A diagnosis of kidney failure led former Humana insurance agent John Rivera, a Westside San Antonio, Texas native, into the complicated maze of Medicare, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability. The experience fueled his desire to create Medicare Solutions, Inc. in 2004. His goal? To help adults 65 and older and people with disabilities seeking assistance avoid the complex web of confusion he faced when seeking services himself.
Branching out from his career at Humana into Medicare Solutions, Inc., John built a dedicated client base by offering what office receptionist Elizabeth Roque described as “above and beyond” services. The staff keeps in touch with clients by sending annual birthday and Christmas cards, holding customer luncheons, planning group Bingo nights and even hosting extraordinary group trips out of town. Home visits and after-hour appointments are available if planned in advance, accommodations especially helpful to clients with mobility and transportation concerns. Anyone needing assistance with understanding complex medical mail is always welcome by dedicated staff, which also includes agent Fernando Sanchez and John’s daughter Monica, who began working alongside her father, founder and President of Medicare Solutions, Inc., in 2012. Services are covered by insurance and are of no cost to the customer.
In 2016, the unexpected passing of founder John Rivera drove daughter Monica Rivera into the role as President of Medicare Solutions, Inc., continuing her father’s legacy of care and her career in serving the community in need. The traditional hands-on approach to customer service begun by her father is still evident today. In working with clients, understandably confused by the process of enrollment, Monica grasps the confusion faced by clients. “They’re either starting out on Medicare, (or) they’re about to be active, they’re about to turn 65 (and ask), ‘What do I do, do I need Medicare Part B, or do I not? What do I do, how much money is going to be taken out of my Social Security? How can I maybe avoid that cost?’ So, we walk them through. We get them set up on either if they want a supplement plan or a drug plan because they will get penalized if they don’t get that. And a lot of people don’t know that, that they will get penalized if they don’t get on a Part C plan or on a drug plan.” She also relayed that Medicare Solutions, Inc. will work with people with newly diagnosed disabilities, “sticking with them” during the lengthy two-year requirement of being on SSI Disability until Medicare kicks-in and helping them find out what they can do in the meantime.
Now two years after her father and founder of Medicare Solutions, Inc. John Rivera passed away, Monica is honoring her father’s dream that she take over the business one day and continue her career path serving others. Today, she is building on the successful foundation begun by her father – beginning with an updated office. Currently, the office is located at 1410 Guadalupe St., #120 San Antonio, TX 78207, but Monica tells me they will soon move to 2014 Hackberry, San Antonio, 78210 to “spread our wings a little bit.” The Hackberry office has more parking spaces for clients and also includes a large conference room for special group events. The move will occur in the next few months after all clients are made aware of the change of address through flyers and social media. Ensuring all clients know about the move ahead of time so they can make proper travel arrangements for appointments will help safeguard a seamless transition to the new location, which is especially important to clients who need to make travel arrangements for appointments. With the move, Monica expects to expand the clientele base more broadly, which is a goal anyone concerned about those in need can support.
Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. Special appointments on the weekend and home visit appointments are available if scheduled in advance.
Location: 1410 Guadalupe St., #120 San Antonio, TX 78207 – moving to new address 2014 Hackberry, San Antonio 210-354-2276 Mchavarria10@yahoo.com Online: www.wemakemedicareeasy.com (currently under construction).
