Re: Medicare supplement! How do you choose??

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

@haddon9....I do not think you are locked into a plan, but could be wrong.....the one thing that I know would KEEP YOU locked in is a health issue, not sure if you can be denied a new policy but I think you have to qualify and if you have a health issue you might not qualify.

DH has Afib and we were going to switch and the agent said he would probably be deined the NEW policy.

NVmimi · ‎03-10-2010

Boy, do I ever feel your pain, lol. I just received the application for a supplemental plan for my husband. We decided to go with Plan G, after much research that's what seems the best for us.

But, I would recommend that you contact your SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) office. They are a federally funded group of volunteers who are very helpful! No charge for their services either. Look them up online, it will ask your zipcode as every state is different.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
@haddon9....I do not think you are locked into a plan, but could be wrong.....the one thing that I know would KEEP YOU locked in is a health issue, not sure if you can be denied a new policy but I think you have to qualify and if you have a health issue you might not qualify.
DH has Afib and we were going to switch and the agent said he would probably be deined the NEW policy.

@Mom2Dogs . This makes more sense to me. I was told about being locked in by a neighbor but ill have to do my research when it's time.

Thanks!

fresh kitty · ‎07-06-2010

I need to tell you Medicare is 80/20 they pay 80 and you pay 20% of the bill. The medical bills are so high one illness could leave you homeless. My husband had cancer and the treatments were 10,000 a week same with dialysis was about the same. Then surgeries one at 140,000 and another at 120,000. Even with insurance we sold everything we had even a car to pay those bills . When he passed away after a 2 year battle our savings were gone and we worked and saved all our lives for retirement money was gone. So please get the best supplement you can afford and don't forget drugs because one of his prescription was 1300.00 for pneumonia. We pray we don't get sick but it happens to the best of people. My poor husband didn't even get to enjoy his retirement because he died at 68 years old. Then social security gets reduced and only get part of his benifits. So protect yourself please!

Vivian · ‎03-11-2010

Being basically lazy, I kept the health insurance I had as an employee and just moved it over as my secondary insurer when I went on Medicare. It was easy and Medicare just forwards my claim to Aetna for them to deny any coverage. I know people who have their secondary insurance through AARP and seem happy with it.

nomless · ‎03-10-2010

@Lovemyboots, find a certified Medicare advisor. This person can explain all the options available to you in your state. For now, avoid talking to an insurance agent....such a person is most interested in selling you whatever will give him/her the largest commision so will try to sell you the most expensive product. A certified Medicare advisor will be impartial.

BTW, AARP plans often cost more than similar plans from other companies. Once you decide on a plan, you can compare the cost of the plan across carriers in your area to find the best price.

Lovemyboots · ‎03-12-2010

@dal23 wrote:
Do you maybe have a Medigap plan? Those have higher premiums but provide way more coverage. And you only have a short window in which to choose them when you turn 65, so that might explain why you are tied in.

What state are you in? Your state might have an organization that helps people with these decisions. In Pennsylvania, it's called Apprise.

And yes, you most likely need a supplemental plan.

I looked up my plan. It is a Medipak plan. I was told last year that I am locked in! I wasn't told that to begin with or I would have chosen a little better! This guy was recommended to me & I trusted him. I feel the same as everyone is saying. I don't want to end up with a lot of med. bills although right now I have no health issues. I have a cheap RX plan for the last 2 years that I have NEVER used! But I was told I had to take one of those too! I live in Arkansas. The more I read up on it the more I agree I do need something to match up the gap. Just have to try to find one I can afford & still pay my other bills & eat!

Lovemyboots · ‎03-12-2010

@123SuzyQ123 wrote:
I have my supplemental through AARP's UnitedHealthcare. It is about $120 per month. I also chose an additional dental plan which is $33 per month (because I have bridgework that can get very expensive). So, for a total of about $153 per month, I am pretty well covered. I had to call an ambulance to come and take me to the hospital when I had a rapid heartbeat in 2014. My out of pocket for that (which ended up being a two-day hospital stay), ambulance and all, was about $500.

All in all, I've decided to stay another year with this plan since I have not been out any other expenses while covered by this plan!

Wow that does sound like a good plan! I have been sitting all day today reading & looking up information. After reading the posts here & some on another post I found, I realize I do need some kind of supplement. Going to call some places on Monday & see if I can get some help. I have never ever had ins. till I got on Medicare. So it is all kind of confusing! If I got sick before I took supplements. I still do that! I still don't go to the dr! I did go in a couple of months ago because everyone kept saying I needed to have an anual physical. When I did, even with my ins. they would only do certain tests because they said my supplement wouldn't cover it unless Medicare wd. Which didn't make sense to me! Since they only pay what medicare covers, then why have it? I think that confused me a lot!

Lovemyboots · ‎03-12-2010

@NVmimi wrote:
Boy, do I ever feel your pain, lol. I just received the application for a supplemental plan for my husband. We decided to go with Plan G, after much research that's what seems the best for us.
But, I would recommend that you contact your SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) office. They are a federally funded group of volunteers who are very helpful! No charge for their services either. Look them up online, it will ask your zipcode as every state is different.

I will look them up! I figure the agent I had was just looking out for himself! I will find someone to call Monday that will be impartial & hopefully will help me make the right decision for me!! I really appreciate all the comments I have gotten on my post. I just figured there had to other people out there that was going thru the same concerns I am having on ins! I so wish the US had insurance like other Canada does. Of course if we did there would probably be something wrong with it too!

Lucky Duck · ‎03-13-2010

My husband and I have had our supplement thru Mutual of Omaha for the past 2 years. We were both covered thru my employer until I retired 2 years ago. Now his premium is about $30/month higher than mine. He is 3 years older than me and has health issues. We each have a deductible around $170 this year and do not have co-pays. Each year the premium increases a little.

Last year I checked into changing and found that I would save about $5 a month by going with another insurance company. My husband was not accepted by other insurance companies due to his health. I have not had any problems with Mutual of Omaha so that is the company we stayed with.

We also have Part D for prescriptions. Husband is in the donut hole. Yikes!

In 2017 I had cataract surgeries on both eyes and my husband had back surgery. We had already met our deductibles and have not had to pay anything else (other than premiums). Thank God that we had our supplement!