Health Insurance - Medicare

[move on]

Be careful of any Medicare advantage plan. These plans require you to use in-network providers and there may not be any providers in the area where you are traveling.

[Yosemite77]

I think my question is pertinent to this thread, so I’ll go ahead and ask. I’m under 65, but fairly sure that I’m headed in that direction. I admittedly don’t know a thing about Medicare plans, but I will need to learn about the various options in the coming years. Any suggestions on good resources to learn about them?

[AudiDudi]

Originally Posted by Yosemite77

I think my question is pertinent to this thread, so I’ll go ahead and ask. I’m under 65, but fairly sure that I’m headed in that direction. I admittedly don’t know a thing about Medicare plans, but I will need to learn about the various options in the coming years. Any suggestions on good resources to learn about them?

Medicare.gov has a lot of information about each plan.

[BillJinOR]

Every state has a federal mandated and funded state education program …. ShiBA SHIP or some other acronym . For example SHIBA is state health insurance benefits advisors. States call them different things , but they are mandated to provide information and seminars free to the public. Google your state to find them. Some states are better at this than others. Watch out for insurance company sponsored seminars.. designed to get you in their program.

[powercat_ras]

I could find NO Medicare Part C ( Medicare Advantage ) in my zip code that would cover me in all 50 states for medical care other than emergency / urgent care situations. I wanted to be able to see a health care professional just like I would at home if I had a non-urgent care non-emergency situation. For this reason, I ruled out Part C.

Medicare Advantage providers promote some extra benefits like health club benefits and debit style cards for purchasing OTC drugs, etc. Some but not all Medicare Part A & B supplements now also offer some extra benefits. They are NOT allowed to offer some benefits like Advantage can like Dental / Vision in 2023.

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I went with Medicare Supplement, Plan N, and with Medicare Part D. Prices differ depending on your zip code and what county you reside in.

Medicare Part D: Use the Medicare.Gov web site to find the right Part D plan for you. You put in the medications you are on it tells you your annual cost for the insurance + drug copays. You can change your Part D plan every year during annual enrollment period if you can get lower annual cost on a different plan.

Personally I only take generic Lipitor and the best Part D for me was from Aetna, for under $ 3 per month in my zip code. My total RX cost for the drug copay plus RX co-pay is well under $ 100 per year.

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Medicare Part A & B Supplement: These are standardized plans that are almost the same for each plan letter no matter what insurance company you get your insurance from, such as G or N (there are more than these 2). There are some things insurance companies are allowed to do to customize like offering limited additonal benefits such as health club benefits and payment cards for some health items.

You do have a out of pocket for Medicare Part B it is the part B deductible. No current Medicare Supplement Plans available to new enrollees are allowed to cover this. For 2023 it is $ 226. Plan for that. If you have an annual physical just the labs for it will burn thru most if not all of that $ 226 deductible.

You can change your Medicare Part A and B supplement every year but there is a HUGE catch. When you do initial enrollement you MUST be accepted no matter your existing conditions. HOWEVER, if you change during annual enrollment after that, you can be REFUSED coverage by the company you want to switch to, this can happen if you have pre-existing conditions. So pick your Medicare Part A & B supplement provider for that worst case where you might end up being with them the rest of your life.

You can't just go to Medicare.gov and compare plans and prices. You CAN get a list of all the providers who offer Medicare Supplement in your zip code, but then you have to research them one by one to find out their prices for each Medicare Supplement Plan Letter. This is why so many just use a licensed insurance broker to figure out what Plan Letter and Provider is best for them.

Go to a Medicare Seminar to help understand the different Plans. The plans are the same no matter what insurance company you choose. Providers have ratings you can see on Medicare.gov to help you find one that takes good care of their customers.

Some things to look out for:

Some Medicare Supplements have misleading pricing that is not long term but is a short term price that jumps up. Read fine print and BEWARE if one company seems to be much less than most.

The licensed insurance brokers get paid by the insurance provider you choose. They generally give you a short list of providers and their prices but they are NOT required to list all available to you. They MAY NOT share the best value options with you. They are certainly not going to tell you about any discounts available from some companies that would have been available if you had not agreed to use the broker.

The AARP United Health Care offerings are by far not the best values in the market.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield offerings are not the best values in the market.
- that said, they both are solid offerings, just priced higher than some other solids.

Cigna offers a 5% lifetime discount for their Medicare Supplement if you directly enroll without going thru a insurance broker. With the discount, they were the cheapest long term cost in my zip code. I started with them last year and have been very satisfied with their service so far.

Personally for me, it was between a Plan G and a Plan N Medicare Supplement. Plan G is the best available for new enrollees and is highest cost. Plan N has same benefits as G but with co-pays for some but not all visits to a medical office, urgent care, or ER. In return for the co-pay the monthly cost is less.

[move on]

Instead of a Medicare supplement plan you may want to try a healthshare ministry such as Medishare. It is much cheaper and has no provider or geographical restrictions.

[BillJinOR]

Originally Posted by move on

Instead of a Medicare supplement plan you may want to try a healthshare ministry such as Medishare. It is much cheaper and has no provider or geographical restrictions.

Not for Medicare options.

[move on]

Originally Posted by BillJinOR

Not for Medicare options.

Yes. They do have a Medicare supplement option. Medishare operates just like an insurance company, but technically it's not considered an insurance company.

[BillJinOR]

Originally Posted by move on

Yes. They do have a Medicare supplement option. Medishare operates just like an insurance company, but technically it's not considered an insurance company.

I see they now provide a supplement like plan for 99 bucks
DW used medishare for 5 years ( I was under my union plan then Medicare) it cost a little over 300 a month initially they paid within a few months at first but the end they owed us 1500 bucks from 1 year ago that I’ll never see because she dropped the plan to go on Medicare.
Be aware unlike supplements where you never see a bill you will have to pay what std Medicare doesn’t up front and wait for medishare to find enough for reimbursement. For 50 bucks a month difference ( in her case the g supplement is 150 … personally , I’ll take the govt regulated must pay insurance company over the cross your fingers and pray ( pun intended) medishare. It worked for us for pre Medicare but we had great luck and no bad health events.

[Like2Fix]

Originally Posted by PlanBig63

Hello, I am researching and planning to FT RV and do some traveling. Any suggestions or folks who are on Medicare and have found a plan that works for traveling? TIA. I will be 65 next year and trying to build health care costs into my budget and find plans that work for moving from state to state.

Hello, I am in the same boat, will be 65 in 3 months and just now getting started on the Medicare sign-up process.

Thank you for your post, and I appreciate all those who have responded to it so far. Everyone has given very helpful information!

[jrs]

Originally Posted by AudiDudi

Part A - free
Part B - $164.90
Part D - $7.60 via Wellcare
Part G - $122.00 via PanAmerican

Can see any Dr. that accepts Medicare.

This is what we do. A, B. D. and G

[PlanBig63]

Pay it Forward

[Freebird2020]

Also about 3 months out. looks like Pan American doesn't have plans for Florida. Lee County anyway.

[AudiDudi]

Originally Posted by Freebird2020

Also about 3 months out. looks like Pan American doesn't have plans for Florida. Lee County anyway.

I use Pan American for Part G. $122/mo for a 70 yr old.