Medicare Premiums Have Gone Up!! - Page 8

Gooday · ‎03-23-2010

My BFF turns 65 the end of January. She is a retired police officer, single with a good pension. She has also sold real estate for 40 years.

She worked with an insurance agent as well as her pension board. Because she had a good year selling real estate Medicare will cost her $154.00 a month. Her BC/BS Advantage Plan through the Pension Board is $324 per month.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@Gooday Wow, that is a very high price for an Advantage Plan. If I got a quote like that, I would check to see what is available to the general public. That is unbelievable.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

I agree that is extremely high for an advantage plan.

Nuttmeg · ‎03-09-2010

@Gooday wrote:
My BFF turns 65 the end of January. She is a retired police officer, single with a good pension. She has also sold real estate for 40 years.
She worked with an insurance agent as well as her pension board. Because she had a good year selling real estate Medicare will cost her $154.00 a month. Her BC/BS Advantage Plan through the Pension Board is $324 per month.

We don't know what this plan covers. Does it cover meds?

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@Nuttmeg wrote:
@Gooday wrote:
My BFF turns 65 the end of January. She is a retired police officer, single with a good pension. She has also sold real estate for 40 years.
She worked with an insurance agent as well as her pension board. Because she had a good year selling real estate Medicare will cost her $154.00 a month. Her BC/BS Advantage Plan through the Pension Board is $324 per month.
We don't know what this plan covers. Does it cover meds?

The most expensive advantage plan available in my area covers everything I could think of without co pays and it is only $54/month.

Gooday · ‎03-23-2010

@Gooday wrote:
My BFF turns 65 the end of January. She is a retired police officer, single with a good pension. She has also sold real estate for 40 years.
She worked with an insurance agent as well as her pension board. Because she had a good year selling real estate Medicare will cost her $154.00 a month. Her BC/BS Advantage Plan through the Pension Board is $324 per month.

There is a back story as to why the premium is so high. Both my BFF and my husband are retired Chicago Police officers. According to the contract and for years that while they paid into their insurance premiums (and pensions too I might add), the City picked up a substantial amount. Two years ago, the illustrious mayor announced that the city would no longer be paying a dime towards the RETIREES insurance whether they were Medicare OR non-medicare age. The union went crazy and went to court.

The reason some went with the city's contract of Aetna or BC/BC advantage plans (at the retirees covering the entire premium) is the case is being challenged by the Illinois Supreme Court. Their union told them to stick with the city plan just incase the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Union to get the city to contribute. If the retiree chose to purchase supplemental insurance on their own, they could be taking a risk.

Both plans have an excellent Rx plan. No cost for generics and a substanial discount on Tier 2, 3 and Specialty Meds.

Those of us that were not Medicare eligible had NO choice but to purchase Obamacare. No option was given.

I hope this explains the reason for staying with the city's option. Believe me, my husband and his friends wrestled with what to do.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@Gooday I don't think you are understanding -- any person on medicare can buy an advantage plan for somewhere between $0 and $60 a month and get excellant coverage. And no one is paying any part of it for you - that is your TOTAL COST.If you have this correct and she is really paying $324/month for an advantage plan thru her union she would be infinitly better off to dump that and buy something as a private individual.

viva923 · ‎03-12-2010

medicare for me went from $108 to 128 per month.that was quite huge jump for me.

that raise from SS was completely wiped out with the medicare surge

nomless · ‎03-10-2010

@viva923 wrote:
medicare for me went from $108 to 128 per month.that was quite huge jump for me.

that raise from SS was completely wiped out with the medicare surge

Keep in mind that you are still getting a deal on your Medicare premium, paying less than the rate for new enrollees, for example. So please don't begrudge the increase, please be grateful that you are still getting a discounted rate.

Cakers3 · ‎06-17-2015

@nomless wrote:
@viva923 wrote:
medicare for me went from $108 to 128 per month.that was quite huge jump for me.

that raise from SS was completely wiped out with the medicare surge

Keep in mind that you are still getting a deal on your Medicare premium, paying less than the rate for new enrollees, for example. So please don't begrudge the increase, please be grateful that you are still getting a discounted rate.

@nomlessI agree in part with you but she said that the increase in her Medicare premium wiped out her SS raise.

Medicare is grossly mismatched in terms of income; low income (not Medicaid recipients) pay out as much as people with much higher incomes. This was discussed earlier on this thread.

The gap between new enrolees and those already on Medicare is closing.

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh