Medicare supplemental plan

Ned said:

An Advantage plan assumes responsibility for your Medicare coverage and replaces it.  It is different from a supplement which supplements, but does not replace, Medicare.

Click to expand...

See what I mean.....

Ned said the same thing I did, but only required two short sentences.  Made me look like I was from Detroit

aka Porky said:

Made me look like I was from Detroit

Click to expand...

Now, now Lou! You lost control. 

Richard

We will get a lesson soon!!!

carson FL

Our Advantage plan told us to put our Medicare cards away as they can't be used while we have the Advantage plan.

First, not all plans are available to everyone.  It depends on which plans are available in your domicile state.  Example:  For many years, we were members of Kaiser Permanente in California.  When we left California we had to find other insurance.  Kaiser told me that - whether you have Medicare or not (we didn't at the time) - Medicare rules are what governs who they are allowed to cover.  You MUST live in their coverage area.

Second, after determining what health plan you can purchase in your state, I strongly suggest that you be very careful about which plan you get if you plan to travel a lot for extended periods.  Many HMOs will not cover you if you're out of their area for very long (snow birds might be gone for 6-8 months).  You also may be required to use only their approved doctors.  That's why we initially got Blue Cross-Blue Shield when we left Kaiser.  With it we knew we could go to any doctor within the U.S.  When BC-BS raised our rates and reduced our doctor's fee payments (they're now doing the same thing in California), every one of our doctors dropped the plan so we now have the AARP Health Care Options (run by United Health Care) and have been pleased with it so far.

The paperwork you will get from all the plans that want your share of the health care pie is overwhelming, starting just before the Open Enrollment Period and ending after it does.  This year we decided to join a new drug coverage provider and got so much paper from both the old and the new one that we didn't know which were our "official" papers.  You have to read 'em all to make sure you don't throw away something really important.  No wonder health care costs are so expensive!  The paperwork alone is enough to drown an elephant.

ArdraF

Ned said:

Our Advantage plan told us to put our Medicare cards away as they can't be used while we have the Advantage plan.

Click to expand...

That's exactly what mine told me.  I also have another advantage  in that my ex-employer pays the premium for Part-D (prescription drug benefits - generic drugs cost me $0).

Our fine Washington leadership folks are going to kill the Medicare Advantage Plans next week if they get the votes.  The plans are classified as part of the fraud and waste in Medicare.

Our Medica Advantage plan is a MA-PDP (Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Plan) in which we will have PFFS (Private Fee For Service) coverage.  I guess it is called a Part C plan that covers Medicare Parts A, B, and D.  It's all so messed up that it can make you sick (pun intended)!  As Ardra said, the paperwork alone is overwhelming.

There's only two good things about our Medica Advantage plan.  First, for the year 2010 it costs us nothing besides the Part B premium that everyone pays and second, if we don't like it we can change it during the Open Enrollment Period.  I anticipate that we'll be changing to a different plan if either one of us ever really gets sick. 

rsalhus said:

There's only two good things about our Medica Advantage plan.  First, for the year 2010 it costs us nothing besides the Part B premium that everyone pays and second, if we don't like it we can change it during the Open Enrollment Period.  I anticipate that we'll be changing to a different plan if either one of us ever really gets sick. 

Click to expand...

Rolf, your first statement could be a little misleading as you most likely have office visit co-pays, prescription drug co-pays and maybe even certain limits and/or deductibles.  No?  These things can be significantly different from plan-to-plan.

I think we all have the opportunity to select another qualifying plan offering Part-D during the open enrollment period.

Rolf, your first statement could be a little misleading as you most likely have office visit co-pays, prescription drug co-pays and maybe even certain limits and/or deductibles.  No?  These things can be significantly different from plan-to-plan.

Click to expand...

Lou, I'm only talking about the monthly premium for our mediicare advantage plan.  The monthly premium for our Medica Advantage Plan is $0.  Yes, there are co-pays and deductibles if and when either of us needs prescription drugs, sees a doctor, or enters a hospital.

Rolf, it sounds like we have very comparable plans.  Not sure if we have a better choice or not. 

I'm sure hoping our Guv'ment  doesn't pass the bill that will remove the Medicare Advantage Option.

Stay healthy, my friend.  lou

DW & I are very happy with Blue Cross Blue Shield supplemental.

I don't see $104/month mentioned anywhere.

Click to expand...

$104 is for those newly joining Medicare this year. The $96.40 rate applies to anyone who was already in Medicare before Jan 1. The difference is because the 2010 rates were frozen at 2009 level for previous subscribers because the law does not permit a Medicare increase for subscribers in a year where there was no Social security increase.

Thank you Gary

Luca1369 - I assume you are not a military retiree, so the following may not apply to you, but there may be a few somewhere who were unaware.  All military retirees have Tricare for Life (TLF) automatically when they begin Medicare.  It is no cost to the individual.