Part D Coverage

Uncle Phil said:
Advantage plans are generally cheaper with little or no premiums and often include dental, vision, etc.
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And some Advantage Plans also include Part D.

Uncle Phil said:
Supplemental plans (mine has no deductible) has no pre-certs, I see whatever specialist/doctor I want (so I can keep all my doctors I had before).
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But surprise, surprise, not always that cut and dry. Some states offer supplemental Medigap Policies called Medicare SELECT which call for In Network care. There is no end to it.
 
MidLife said:
And some Advantage Plans also include Part D.



But surprise, surprise, not always that cut and dry. Some states offer supplemental Medigap Policies called Medicare SELECT which call for In Network care. There is no end to it.
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I've always wondered how could the government make it so complicated - but then that's what they always do ... ;)
And FWIK, it can varying significantly from state to state on supplemental/advantage, etc. plans.
 
Mophead said:
Last year when we first got into this mess we were trying to decide on supplemental or advantage plans. I went to three local hospitals and go straight to the pay up window. Asked the ladies which plan is better. Three out or three said do not do the advantage plans.
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And more and more hospitals are just plain not accepting them anymore. Kind of a disadvantage......
 
Uncle Phil said:
And FWIK, it can varying significantly from state to state on supplemental/advantage, etc. plans.
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State to state?

A friend told me about a medigap coverage provider that was working well for him.....not available in my zip code.....25 miles away from him, same State.
 
After going on that website and looking at the Part D options, I think I'll just stick with the Kroger Plan. :unsure-2x:
 
My wife works in the medical field. The insurance girl and everyone in the office says run away from anything that says "advantage" on it. Straight Medicare with a supplement is the consensus. They see people with advantage plans get denied for things they need every day. Another thing to consider is that if you travel out of state Medicare is taken almost everywhere.

I know nothing but what I hear. However, I'm a fixin to learn as I need to figure it out next year.
 
Mophead said:
We went with supplemental .....
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This is step one.

Step two....which of the 12 Supplemental Medigap Policies to choose, well, 10 as you can no longer enroll in C and F, and of course minus the ones just plain not offered in your Zip area. And also need to consider the possible Local/State variations to the basic policies.

And see how helpful AI is on that.

12 Standardized Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans:​

There are 12 different standardized plans in most states. The Federal Government standardized these plans and created 12 options for consumers: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, N. Each plan covers a different range of costs.

New Math? 10 = 12?

It's because there are also a HD-G and a HD-F plan they are not listing, High Deductible versions of G and F.......and on and on. And it will be changed by the time you catch up.

Mophead said:
I went to three local hospitals and go straight to the pay up window. Asked the ladies which plan is better......
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Good way to do it. Some plans are good but the ladies may not like dealing with the provider. These ladies will like you a lot better if you make their life easier .......
 
Uncle Phil said:
I've always wondered how could the government make it so complicated - but then that's what they always do ... ;)
And FWIK, it can varying significantly from state to state on supplemental/advantage, etc. plans.
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Imagine how difficult it would be to parse out differences in Medicare supplemental plans if the government didn’t require the 10 Medigap plans to be standardized between carriers and most states to offer the same plans. The only objective difference a plan between carriers can have is price leaving you free to choose a carrier based on subjective factors like customer service. My wife and I aren’t candidates for Medicare Disadvantage so choosing a supplemental Medigap plan is actually very simple. G for her, K for me. OTOH, Disadvantage, prescription drug, vision, dental and hearing requires study and/or a high level of trust in the brokerage navigator.
 
MidLife said:
State to state?

A friend told me about a medigap coverage provider that was working well for him.....not available in my zip code.....25 miles away from him, same State.
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The menu choices in some states may have zip code inclusions but most do not. This is according the UHC booklet sent to me the first year I entered open enrollment.
 
dduelin said:
The menu choices in some states may have zip code inclusions but most do not. This is according the UHC booklet sent to me the first year I entered open enrollment.
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Choice is only there in your ZIP if a provider chooses to offer it. AI states it well....

""""""Not all Medigap policies are available in every zip code because the cost of healthcare varies by location, impacting which plans insurance companies choose to offer in different areas; essentially, the availability of specific Medigap plans can be influenced by factors like local healthcare costs, the density of healthcare providers, and state regulations, leading to different options depending on your zip code, even though the standardized Medigap plans themselves remain the same across the country.""""""
 
Some of this stuff is so complicated. For example regular medicare doesn't include vision dental or hearing but if you enroll with an medicare aproved insurance company its included. Along with your part D plan. So is the insurance company raking in extra money from the government to fund this stuff that regular medicare doesn't. If so that is why the deluge of advertising begins october to december and competition is fierce. Medicare pays the insurance companies probably three times the money to take care of a medicare client than it does to take care of a person with medicare only.
 
While I was working my company paid all my insurance premium 100%. I paid nothing. Had deductible for meds but that was it. Boy, has that ever changed. Now I have to go through this mess every year and I'm sure it will change again next year.
Everyone I contacted locally really did not want to advise unless you were going to buy a supplement or advantage plan from them. I got the "Go to the Medicare site and pick the plan that fits you best" response.

OK, so next time your car breaks down just go to Yelp and pick the best shop suited for your needs.
 
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