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07-12-2015 11:40 AM - edited 07-12-2015 11:41 AM
I'll be joining "the club" pretty soon.
Is there a supplemental plan that includes long-term care and DENTAL?
How about home health care? For example, if I have surgery and need help @ home.. ?
Thanks.
07-12-2015 11:52 AM
What is available as far as supplements goes is different from county to county throughout the USA. You need to do some research in your area and see what is available for you. It also varies due to your personal history - for instance I retired on SSD and my DH retired when he turned 65. When I got my Medicare and you book (which tells you what plans are available for you to sign up to) mine was only about 1" thick but when DH got his it was about 3 " thick because a lot more were willing to insure him. So there are a lot of variables. We started out by going with an agent recommended to us by AARP then we attended several meetings and online tutorials AARP recommended so we could get educated about what all is out there. There is much to learn, and if you don't put in the time and effort, you will likely not get the best plan for the money and your circumstances.
07-12-2015 11:57 AM
I can tell you that if you are 65 and only now looking into long term care ins. it will most likely be too pricey. They want people to buy into it at around age 50 so they get paid over a long term before they have to pay anything out. I believe if you join AARP they sell dental ins thru Delta Dental, though I don't know what it costs. My DH is in the Elks and he buys us dental in a group plan thru the Elks for $50/month a piece.
07-12-2015 12:32 PM
Insurance is different from state to state, even from county to county. I don't know of any that covers long term insurance, which is expensive. I did not bother with dental because I did not think it's worth it. If you pay $50 a month there is usually a limit on how much they will cover per year.
You may want to consider a consultant. There is usually no fee for the service and they can compare all the plans available to you. It can easily become very overwhelming. Good luck.
07-12-2015 12:59 PM
07-12-2015 05:33 PM
I just went to social security the other day to apply for my medicare for doctor care. I had to first go to human resources from my job that I retired from a few weeks ago to get a letter stating that I have been insured thru June. I am so overwhelmed in what is offered for supplement ins. that I haven't made a decision yet. I talked to an insurance navigator and she made suggestions but I'm still hesitant to make a move yet. I need mail order info for my glaucoma medication that I take on a regular basis. My previous insurance was better than I knew. I was getting medication dirt cheap compared to what's up the road. I'd like to keep United Health Care because it's what I'm used to but I can see already that for more money, my benefits won't be the same.
So I'm waiting for this "golden" part of the golden years to start, lol.
07-12-2015 05:55 PM
Call you local Office for Aging for a referral to an independent Medicare advisor. That person will know what's available in your state, will know costs and can help determine what best meets your needs. Please get professional advice. People in a forum, although well meaning, don't know your state, your medical needs or your financial situation. Hence, advice you get here is not the best advice. Please see a pro.
07-12-2015 06:44 PM
I have a UHC medicare advantage plan. My premiums are $0 over & above what they take for medicare from my social security check and my co pays for tier 1 drugs are $2 for each 30 day supply. My co pay for a visit to the PCP is $15, a specialist is $50 and the ER is $65 -unless admitted then the ER is free. I can also choose to go out of network if I want to but I have to pay about $20 more.I have much better coverage than I did through DH's company when he was working. I highly recommend looking into plans offered by AARP. When I had knee surgery the admissions clerk told me that about 75% of the patients she admits have the same insurance I have. UHC also has a supplement plan but I can't really say anything about it. DH & I have stayed with this insurance for 5 years now, and we are very satisfied.
07-12-2015 07:05 PM
I work for a health insurance company and I do customer service for the Medicare suppliments that we sell.
When you turn 65, you will pick up Medicare Part A, which is inpatient (IP) hospital insurance. It only pays for IP hospital stays. Your bill would be paid at 100% minus the IP deductible, which is currently $1260...you will need supplimmental insurance to pick up the $1260.
You will also purchase Medicare Part B, which is health insurance for all providers, including, doctors, emergency room and all outpatient services, lab work, x-rays. Medicare will pay 80% of the allowed charges and you will be responsible for the 20% coinsurance. Some states also allow the providers to charge the excess fee (the amount not allowed my Medicare. You will need supplimental insurance to pick up the 20%, plus the excess fee if you live in a state where it may be charged.
A supplimental policy is purchased to work in tandam with Medicare. The supplimental policies are exactly the same in all 50 states and from every insurance company that sells them....only the price is different.
If you want traditional Medicare and supplimental insurance, choose Supplimental Plan C if you live in a state that does not allow the providers to charge the excess fee. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont
If you live in a state that allows the provider to charge the excess fee, choose Supplimental Plan F.
Both Plan C and F cover fees for inpatient rehab or skilled nursing in a facility (SNF). Without these supplimental plans you would be responsible for $157.50 a day for day 21 to day 100 if you need long term care in a skilled facility. (My sister is currently in a SNF with a broken hip and she is fortunate to have Plan F) They also cover foreihn expenses....Medicare does not. If you travel or cruise, it's important.
If you wish to ditch Traditional Medicare and choose an Advantage plan like an PPO or HMO, they differ state to state. You would be giving up your Traditional Medicare and would only have the insurance plan you have chosen. If you want to go this route, be careful. You could get stuck with very high medical bills for non-covered services. Some of these plans include dental and offer perks such as health club memberships. The cost is much lower than Traditional Medicare and Supplimental plans.
Traditional Medicare and the supplimental plans to go with them do not offer dental or long tern care to help you at home or in a SNF. Home health care for medical services are covered though. Routine care and meal prep, etc is not covered.
Long term care is very expensive. I had the opportunity to purchase long term care when I was around 42. It was almost $400 a month and was guaranteed to remain at the same price forever as long as I paid the priemium, I passed, I can't imagine what it would cost at age 65.
I plan on choosing Traditional Medicare Plan A,B and C....and also Supplimental Plan C when I turn age 65.
07-12-2015 07:51 PM
@Carmie wrote:I work for a health insurance company and I do customer service for the Medicare suppliments that we sell.
When you turn 65, you will pick up Medicare Part A, which is inpatient (IP) hospital insurance. It only pays for IP hospital stays. Your bill would be paid at 100% minus the IP deductible, which is currently $1260...you will need supplimmental insurance to pick up the $1260.
You will also purchase Medicare Part B, which is health insurance for all providers, including, doctors, emergency room and all outpatient services, lab work, x-rays. Medicare will pay 80% of the allowed charges and you will be responsible for the 20% coinsurance. Some states also allow the providers to charge the excess fee (the amount not allowed my Medicare. You will need supplimental insurance to pick up the 20%, plus the excess fee if you live in a state where it may be charged.
A supplimental policy is purchased to work in tandam with Medicare. The supplimental policies are exactly the same in all 50 states and from every insurance company that sells them....only the price is different.
If you want traditional Medicare and supplimental insurance, choose Supplimental Plan C if you live in a state that does not allow the providers to charge the excess fee. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont
If you live in a state that allows the provider to charge the excess fee, choose Supplimental Plan F.
Both Plan C and F cover fees for inpatient rehab or skilled nursing in a facility (SNF). Without these supplimental plans you would be responsible for $157.50 a day for day 21 to day 100 if you need long term care in a skilled facility. (My sister is currently in a SNF with a broken hip and she is fortunate to have Plan F) They also cover foreihn expenses....Medicare does not. If you travel or cruise, it's important.
If you wish to ditch Traditional Medicare and choose an Advantage plan like an PPO or HMO, they differ state to state. You would be giving up your Traditional Medicare and would only have the insurance plan you have chosen. If you want to go this route, be careful. You could get stuck with very high medical bills for non-covered services. Some of these plans include dental and offer perks such as health club memberships. The cost is much lower than Traditional Medicare and Supplimental plans.
Traditional Medicare and the supplimental plans to go with them do not offer dental or long tern care to help you at home or in a SNF. Home health care for medical services are covered though. Routine care and meal prep, etc is not covered.
Long term care is very expensive. I had the opportunity to purchase long term care when I was around 42. It was almost $400 a month and was guaranteed to remain at the same price forever as long as I paid the priemium, I passed, I can't imagine what it would cost at age 65.
I plan on choosing Traditional Medicare Plan A,B and C....and also Supplimental Plan C when I turn age 65.
I forgot to mention that Supplimental Plans C and F also covers the Medicare B duductible which is $147. If you choose onle of these plans (C or F), between Medicare and the supplimental plans, covered services are paid at 100%.
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