Wellness

[World Traveler]

@Kachina624 I understand you to say you can use any medical provider who accepts Medicare, which is good.

My questions is: Did you find that your doctors prior to going with Advantage accepted Medicare? Did you have to start all over with whom you went for medical services?

I can stay with my Anthem Blue Cross plan once I retire, but the place I work for would not continue to pay 50% of my premium cost when I leave. It would cost me around $500 to continue with it. 

Was just curious if you were able to stay with your already-established doctors, which is what I would want. Guess I would have to start asking each one if they accept Medicare. I just assumed all medical providers accept Medicare.

[Duckncover]

My pension provider has had me with Aetna, Humana, BC/BS, and now United. All within the past 8 years. So far, I liked Aetna the best due to their easy online access. Never had to call anyone on the phone. It was all on their navigator site. I knew before I would be asked to pay for anything and how much it would be; no surprises or sticker shock. United is comparable to Humana, but I did have some out of pocket costs, but nothing major.  As far as advantage plans, none are literally no-cost for everything, but it depends on what state you live in. DH is with Aetna and no premium...but he just had to pay $400 for an MRI. I think most of them are pay now, or pay later. 

[World Traveler]

@Duckncover Thank you for your post; and also thanks to everyone else. Have been getting some good pros/cons.

I believe the December 7, 2021 deadline is not for me. I understand you have up to three months after you retire in order to make a decision. But I will read thru the Medicare booklet that came in the mail to make sure. I don't want any penalties for not signing up when I should, if I decide to drop the health care I now have with my employer.

[BirkiLady]

@World Traveler   Stay with your BC insurance. You'll never be dropped no matter what happens or how expensive your health becomes. I had BC-BS throughout my working years and have had it since I stopped working at age 51 due to disability. It's been worth it's higher price; I've never paid a cent other than my monthly premiums! 

And I've racked up a lot of medical bills in the last 23 years while on disability and then retirement. Read all the fine print and make a wise decision. Don't be swayed by another company's claims. They are all vying for your dollars.

Remember: It's your money, your health and your life. This is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make.

Once you give up BC, you may be penalized if you ever want to return. Be very careful of those "other" types of plans. They aren't nearly as solvent as BC-BS has been for decades. Do your own research first and read all of the fine print from every company you consider!!                  

[Kachina624]

No, not all medical providers take Medicare.  It's optional.  You surely can find a better deal than $500/mo.  Call your county office of senior affairs and get the name of your state's Medicare advisor who can tell you the pros and cons of all your options.  All states have this free service.  You should have to pay very little, maybe nothing.

Yes, I did stay with all my doctors.  Its not a problem here but many places its hard to find a doctor who takes Medicare.  One good option is always a university hospital system.  They have to take it.

The two doctors who refused to take Humana were specialists.

[Kachina624]

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@meem120 wrote:

@Kachina624   They have a terrible rep with docs because they never pay claims without a struggle.  When its a clean claim and everything is in order, there is no reason for a denial.  Yet, this happens over and over again with that company.

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@meem120  Actually my group is self- insured, Humana was just contracted to administer the program.  No Humana money was involved and no hanky panky with claims.  On one occasion when I explained this to a business office, they relented.

What you say is what I suspected.

[World Traveler]

@BirkiLady and @Kachina624 Thank you for the information. I appreciate all the views, which have certainly given me a lot to think about. I have a lot of reading/research to do to ensure what is best for me.

[Winkk]

I would say when you are ready to retire and go on Medicare to use a Medicare advisor.  What plan works for one person doesn't mean it will work for you.

The advisors are free.  They evaluate all the plans available to you with the pros and cons and then you chose.  Some people say that they favor one insurance company over another but I didn't find that to be true.  You can go with an Advantage plan or a supplemental plan.  It can be a complicated procedure.

[Pooky1]

MY Moms friend had humana and she would tell wht don't you rid of humana.she said she had to pay Alot for copays and prescriptions. They may have different plans I would think.

[Gracies Mom]

This I can say for sure---when it came time for me to retire and go on Medicare, right off the bat I found out that my primary doctor did NOT accept any Medicare Advantage plans. I also found out that Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NYC (which I use since I have cancer that is stable) does NOT accept ANY Medicare Advantage plans---just traditional Medicare. Therefore, the choice was easy for me--traditional Medicare was my way to go. My secondary is a self-funded plan through my husband's union--it picks up what Medicare doesn't--I also have my drug plan through his union, which is through Silver Script (backed by Caremark CVS). Yes, I do pay the yearly Medicare deductible and the monthly cost--as well as a small monthly amount for my secondary--but these fees are worth every penny as I rack up big bills for my cancer and diabetes diagnoses. I do not need referrals for specialists. I am comfortable knowing that anywhere in the USA I travel I know that I will be covered for hospital bills if I get sick.