Medicare supplements

[LPS]

On my third year of retirement.  I have had Humana for my supplement and has been just fine for me.  My Ins Agent steered me to it cuz BC BS had a deductible for meds that I think was $100 or $200 a year.  ???  Also they weren't as good on dental and eye Dr things.  Well my agent called me and said that BC BS has gone away from the deductible and improved their eye and dental coverage and it is now $10 a month cheaper than Humana.  I will be switching to BC BS in January and thought I should mention it so you guys could check with your agents and see if it works for you. 

[glenn57]

is that through medicare LPS?????????

i need to start thinking about it too.........i currently have INS throug ht the union yet.......until i turn 65!!!!! thats next sept!!!!!!!

[LPS]

No.  You will get Medicare but then also need a supplement to cover things that Medicare does not cover.  Usually about $100 a month.  Your Medicare Part B is automatically taken out of your SS check before you receive it.  Medicare Part A is usually free to us. 

[glenn57]

No.  You will get Medicare but then also need a supplement to cover things that Medicare does not cover.  Usually about $100 a month.  Your Medicare Part B is automatically taken out of your SS check before you receive it.  Medicare Part A is usually free to us.

thanks.......thought so.

the wife is covered under medicare as she's on disability SS. we currently dont have eye or dental coverage. she did have to change providers for her meds. wasnt a big deal though.

i've played around with the math a few times at eye and dental coverage. just using your $100 figure, thats $1200 a year. we dont spend that much on those services. i know things happen, but....................

[LPS]

It covers more than that Glenn.  The eye and dental is just a small part of it.  It covers what Medicare doesn't in Dr. visits, hospital visits etc.  Pretty important to have.

[glenn57]

It covers more than that Glenn.  The eye and dental is just a small part of it.  It covers what Medicare doesn't in Dr. visits, hospital visits etc.  Pretty important to have.

i'll need to look into it.  i really dont have an agent though........

[Gunner55]

Mine is actually an AARP/Medicare Advantage Plan through United Healthcare, no premium it just cost me $45 for 3 years to belong to AARP. I have some dental & it would be better if my dentist was in their network. My vision coverage is a free exam & $200 towards new glasses every 2 years.  My meds are cheap, $2.81/90 days last time at WM, as I only need generic BP meds so I pay for them out of my pocket. Mainly just so I can get them whenever I want & not when my insurance company says it's OK. Don't save much going the other way anyway. Everything preventative like my yearly check up is covered. I'm not sure they have my plan up here but I checked before signing up for it, both DR & Big Fork accept my plan.  Who has your house & vehicles, glenn? 

[glenn57]

house is American Family.......vehicles are progressive.

thinking i might just call my current health care insurance and question them????????

[deadeye]

Medicare
A = standard no charge hospitalization.
B = General medical needs everyone pays the $144 more or less
C = Used to be "advantage" now often call part "C" Ucare, Blue Cross, United Health and others basically replaces A and B. 
D = Drugs.  Most C plans have drug, dental and vision options.

I'm always leery of an agents recommendation as there is the "what's in it for him" concern. Does he get more kick back from one company.

I have one recommendation when it comes to selecting Medicare Options.  Do tons of research as there are tons of options for any situation.

[glenn57]

i'm currently not eligible for medicare till next sept, but my wife is on medicare through United health i believe. she has prescription but not dental or vision. she i believe is also through the union plan but needed both part A & B.

like i said earlier, when i did a bit of checking on dental and vision, i'm not sure if the math adds up to justify what we would use, especially dental.   

[Gunner55]

That's exactly what I did, looked at the options available to me where I live & signed up for the 1 that I thought best suited my needs. No agent involved.  https://shop.humana.com/medicare-plans/ad/compare-ma-plans?kc=0300030822&cm_mmc=PPC-Medicare-DR-MSN-_-PPC-Medicare-DR-MSN-_-Siteli the 1 on the right is pretty comparable to mine.

[fishwidow]

Researched Medicare Advantage plans last year when my wife turned 65. Looked at some of the well known names like Ucare, BCBS, Healthpartners,and Medica as well as some other lesser known ones. They all seem to have several plans at different levels of copays and deductibles at different costs, depending on the level of those things provided by the individual plan.
We settled on AetnaAllina. The premiums were $46 per month. They did not have any direct dental or vision coverage, but have a reimbursement that is more than adequate to cover routine dental checkups, cleaning and X-rays and routine eye exams and allowances for glasses and contact lenses.
 They also provided up to $36.00 per month for over the counter medications and supplements. That’s a partnership deal with CVS and you can get toothpaste, bandages, cough medicine, vitamins, bug spray, sunblock, and lots of other commonly used over the counter stuff delivered to your house with no additional cost. Taking that into consideration the net outlay of premium minus the $36.00 drug allowance amounts to $10.00 per month.
We’ve also been very pleased with our out of pocket cost of any medical visits.  We had two cataract surgeries and an examination for a retinal tear.

The 2022 plan shows a $1.00 per month increase in premiums and the drug allowance sill be dropped to $100.00 per quarter.

Our choice took into account that we are pretty healthy.

We tried the agent route and had one come for a visit, but they could not tell us anything more than we found out with our own research. They did make sort of a halfhearted attempt to steer us to more expensive plans.
Not sure that this would be a good plan for northern folks. That market seems pretty well covered by Essentia and Sanford.

I will say this—the advertising and direct mail for all of these plans sure is good for the paper industry snd the printers.

[Gunner55]

I have something similar with mine for OTC but it's a partnership with WM. I can get $60 every 3 months with mine. Yeah, if you give them your name & address  you can expect to keep your USPS delivery person busy. 

[snow1]

Medicare/carriers sure is pounding the t.v. commercials,it drives me crazy,gotta be very expensive these add's on at prime time telle.

[snow1]

Medicare
A = standard no charge hospitalization.
B = General medical needs everyone pays the $144 more or less
C = Used to be "advantage" now often call part "C" Ucare, Blue Cross, United Health and others basically replaces A and B. 
D = Drugs.  Most C plans have drug, dental and vision options.

I'm always leery of an agents recommendation as there is the "what's in it for him" concern. Does he get more

 kick back from one company.


Once again ,good information  D.E.

thanx

I have one recommendation when it comes to selecting Medicare Options.  Do tons of research as there are tons of options for any situation.

[glenn57]

Medicare/carriers sure is pounding the t.v. commercials,it drives me crazy,gotta be very expensive these add's on at prime time telle.

i've had that same thoughts for alot of years with ALL the insurance companies and there advertising. 

they got that much money to spend on advertising, there charging me to much money!!!!!!!

[Gunner55]

                                   

[glenn57]

                                 

[Leech~~]

Medicare/carriers sure is pounding the t.v. commercials,it drives me crazy,gotta be very expensive these add's on at prime time telle.

My wife just retired from Medica. I told her the same thing about all the ad's on TV during the day.  She said it's end of the year and a new sign up and change benefits cycle? 

[Gunner55]

  It's called Open Enrollment & happens every year, typically from ~ 11/1-12-15. https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-open-enrollment-1738755#:~:text=Open%20enrollment%20is%20a%20period%20of%20time%20each,disenroll%2

[glenn57]

Yep even at most if not all places of employment.

[Cooperman]

house is American Family.......vehicles are progressive.

thinking i might just call my current health care insurance and question them????????

Glenn give “Dyn-O-mite!” A call

[Rebel SS]

 

[glenn57]

  Yea your alot of help coopy!!

[Gunner55]

   

[glenn57]

so i got a letter in the mail yesterday that seems somewhat ligit regarding medicare. its from pennsylvania ave in DC???????

i turn 65 in sept.........how soon did you guys start looking into this??????? for the record my wife has been on it for a while and has no agent and seems to be going smoothly. she doctors alot and we get some bills but not break the bank kinda bills!!!!!

when did you guys  start inquiring about medicare????? i am of the belief we dont need an agent, buti may talk to one about it. her maintence meds seems to be covered to the extent through mail order...............

[mike89]

I think her medicare is different than yours but not sure...  disability SSI is what I'm talking about...

[glenn57]

I think her medicare is different than yours but not sure...  disability SSI is what I'm talking about...

she has both part A & B?????????

in a couple weeks i'm going to head down to the union hall to question what the brass knows about it from dealing with other retirees......but i'm thinking i need to have a conversation with either our pension dept and/or SS dept!!!!

i'd rather have all mt ducks in a row early then scramble!!!!!!

[Gunner55]

I think her medicare is different than yours but not sure...  disability SSI is what I'm talking about...

Yeah, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is different from Social Security. It's funded by the government & not by the taxes you pay while working. https://ssabest.benefits.gov/benefits/supplemental-security-income-(ssi)

[Gunner55]

  As far as SSI & Medicare &/or Medicaid: https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-other-ussi.htm#:~:text=Medicaid%20is%20linked%20to%20receipt%20of%20SSI%20benefits,benefits%20if%20they%20a