Community Chat

[Elom]

i chose AARP supplemental insurance with Medicare. It was and is a great plan but in talking to a representative today it will go up 3% each year on my sign up month  and every January for the year. The 3% is paying back a discount that they gave me. Somehow this seems a little absurd!

So now I an thinking I should shop this around. Anyone use a company that they are happy with? i have only used the ins. Once in two years but got to have it. 

[Elom]

I should have looked at the subject line when spell checking! Lol

[DoneTryin]

Check your most recent Medicare booklet for 2016 to see what other options are available in your area.  Asking here won't help much unless there's someone who lives in your state & has the same, or similar, health insurance needs.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Limbo4now wrote:

i chose AARP supplemental insurance with Medicare. It was and is a great plan but in talking to a representative today it will go up 3% each year on my sign up month  and every January for the year. The 3% is paying back a discount that they gave me. Somehow this seems a little absurd!

So now I an thinking I should shop this around. Anyone use a company that they are happy with? i have only used the ins. Once in two years but got to have it. 

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@Elom

If I understand you correctly, you've got traditional Medicare with an AARP  Supplement.    

The Supplements do go up slightly each year.   During Open Enrollment you can always change your Plan Bs to a higher deductible or whatever, but this is normal, from what I've seen. 

[KathyPet]

Yes you can and should shop around to see if you can get a lower price from another insurors.  At least it is easy to compare since all the benefits under whatever specific letter plan you have now with AARP are identical with other insurors.  Comparing apples to apples got a lot easier since Medicare mandated that all the benefits under whatever plan type cannot vary by insurance company.

[3cupcakes]

@Elom   We don't have your same company, but our plan does the exact same thing as yours.....the discount percent goes down over 3 years & on the fourth year, we pay the full amount.

this has nothing to do w/the increases that the policy premium itself may have.

My friend has an third different company from both you & I & she has this decreasing percentage discount too.

[Trix]

The Medicare supplements promoted and endorsed by AARP is not sold by AARP.  The coverage is with United Healthcare. The company offers a discounted rate to AARP members, but like supplemental plans with all other carriers the premiums go up anytime Medicare Part A/B has a premium increase.  In other words almost every year.

Plans and insurance agencies operating in an area vary from state to state, so it's not really feasible for us to say you can do better. However, for disclosure I live in Illinois and my supplement is with Blue Cross.  It's ideal for my healthcare needs, and is a plan accepted by most hospitals and many providers in the Chicago area.   

[Annabellethecat66]

I had AARP supplemental and had no problem with them with both medical and prescriptions.

However, this year my insurance agent talked me into changing them for a company called Magellan.  DO NOT GO WITH MAGELLAN!!  They are terrible!  Now I'm locked in with them (prescriptions) and so far they have refused to give me (refused) 3 prescriptions I've taken for years.  

At first they gave my Drs paperwork that had to be filled out justifying the prescriptions (which my Drs did), then they said they would review it.  Then they get back to me and say they no longer cover those medicines!  I said, "OK, I'll pay the full price of the medicine".  They said, "No you can't even do that".

Long story - short.  I had to stop just like that 3 medicines I've taken for years that my Dr says I should take.  I'm 70 years old.

Do not get Magellan for prescriptions.  My insurance agent doesn't even represent them but he said he felt like with my medicines they would cover them and be the best bet.  He said AARP was making major changes this year and with my medicines it would not benefit me to stay with them.  Well, I sure got screwed!

So, being the pain in the ......I am I text my insurance agent every time they deny one of my medicines.  He keeps apologizing and saying, "They are rated very high".  Don't fall for that.

Oh!  Many of the one's the do fill I have to pay $100 co-pay and they do not fill a 3 month supply of anything.  Can you imagine the amount of money just for this year I've paid out?  It's crazy!

Phew!  I need to take a rest, I get so worked up just thinking about these insurance people.

Unfortunately, I'm locked into them for at least another 8 months!  That's another terrible thing about insurance, I'm locked into them for 8 months!

[Moonchilde]

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@Limbo4now wrote:

i chose AARP supplemental insurance with Medicare. It was and is a great plan but in talking to a representative today it will go up 3% each year on my sign up month  and every January for the year. The 3% is paying back a discount that they gave me. Somehow this seems a little absurd!

So now I an thinking I should shop this around. Anyone use a company that they are happy with? i have only used the ins. Once in two years but got to have it. 

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I too wanted a Medicare Advantage plan when I was searching towards the end of last/beginning of this year. I too wanted either AARP's or BX's MA plan but no MA plans are even offered where I live (yes, that happens - who knew?) - so I was forced to research supplements.

In doing so, I went through an agency which specializes in them. I had already discovered with AARP on the phone about the "discount/surcharge" thing. The first thing the agency told me was that the large insurers - AARP, United Healthcare, BX/BS - all raise their rates every year, and 3% is low - really, they customarily raise their rates as much as 10%.

They explained to me that any company doing business selling Medicare supplements, as long as the company is financially stable, is "just as good" as the big ones, because they all pay out the same amount on Medicare claims and they are all advised what the bill is in a timely manner, with payment the same, because there are few disputes - something is either a covered Medicare charge or it's not.

The company they suggested to me is one I had never heard of, but rated B+ financially. My premium is $75-80 PER MONTH LESS than AARP's supplemental coverage. They raise their rates (the rate-raising is standard, I was told) an average of 2.5%, which is well lower than average. So I'm as content with it as one can be with this expense.

Google "boomer benefits" and you will come up with the people I spoke to. Regulations and offerings vary by state, and there are a few states they don't sell in, but their site is worth a look.

[Moonchilde]

And as for Part D prescription drug coverage, that can be with many companies.

I chose Silverscript, which is a CVS/Caremark company, since every nearby pharmacy to me is a CVS. Their premium is slightly higher than other quotes I've seen, but only slightly, and my co-pays for generics are rock bottom low. So far (and I hope to keep it that way for as long as possible) all my drugs are generic, so my actual monthly costs are less than the plan I had when I was working.