‘As Curveballs Come, I’m Here:’ A Conversation With Go Comprehensive’s Jay Bhagat

At Go Comprehensive, we are driven by the desire to help people. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Ryan from Impact Media to appear on his podcast (watch it by clicking here!). Our president, Jay Bhagat, explained everything from how he got his start in the business to what our unique approach to helping people entails.

He discussed Medicare, why we speak to our clients about the future, and the importance of continuing education. “You know, as you age, as things change, as curveballs come, I’m here. I’ll take care of you,” said Jay.

You can read the full transcript of the interview below. Thank you so much to Ryan for this fantastic opportunity! As always, you can reach out to Jay with any questions about what he says or your biggest Medicare and retirement concerns.

TRANSCRIPT: Go Comprehensive’s Jay Bhagat on Impact Media Podcast

RYAN: Welcome to another edition of the business and personal podcast, where we bring you closer to the people you do business with, and today I’m excited to be joined by Jay Bhagat. He is the owner of Go Comprehensive. He’s a Medicare specialist based out of Pennsylvania, and also licensed in some other states, as well. But we’re excited to have Jay kind of share his story and explain how he can help you out here.

So, first of all, Jay, thanks for joining us.

JAY: Thanks for having me. Excited to be here.

RYAN: So, tell me a little bit about yourself and what led you into the crazy world of assisting seniors in Medicare plan selection.

JAY: It was a bit of a round-about kind of thing. So I graduated from Penn State in 2003, and 9-1-1 happened a year-and-a-half before, so the markets were crashing. There wasn’t a lot of opportunities in my chosen field.

So, I used to run the Sears Automotive Center when I was at Penn State, and there was always a guy that came in and said, you should come talk to us one of these days, and you did see your market work. So, I finally, you know, gave in, and I met with him, and they had a great program. And I did not realize what senior market services were. I thought it was just, you know, Medicare; pretty simple, pretty straightforward. But there’s so many other things. There’s, you know, how does Social Security work, how does, you know, wealth accumulation, asset preservation, you know, long-term care, estate planning, funeral planning, taxes. You know, it just goes on and on and on.

And, you know, it makes a lot more sense now, as these people are trying to, you know, create a living without working for potentially 30 years. So, it can’t just be, you know, you just pick up your Medicare, you pick up Social Security, and you’re done. You need a lot of help. And that’s why I kind of fell in love with it. And it’s been just a wonderful experience for me up to this point.

RYAN: Yeah; and I’ve worked with a lot of agents like yourself, and I kind of look at you all as like senior solutions specialists, kind of stress relievers, really, because so many seniors just assume they’ve got to try to figure it out on their own. They don’t know the resources that are out there. And I’m sure you get some satisfaction just seeing the relief from people when you’re able to help them, and a lot of times saving money.

JAY: Big time. Yeah, it’s, you know, like you alluded to, you know, there’s people – there are two types of people, you know, in this industry; and there’s the salespeople, and then there’s the people like me, who are just empathetic analytics, right? So, you know, there’s people who can talk you into buying anything, and that’s what they’re good at, but that’s not who I ever was. I just wanted to be a resource. I didn’t want to be a salesperson. So, I go through and ask a ton of questions, and try to help you figure out this whole process, and make it as simple as possible; but not just for today, for the future.

You know, as you age, as things change, as curveballs come, I’m here. I’ll take care of you. I’ll make of what’s going on, and as laws change and things that happen in the world, I’m here. And that’s the – the best part that I can offer to people is the long-term relationship.

RYAN: And, oh, by the way, for those of you that may have stumbled across this podcast, wondering, okay, yeah, how much does Jay charge me for this. Guess what? It’s a grand total that you have to pay attention. That’s it. It’s paying attention. An incredible, you know, in all the business industries out there, I can’t think of one quite like this, where so much expertise is offered. There’s so much value to it. It saves people so much money in many cases, and it costs them nothing.

And I don’t think people realize, Jay, that it’s not just, you get your license, and then you roll, that you don’t have to get any further training. There’s a ton of continuing education as well with this.

JAY: So, yeah. Every year, we have to go through, like, a minimum of like 40 hours of training. Every company has training for their specific plans. So, right here in Pennsylvania, you know, in my county, we have 105 different Medicare managed plans, 60 different Medicare supplement plans, 40 different drug plans. Every one of those companies, every one of those plans expects us to study them. So, it is a tremendous amount of labor that we have to put forth every single year to ensure that we’re on top of it for them.

And, you know, going back your point, with regards to the cost basis, you know, as an insurance agent, we get paid by the company. And it doesn’t matter what company I work with; they all pay me the same. So, I never was going to charge, and I never made attempts to charge, because that’s how we get paid. So, and if we don’t work together, that’s fine. I’d rather just give you the right information than worry about you in the future having the wrong kind of plan.

RYAN: Now, our goal is for people to find you before they turn 65 and start with you from the get-go. But the fact of the matter is, not everybody’s in that situation, and you come across, I don’t want to say some messes, but definitely some situations that need some tweaks, and some small tweaks can save a ton of money. Correct?

JAY: Yeah. And that’s kind of the big one. You know, there’s a lot of people that get talked into doing this kind of right when they turn 65, sometimes four or five months before they turn 65. And they’ll sign them with one plan, and then they don’t even take care of the drug plan. So, then I’ve got to come in and fix those problems for them.

And so, I would tell anyone, always get a second opinion; don’t just rush into it. Don’t just do what your neighbor did, or your brother did, or your mom did. Make sure you’re getting the actual analysis, so that you’re not going to be put in the wrong position, because I have come across some really terrible, you know, situations. Doctors weren’t accepting their plan, their medications weren’t covered, and they were out of pocket that kind of money that they never needed to be, because they just needed someone to actually go through the process with them.

RYAN: So, you’re telling me that they shouldn’t just take those grocery cards they get, and just pick that plan because of a nice $150 grocery card?

JAY: Exactly. You know, there are plans out there that will give you money back towards your Medicare; they’ll give you free dental and free vision. Some will offer some crazy benefits like grocery benefits. But that benefit is not for everyone, and that’s been the, you know, the surprise for a lot of people. There are companies that will give you a grocery benefit, but you have to qualify for it. You have to be chronically ill or be on welfare; and they don’t make that clear when they sign you up. And they’ll say, oh, well, you don’t qualify for this benefit, but let’s talk to you about this other plan, and they’ve already got their hooks in you.

So, you know, don’t just rush into it. Take your time. Get some evaluations. And, you know, the thing about this, we have 105 different Medicare managed plans just in my area. You really don’t need someone to sell you a plan. They should be doing the work, looking at every plan for you, asking you all those important questions, like medications, doctors, dentists, gym, travel, budget, all that kind of stuff, and then help you find the right plan, and give you some options and let you make the decision, not them making the decision.

RYAN: I think the simple message is here, (a) if you do get one of those great offers, like grocery card or whatever, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. You know, that plan might actually work for you, but talk to a specialist like Jay before you just assume that that’s going to be the best plan. You can never fail with that approach.

JAY: Exactly. That’s the best way of thinking about it.

RYAN: So, I look at maybe three different groups of people in terms of – that might be listening to this, and wondering, well, okay, well, when shall I reach out to Jay.

So, the first group is people that are not quite 65 yet, maybe starting to get into Medicare planning mode, and that’s how they came across this when they were searching online. When should those folks really start getting serious about Medicare and reach out to you and start planning?

JAY: I think anyone, you know, past 62 would probably a good person to start having that conversation with, because they’ve got to figure out the Social Security bit, and the Medicare bit. So, you know, we can kind of give them a line and say, these are areas to kind of think about when you’re getting into that focus point.

And, again, you know, I don’t make anything off of Social Security. We don’t get paid anything for that. We just – there is a different ways to take your Social Security, so you don’t want to make a mistake and waste money. And then, when you add Medicare on top of all that, it just gets overwhelming. So, yeah, I would say 62 would be, you know, smart, at least to start the conversation. And then, from there, I’ll put it on my calendar and follow up with you, you know, a couple years past, and we’ll make sure you’re taken care of.

RYAN: So then you have another group of people, and this group is growing the way our economy is right now, is those that are 65, but still working. So, okay, you’ve got the employer plan, you’ve got Medicare. You’re always going to have to compare the two to see which one is best. And, again, you know, every situation is different, but what’s some overall advice for those folks?

JAY: So there’s a lot of sales tactics around this whole thing, where they’ll say, you get a letter saying, if you don’t sign up for your Medicare A and B when you become eligible, and you keep your employer plan, you’re going to get a livelong terrible penalty.

Just to give you a background reference, my dad was 75 before he picked up his Medicare Part B, and never paid a penny in penalties for picking it up later because he had credible health insurance coverage up until that point. He was working up until that point. So, if you have good health insurance and working, and what I mean by good, it’s cost-effective insurance. If you’re not paying a ton a money per paycheck, you know, say under $100 a month, and you don’t have some crazy deductible, two, three, four, $5,000 deductible, that you have to meet before the insurance kicks in, then you’re probably fine, just staying with the work insurance.

But if it is, you know, $250 a paycheck, and you have a $3,000 or $4,000 deductible, you should definitely have a conversation about your Medicare options. And from my own previous experience, we’ve had employers cover the cost of the employee’s Medicare and their supplement, or their Advantage plan, because it was more cost effective for them to cover that benefit, versus having them on the employer plan.

So, again, have that conversation. I’ll be happy to talk to you about it when you have your enrollment periods every fall.

RYAN: So another great example there; don’t assume that your employer plan is going to be the best one for you. Have that conversation with a specialist to make sure.

I think then the last group, Jay, is people that are already in Medicare. They didn’t know about you at the time they started with Medicare, but it’s never too late to get a second opinion. When can they reach out to you with plan selection help?

JAY: So, generally, there are two enrollment periods now for Medicare Advantage folks. So, October 15th to December 7th, you can make as many changes as you want to your Medicare Advantage plan or your drug plan. So that’s the first way, the first time to reach out. And then there’s also a new enrollment period called the open enrollment period, from January 1st through March 31st. That is a one-time deal, though, okay? So, if someone gets you on the phone, and they talk to you about a plan, and they change your plan, you’re stuck with that plan for the year. So, just make sure you’re being very cautious about that point, or about that time of year, because it is a great way to fix a mistake that might have happened in the fall, but other people are taking advantage of it, and using it as a sales opportunity, which it was never meant to be.

And then for those of you that have, like, a Medicare supplement, and you get an enrollment, or you get a rate increase in May, call me. You can change a supplement any time of year. And then, for those of you that are on welfare or maybe, or in a situation where it’s June, and you find out that something that you really need is not covered well, there might be special circumstances where I can change out your insurance.

So, always reach out. I’ll be happy to talk to anybody, any time of the year, just to kind of get a game plan put together. But, yeah, there’s a lot of variables, and a lot of ways to change your insurance to make it fit for your needs.

RYAN: Then I think, you know, the last piece of advice is, let’s say you worked with Jay, he’s picked the best plan for you, don’t treat it like Netflix and put it on auto-renew. It’s something that you still should have a review every year because things change, not only with someone’s health, but with Medicare; right?

JAY: Yeah. So, I never let my clients let it sit. We bug them every year, and that’s why I’ve kept 98 percent of my clients since the beginning of when I started in 2008, is I bug them every single year. You know, we look at their meds. We look at their doctors. We look at what their concerns are, and, you know, we’re not looking to change your insurance every year. That’s not our goal. But we just, we absolutely have to make sure that the plan is going to take care of you. And we’ve had some big shifts. I mean, Medicare Advantage plans, drug plans are annual contracts. So they can be a great plan one year; they can be a very difficult plan the next year.

And, you know, I have an example of a person that had some very expensive medications, and their insurance company was going to flat-out not cover them this year; not even a tier exemption, just not going to cover them. So their projected medication cost was going to be $42,000 for one year.

So, I was the one that found it back in October when we do our analysis, and I reached out to them, and said we’ve got to make this fix happen. They didn’t get notification from their company till December that their plan was not going to cover those meds. So, that’s what we do. We make sure that we’re on top of it, and we don’t let things sit, because we don’t want someone to miss out on an opportunity or get charged an exorbitant amount of money for medications.

RYAN: So, to kind of put you on the spot here a little bit, Jay. You’ve been in the Medicare world for a while now. What are maybe some of the biggest changes you’ve seen over the years, and what’s just your overall feeling of where Medicare is at right now?

JAY: There’s a lot. Right now, I guess on the Part D side, there’s a lot of changes. So we have like the four phases of a drug plan. We have the deductible, the initial period, the donut hole, and then the catastrophic. This year, the catastrophic got eliminated, so when you spend $8,000, you’re done for the year. No more co-pays. Next year, based on the current administration, there’s a law that was passed, the Inflation Reduction Act, that says everyone’s medications are going to be capped at $2,000 next year, which we’re hopeful that that stays. But, again, there’s an election coming, so we don’t know. That’s a huge one. Insulin is being covered much better than it used to be. Constant glucose monitors, the Freestyle Libres and the Dexcoms, they’re being covered by a select set of carriers. There is Medicare buybacks, there are veteran’s plans. There is just a multitude of really surprising benefits out there.

And, you know, in our area, we’re lucky, because we have so many seniors, and we have a lot of plan options. And because of that, you know, it’s been a big shift in our marketplace. There used to be a lot more people had Medicare Supplements, and not too many people had Advantage plans. Our segment has grown by over 35 percent per year. And how they’re showing that the overall cost for healthcare for the Medicare Advantage side is actually lower than the Supplement, which is a big surprise and a big shift.

So, yeah, we’re lucky in this area, but it’s a moving target, to say the least.

RYAN: Yeah. It definitely seems like Medicare is watching the bottom line very closely, which someone of my age would love to have Medicare available when I get 65. I’d like to see that.

JAY: Yeah.

RYAN: And there’s give and take to it, as you said. Some things are better, but there’s going to be some things that are covered not quite as good, and I think all that points towards, as they continue to watch the bottom line more and more down the road, and all these changes continue to happen, the value and the need to work with someone like you just increases more and more and more.

It’s good job security for you, right?

JAY: It definitely is. It’s funny that, you know, customer service is a dying art, and that’s the thing that people always come back to me for. I just say, you just call me. Every time there’s a problem, you just call me back. And I tell them, if there’s an issue, there’s a problem, you know, I can always reach out to the carrier and say, hey, we’ve got this problem, and the carrier will take care of it, because I’ve been doing it so long . And the carriers know that I take care of my clients, which means they’ll look good, too.

So, yeah. It just comes down to straightforward, old school customer service.

RYAN: So if they go through Joe Namath’s company, whatever, Joe Namath will give them a call right back if they’re having issues with that plan?

JAY: They’ll definitely give them a call back to tell them to buy the plan.

RYAN: So, yeah, again, work with someone local like Jay. You know, you’re going to get – you’re going to get the same number that his kids have, right? You’re going to get – you’re going to get his cellphone number. So that’s very – not everybody does that.

JAY: No, no. They really don’t.

RYAN: And so, for those of you all out there that stumbled across this, I’m glad to have introduced you to Jay here, and I’m sure you’re curious how to get a hold of him. So, Jay, what is the best way for someone to start the process?

JAY: So, I have a bunch of URLs that all go to the same place. So the company name is Go Comprehensive, so you can go to gocomprehensive.com. Or if you want to make it a little easier, you can go to explainmedicaretome.com, or healthplanconcierge.com. You’ll find my cellphone number on there. You can always shoot me a text. You’ll also find my email address on there as well, and you can shoot me an email, and I’ll be glad to reach back out to you.

I have a staff of about four people. They’re all admins, and they just help me through this process. So one of us will definitely call you back. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of. And, again, this has nothing to do about what I can profit off of you. I’m not looking to profit off of the fact that you’re turning 65. I’m much more concerned about helping you through this incredibly complicated transition, and be there for the long term. I mean, I started in 2008, so my 65-year-olds in 2008 are now 80, and it’s crazy. Their kids are calling me. And it’s just an amazing transition. So I’ll be happy to help out.

RYAN: Michael Scott’s been very quiet back there. I don’t know if he has anything to add to this, or if we’re good. Do you want to go there?

MICHAEL SCOTT***: That’s what she said.

RYAN: Well, hey, great talking to you, Jay. I hope people – I’m quite sure people will watch us and be very interested in working with you, and hopefully this can lead to many more success stories down the road.

JAY: Thanks for the opportunity, Ryan. I appreciate it a whole lot.

***Not really Michael Scott.