Community Chat

[adelle38]

On 10/22/2014 scotttie said:

On 10/22/2014 happy housewife said:

As stated in my post it is an advantage plan. Of course I know they are not all available every where. Buy when someone whines about the cost of their plan going up I want to scream at them because there are comparable plans everywhere and they are just apparently too lazy to see what they can find for the amount they have budgetted. And the government has NOTHING to do with the amount you pay for your supplement or advantage plan.

Unfortunately you just don't know what you are talking about. It takes a tremendous amount of research to compare supplement plans and the costs are very similar according to the amount of coverage. DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE.

Also, the coverage varies a lot on Advantage plans and the costs are similar according to coverage.

I know what I'm talking about. I just finished this nightmare myself.

I agree. There are so many factors that go into making this decision. I wish it were as simple as comparing cost and benefits of Plans 1,2, 3 and 4. You have to consider first if you want regular Medicare and then figure out what a supplement would cost. If you decide on Advantage you have to compare plans and your individual needs. For instance, I need a plan that will cover me when I travel. Also some people have supplements and/or secondary insurance through employers. It's a very tangled web.

[tansy]

On 10/22/2014 MaggieToo said:

HH:

My office visits are going from $15.00 to $20.00. Specialist stays at $50.00. All but one of my nine meds are Tier 1.

I'm going to one of their meetings next Monday and will find out just what my options are.

Good luck, Maggie. I hope you find a less expensive plan.

[scotttie]

On 10/22/2014 MaggieToo said:

HH:

My office visits are going from $15.00 to $20.00. Specialist stays at $50.00. All but one of my nine meds are Tier 1.

I'm going to one of their meetings next Monday and will find out just what my options are.

Maggie, you can get a LOT of information on Medicare.gov also. They will compare advantage plans available to you in your area. Also they will list supplement plans. I found their pricing on supplements to not be entirely accurate for my area.

Another thing that I found helpful was a broker who represents more than one company. With a broker though you have to bear in mind that they are on commission. That said they are still very very helpful in explaining things.

On Medicare.gov if you put in your medicare number and drugs they will be even more helpful with your comparisons. It is very confusing but I just would spend time on it and then put it down. Come back read a while, put it down.

Good luck!

[scotttie]

On 10/22/2014 adelle38 said:

On 10/22/2014 scotttie said:

On 10/22/2014 happy housewife said:

As stated in my post it is an advantage plan. Of course I know they are not all available every where. Buy when someone whines about the cost of their plan going up I want to scream at them because there are comparable plans everywhere and they are just apparently too lazy to see what they can find for the amount they have budgetted. And the government has NOTHING to do with the amount you pay for your supplement or advantage plan.

Unfortunately you just don't know what you are talking about. It takes a tremendous amount of research to compare supplement plans and the costs are very similar according to the amount of coverage. DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE.

Also, the coverage varies a lot on Advantage plans and the costs are similar according to coverage.

I know what I'm talking about. I just finished this nightmare myself.

I agree. There are so many factors that go into making this decision. I wish it were as simple as comparing cost and benefits of Plans 1,2, 3 and 4. You have to consider first if you want regular Medicare and then figure out what a supplement would cost. If you decide on Advantage you have to compare plans and your individual needs. For instance, I need a plan that will cover me when I travel. Also some people have supplements and/or secondary insurance through employers. It's a very tangled web.

EXACTLY. And then guess what. I spent weeks researching this for my dh. We chose a plan and signed up. WE got the cards and the packet. A week later we got a letter saying they were dropping our plan entirely. I had to start over. EXCEDRIN HEADACHE NUMBER 200!!!!

[kittymomNC]

On 10/22/2014 MaggieToo said:

kittymomNC:

I've been comparing them and might just go to the same plan only just HMO. The POS was advantageous for a while, but the coverages seem pretty much the same. I would just have to get referrals from my primary care doctor.

It sounds like you've been doing your research. One thing I do like about regular Medicare, etc. is that I can go to any doctor who takes Medicare, and I can go to a specialist of my choosing anytime (if they take Medicare) without a referral from my primary care doctor. I admit that I don't know a lot about Advantage plans as far as deductibles, co-pays, out-of-pocket expense, etc. I had an emergency a few years ago that kept me in the hospital overnight, and had a very expensive test the next day -- I didn't have to pay a penny and when I asked for a copy of the hospital bill, it was over $20,000! I was totally amazed - ambulance ride from the urgent care to the hospital, emergency room until 1:00 a.m., admitted and had the test later that day, and got home that evening. About 24 hours and $20,000 and I was not billed for a penny of it. Glad I was on Medicare and not my former "regular" insurance when that happened!

Hope you can get your bill down and will be happy with whatever change you make.

[HisElk]

On 10/22/2014 scotttie said:

On 10/22/2014 adelle38 said:

On 10/22/2014 scotttie said:

On 10/22/2014 happy housewife said:

As stated in my post it is an advantage plan. Of course I know they are not all available every where. Buy when someone whines about the cost of their plan going up I want to scream at them because there are comparable plans everywhere and they are just apparently too lazy to see what they can find for the amount they have budgetted. And the government has NOTHING to do with the amount you pay for your supplement or advantage plan.

Unfortunately you just don't know what you are talking about. It takes a tremendous amount of research to compare supplement plans and the costs are very similar according to the amount of coverage. DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE.

Also, the coverage varies a lot on Advantage plans and the costs are similar according to coverage.

I know what I'm talking about. I just finished this nightmare myself.

I agree. There are so many factors that go into making this decision. I wish it were as simple as comparing cost and benefits of Plans 1,2, 3 and 4. You have to consider first if you want regular Medicare and then figure out what a supplement would cost. If you decide on Advantage you have to compare plans and your individual needs. For instance, I need a plan that will cover me when I travel. Also some people have supplements and/or secondary insurance through employers. It's a very tangled web.

EXACTLY. And then guess what. I spent weeks researching this for my dh. We chose a plan and signed up. WE got the cards and the packet. A week later we got a letter saying they were dropping our plan entirely. I had to start over. EXCEDRIN HEADACHE NUMBER 200!!!!

Oh, scottie, just reading your post makes me not looking forward to the day DH and I have to figure all of this out. After all of the time you spent researching the plan and finding out they have dropped it is more than frustrating.

[scotttie]

On DH's advantage plan, I checked before I signed up and all of the doctors we want are providers. Two hospitals are but one is not.

THe Advantage plans in my area are cheaper up front as to premium but you still have co pays and deductibles. It is a relatively small deductible. Also, there is an out of pocket maximum. We went with the Advantage this time because it included the drug plan and we felt for our needs was the best.

Next time I am going to probably go with the supplement.

One thing to note, if you go with an Advantage plan, after 2 years the supplements don't HAVE to take you if you want to switch. When you first go on Medicare they do. That's why we are going with supplement next time.

[scotttie]

On 10/22/2014 HisElk said:

On 10/22/2014 scotttie said:

On 10/22/2014 adelle38 said:

On 10/22/2014 scotttie said:

On 10/22/2014 happy housewife said:

As stated in my post it is an advantage plan. Of course I know they are not all available every where. Buy when someone whines about the cost of their plan going up I want to scream at them because there are comparable plans everywhere and they are just apparently too lazy to see what they can find for the amount they have budgetted. And the government has NOTHING to do with the amount you pay for your supplement or advantage plan.

Unfortunately you just don't know what you are talking about. It takes a tremendous amount of research to compare supplement plans and the costs are very similar according to the amount of coverage. DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE.

Also, the coverage varies a lot on Advantage plans and the costs are similar according to coverage.

I know what I'm talking about. I just finished this nightmare myself.

I agree. There are so many factors that go into making this decision. I wish it were as simple as comparing cost and benefits of Plans 1,2, 3 and 4. You have to consider first if you want regular Medicare and then figure out what a supplement would cost. If you decide on Advantage you have to compare plans and your individual needs. For instance, I need a plan that will cover me when I travel. Also some people have supplements and/or secondary insurance through employers. It's a very tangled web.

EXACTLY. And then guess what. I spent weeks researching this for my dh. We chose a plan and signed up. WE got the cards and the packet. A week later we got a letter saying they were dropping our plan entirely. I had to start over. EXCEDRIN HEADACHE NUMBER 200!!!!

Oh, scottie, just reading your post makes me not looking forward to the day DH and I have to figure all of this out. After all of the time you spent researching the plan and finding out they have dropped it is more than frustrating.

I must say, "the air was blue", when I opened that letter.

When it gets close to time for you and your husband to decide, I highly recommend going to the medicare.gov website. There is a ton of helpful info there and it will get you started to the point you know what questions to ask potential carriers.

Also, you will probably be deluged with marketing plans from all the insurance carriers. They can be helpful too.

Get a couple of big ole file folders LOL

[scotttie]

Oh and one more thing I just remembered. The medicare.gov website posts warnings about Advantage plans that don't have good ratings for customer care etc.

[DowntonAbbey]

Thank you for letting people know this. I am sure many are thankful to know there will be a raise. Seems like last year was a 1.5%. I wish they could get a 5%.