Posted on 12/02/2020 6:30:58 AM PST by Patriot777
My dear fellow FReepers, could you please help me to find the best coverage but most economial Medigap plan? I have fixed income with Social Security Disability and have basic Medicare, but do not qualify for Medicaid due to my spouse's income (have tried multiple times to get on Medicaid). I've been shopping for a myriad of plans, but would like to see about the best one, Blue Cross Blue Shield--which I am about to further investigate.
Thank you my beloved FRiends!
Psalm 98:1, 2
I switched from Mutual of Omaha to Cigna (both plan G) and saved almost $60 a month for the same coverage.
Good luck to you.
In my case there was only one.
You should either be on Cigna HMO or Aetna Medicare Advantage.
United Healthcare
—
A wholly owned subsidiary of the Democrat Party
There are several different levels of Medigap plans identified by letters. Level F are the most expensive, but as you’d expect, have the most coverage. However, Level F is now only available for people who already have it. Level G pays the same as Level F but has a deductible. Other Levels pay different amounts. All policies within a level have to pay exactly the same. You can go to the Medicare website medicale.gov, enter you zip code and they will show you what’s available in your area.
There are also Medicare Advantage plans which cost much less per month but tie you into a particular healthcare system and act more like an HMO.
You can also get information, or at least find out where to get info by contacting a local senior center.
Good luck.
The interaction I had with United was less than satisfactory. Years ago a health savings plan.
United Health Care is a HMO. Some places do not accept HMOs. - PPO only.
I have Wellcare HMO. It’s pretty good.
And pushed by by aarp. Also a wholly owned sub of the democommies. At least in my view. Which may be skewed. Then again, I haven’t, nor has mrs rtkman gotten anything from them for years after the nasty gram I sent them years ago. :-) Guess it worked.
Medicare.gov allows you to compare plans for your specific area. Plans do vary from state to state and county to county.
There are too many variables to give much information here.
Some Medicare Advantage plans have zero deductible and varying drug coverage.
United HealthCare does not pay providers on time. They also deny claims constantly. It is basically criminal what they do. As a result, you may find it hard to obtain care, some providers will not accept UHC. I would avoid this insurance plan.
Shame. They used to be so good. Treated me very well when I had an accident and compound fracture of the leg. I went the more expensive route of having a rod inserted instead of a cast and they were fine with it. That was through employment but a few years later, I was working somewhere else that only offered crappy ins so I got United on my own through a broker. We had a baby and another one the way and United was great through all of that.
Is your spouse on an employer-sponsored plan? If so, can her plan be your secondary after Medicare as primary?
I had the UHC/AARP Medicare Advantage plan 3 years ago. In the late spring, they dropped most of the local/area healthcare groups and most of the physicians to re-negotiate.
The negotiations dragged on for about 6 months. They did reassign me a different primary care physician. [I never went to him because I didn’t want to have to change my prescriptions, etc.]
I decided the next year to go with a new carrier — Aetna — and have been very happy with them. I get $5 co-pay for the PCP ($0 co-pay the last half of 2020), $0 on 90-day generic prescriptions, $240/year in OTC goods. They did force me to change from Walgreens to Walmart pharmacy for 2021, however.
You should look into a Medicare Plus program. Many have BETTER benefits than medi-gap insurances & often have zero expense. I put my parents on a plan 15 years ago. They have an out of pocket maximum that is less than the premiums of a medi-gap plan & they pay $0 premiums. When my father had multiple surgeries & was in & out of a coma with many weeks in the hospital & rehab, he didn’t incur enough expenses to meet his out of pocket max by a few hundred dollars.
Call an insurance broker that specializes in Medicare.
Medicare Advantage plans. Mine is with Humana, sister is with Optum (AARP). My Humana is fantastic. 100% coverage for everything, all my doctors are in network, all my drugs are covered, and I get $75 per quarter to spend in there online-pharmacy.
Note you have to sign up by Nov. 7.
I used Medicare Simplified
http://www.medsimp.com/
Contact them for the Video explaining options.
This is a 6 year old one, but I’m sure they have a more current one they will send the link to. I watched and there is not much change from 2014 to today. Mostly that there is no Plan F offered anymore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEZaD-UXwkU
A couple factoids I picked up during my search
1 Medicare Advantage Plans love you as long as you are healthy.
2 The Medigap plan you choose will probably be the Medigap plan you keep for the remainder of your life bec the Ins Company can’t refuse you as a new enrollee. And changing companies will almost always involve a medical exam and every few of us are healthier as we age.
3 One only gets one chance to bite the apple, choose wisely.
No, her plan is abysmally and woefully lacking in even the least amount of basic coverage. She is actually looking into another plan, but they are all too high as of yet.
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