Medicare Conundrum

When I’m Sixty…Five…

I turned 65 with the fond hope of finally getting the good stuff – great health insurance cheap through Medicare. I admit to being surprised by the tsunami of direct mail, telephonic, and email solicitation from people that I didn’t know or trust, to buy a bunch of surprisingly expensive health insurance products that I didn’t understand. 

Based on a friend’s recommendation, my wife and I engaged a consultant who got us signed up with coverage for original Medicare with a supplement and drug plan (Plan D). But these were for the most expensive policies available, and without any disclosure about fees or commissions. I smelled a hustle.

I have an MBA from an Ivy League institution, I had spent the first 20 years of my career on Wall Street doing international mergers and acquisitions, and I had never felt as vulnerable or ill-informed as when I signed up for Medicare – a government-sponsored health benefit for Seniors. If I was this confused and ill-informed how did everyone else feel about it? Asking around, it seems like everyone else felt much the same way.

Medicare’s solution is to send out a 125-page book with dozens of links. A careful review of the book confused me more than ever and convinced that there had to be a better solution than what I was seeing.

A Better Way to Address the Problem

We started Fortende Health specifically to address this problem. These blogs and everything else that we do is designed to be clear and explicit – how Medicare works and what works best for you and your needs. 

We are moving to be an ISO 9001:2015 company, systematically and continuously improving, with a relentless focus on meeting your needs. We will always be transparent and specific about what we recommend and why it best fits your needs. We are happy to execute the placement of the insurance for you at the best possible rates, or leave you to do it elsewhere if you want.

Our service and support are designed to address the key problems that you will experience in your first year of Medicare coverage, and make you comfortable that you are getting the best coverage available from the plans chosen, and that the billing for those plans is correct.

We operate as a team, and our focus is supporting you and your family so you can enjoy your retirement!

Wes Chapman

Wes Chapman was educated in the US, Mexico and Spain, then had a 20-year career in investment banking in Latin America, finishing with 10 years as region director for Oppenheimer in Latin America. He spent the last 20 years in healthcare, focused on patient-centric, value-based care. He started Fortende to address the unmet needs of Medicare beneficiaries including those spending time outside the U.S.

Leave a Reply