Medicare and Insurance

robbiesgram wrote:
Try United Health Care thru AARP. Choose the plan F, which will cover you all over the US. We were domiciled in SD for about 10 years and used United all over the US, for some major health issues.

They probably aren't the cheapest, but the docs & hospitals like them as they pay the bills promptly.

We had part D through them also.

Good luck

I was checking around last year to see if there was something better as I already had UHC AARP Plan F as fulltime out of SD. Found it was not offered in SD anymore. I called them and they said since I already had the policy they could not drop me.

obgraham wrote:
What you wrote, Avan, is factually correct. And not in conflict with what I wrote.

Practicality is sometimes different. Having dealt in numerous states with Medicare issues, clearly you get less hassle at the point of service with a recognized supplement than you do from Podunk Mutual. And the customer service offered by the carrier is sometimes night and day.

If you haven't run across these matters, consider yourself fortunate. I'll stick to my advice, and others are free to etc. etc.

Not trying to get in a debate here. I just don't think OP or some other casual reader of the thread should remember something a year from now when actually making a decision that 'gee, I think I remember someone on some forum somewhere said I should get BCBS" My point was that the products within each plan are identical and that acceptance is mandatory to any provider that accepts Medicare. Quality of service is a function of a caring provider AND of the willingness of the patient and family to become knowledgeable, to effectively complain when needed and to up the ante when required. Another good reason for OP to inform themselves from knowledgeable sources and Medicare which directly administers/regulates the supplemental/medigap program is (the) one such source. For the record, my now deceased wife had multiple serious issues while insured via Medicare Traditional plus which ever medigap provider that provided the least expensive premium based on the plan we wanted and the zip code we domiciled in during our nearly 15 yrs of full time. Under her plan, she had 22 major surgeries in that 15 years, medical services in 37 of our states, probably something around 100 ER/EMS encounters and 2 air lifts. The last time I totaled her spreadsheet she had in excess of $4million in claims and her last, which I didn't include, ran over another $1million. Never once was the issuer of her medigap insurance an issue. And for the record, the worst quality service and attitude she received, by far, was during a period when her supplemental was issued by BC/BS. I don't blame the insurer for that service. It was a function of the hospital she was EMS'd to and the arrogance of the doctors they hired. She was there nearly 3 months and the hospital was subjected to an on site "Immediate Jeopardy" inspection of her treatment (substantiated allegtions), was deemed in a post death 19 page report issued by Medicare to not have met Medicare's minimum professional standards and the family got sanctions against 5 doctors with one license revocation. NOTHING at all to do with whether her secondary insurer was or was not BC/BS. OP, do your independent homework which of course includes personal opinions but don't forget to consult the available authoritative literature on the basis that it's easier to just ask people what they think.

We both have AARP BCBS supplement. Before I went on Medicare, I asked my doctor's office which supplement was best from their point of view. It was AARP BCBS hands down. They said Humana was the worst. I talked with a friend who handled the insurance for my former employer. She is a bit older than I am and thoroughly researched supplements and recommended AARP BCBS. As RVers, one of our main concerns was portability across state lines.

I've been on Medicare for three years. A complete shoulder rebuild cost me $35 out of pocket. Didn't think I owed it, but it wasn't worth the time to fight it.

What you wrote, Avan, is factually correct. And not in conflict with what I wrote.

Practicality is sometimes different. Having dealt in numerous states with Medicare issues, clearly you get less hassle at the point of service with a recognized supplement than you do from Podunk Mutual. And the customer service offered by the carrier is sometimes night and day.

If you haven't run across these matters, consider yourself fortunate. I'll stick to my advice, and others are free to etc. etc.

Thank you for all of the suggestions! Looks like we have a lot of research and paperwork ahead! Appreciate your input!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned.

Medicare does not pay for medical expenses outside the United States, except for a few cases.

Not a decision item now - but if you plan to travel to Canada or Mexico with the RV, or just a cruise ship or overseas trip to Europe or Asia or .... - look into short term traveler's insurance.

Also you need to get Plan D (prescription drugs) taken care of EVEN IF YOU TAKE NO MEDICATIONS AT THE CURRENT TIME. If you delay, you will have to pay a penalty when you enroll later - and it can be significant.

obgraham wrote:
The Blue plans are recognized almost everywhere, and that is what I would advise as the least hassle-y solution.

With all due respect this is why it is good to get your info from Medicare.gov.

The recognition of BCBS is irrelevant as to supplement (medigap) ins. The federal law requires all medical service providers (doctors, hospitals, labs, clinics, ems etc) who accept Medicare to accept all supplemental policies from every insurance carrier. Doesn't matter if it's BCBS or Podunk insurance. And since supplemental plans are completely standardized, a Plan A supplemental policy from carrier A vs a Plan A supplemental policy from carrier B will be identical in coverage. What will change is the premium! And what will change is that in one's specific area, not all plans are offered by all insurers. Again the Medicare.gov website will help you pick from the various supplemental plans and then once you decide what's best for you, the website will, using you zip code, tell you what insurers offer that plan in your area and what their premium is for the coverage. Pretty simple if you do a decent job of guessing what your medical needs are for the coming year - never need health services except an annual physical vs having conditions that require frequent ER visits and hospitalizations, for example.

So if you get standard traditional Medicare coverage (Part A & B) plus a supplemental plan that you pick based on your projected needs, you have coverage across the country everywhere that accepts Medicare which, since Medicare is the big gorilla in health care, is most everyplace except concierge or very well established physician practices. Read the book.

Plan F is not going away if you are on it before 2020. Plan G is similar, except it does not cover the Medicare Part B deductible ($183 in 2017).
The unknown factor of course is if the premium for F will remain affordable -- who knows.

There is little point in trying to plan way ahead regarding Medicare, as the rules and fees change every year.

A reasonable approach for a new Medicare person would be to choose a G plan. The Blue plans are recognized almost everywhere, and that is what I would advise as the least hassle-y solution.

We are also SD . Best choice was the basic medicare policy, A & B with a supplement. You can then seek medical treatment wherever it's needed and the supplement pays based on what is approved by medicare.