TV and Movies

[shaggygirl]

In my neck of the woods sometimes it seems like the Humana ads run in a continuous loop. Sick of that guy and his green checkmarks.

[CelticCrafter]

Counting down the days!

[heart of savino]

Dont even think about a medicare advantage plan.if you take it you must stay in the network of their doctors.god forbid you dont you are screwed  with big payments coming out of your ;pocket.

just take medicare and a supplement and drug plan and you are all set.use any doctor you want,.yes more money but less headaches.medical is to important to fool around with no matter what it costs you..

[gardenman]

We have advertising seasons these days. May-August is the new season preview season where nearly all commercials are promoting new and returning shows. Then from September until early November it's all political ads. They're followed from November to January with an onslaught of ads for Medicare/health insurance. Then in January/February it's all weight loss/gym memberships. March and April are income tax season. Then the cycle starts all over again in May. You can pretty much tell what time of year it is by the types of ads you see on TV. Other stuff gets mixed in a bit all year round, but you get hammered with those ads in those seasons.

[CelticCrafter]

@Carmie - the way it was explained to us...

If you buy an Advantage plan - Part C - it includes everything in the original A & B, then Parts A & B go away and are replaced by the new Part C you signed up for.  The premium for the Advantage Plan replaces the Part B premium, it's not in addition.

A supplement is in addition to A & B, to cover what they don't cover and there is a separate and additional premium for it, over and above the $134 for B.

If you have an Advantage plan, you cannot buy a supplement to cover what the Advantage plan doesn't cover.

[bonnielu]

I am tired of all commercials and especially feel the medical (medicine) ones are over the top.  You are supposed to "tell  your doctor of your medicines" and then you are supposed to keep track of all the side effects.  WHAT ARE DOCTORS FOR.  Seems it is over the top and I just have found myself recording all my programs and eliminating all the commericals as I watch.  Or I go out of the immediate area, make dinner, eat it, clean my house, wash clothes and come back. Seems they are now long enough to do all that stuff.

[MamaWick]

I agree with xraytech...don't go with an advantage plan.  If you snowbird or travel anywhere, they will pay for emergency coverage, but expect you to get right back to your home base for followup.  We chose regular Medicare and Physician's Mutual (which actually has a "patented" supplemental plan as they were copied on so much).  We also chose our own Part D. 

We never got phone calls, but are still receiving mailings every day. 

[CelticCrafter]

@MamaWick - that's what we plan on doing.

Right now he's first for eligibility in March and takes no medications so will go with the cheapest part D available.

[namaste000]

Right now, the government pays for 80% of your dr visits, lab tests, etc.

But there is a big push by the government to play up Advantage plans.  In the future, the government will pay part of your initial costs and then you will be on your own for many of the costs now covered by the 80% mentioned above. 

This is not good for people on Medicare, but very good for the government.  The government wants Medicare Advantage plans to be the rule in the future.  So the push is starting now...

Don't be fooled when the ads tell you that you will get free glasses, health club membership, etc. What they're not telling you is that they will not (in the future) be covering your dr visits, lab tests, + more.

[software]

If you go to medicare dot gov and put in your state, you will see a list of what's available.

The Medicare website is a very good resource.

But it doesn't make decisions for you.    I opted for a zero premium HMO.   I live near a very large city with lots of hospitals and doctors but I use one exclusively and didn't have a problem choosing that hospital and all my personal doctors accept Medicare and are covered under my plan.

If I ever need a service not offered at my hospital, I can go to a different hospital & it will be paid.

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@ID2 wrote:

I'll turn 65 in February. I never give out my name, address or phone number ever. If asked for a phone number I give out an old number I've had. That being said I have received NOTHING in my mail, on my phone.....NOTHING. I kind-of wish I'd get something so I can read to help me decide. 

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