[vanity] Is there any reality behind these Medicare "prepaid spending cards"?

http://self.com ^ | 11/30/2024 | Self

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I've finally come to FR for help understanding this total conundrum. I'll admit, I am completely baffled.

 This is in regard to these "senior spending cards", or "Medicare allowance cards"."Prepaid food allowance cards".

 You cannot go 5 minutes on the net (and 2 minutes on my phone) without seeing an ad for one or more variations of these cards. Supposedly, they are prepaid cards which allow you to buy retail stuff. Groceries, OTC meds, consumables, etc; 

 "All seniors over the age of XX are eligible" [this is 100% false] "It pains me to know that many seniors are missing out on this ______ [program]

 I get up to 17 spam calls a day and at least 5 mail pieces a week offering these cards. I have called the numbers perhaps 50 times. In 50 out of 50 of those cases, I get asked a few Q's by one caller, then switched to a "licensed agent", then I get hung up on after about four questions from the LA. Every. Single. Time. 

 Yesterday I called the number on one of the mailing pieces I get weekly. After a lengthy hold, I finally spoke to an agent who said: 

 1: If you have any sort of supplemental Medicare plan or Mcare Advantage, you are ineligible.

2: The cards are not available in many zip codes (mine = no) 

 I am simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of these calls.I am not understanding how much advertising effort is being spent to rope people into some sort of arrangement for some sort of supplemental plan.  Does anyone have any insight?

[mjp]

My U card from United Health Care offers me 50 dollars for 3 months. Starting in January, Go Health will give me 40 dollars a month on my U Card

[webheart]

Yes spam protection that’s the ticket. Better spam protection. Some people have better spam protection than others.

[Gen.Blather]

The way this works is, you need supplemental insurance along with Medicare. There are dozens of firms offering this. In my case the supplemental insurance company gets my Medicare money, and they arrange with providers for a discount. They offer a prepaid card for, in my case, $600 I can spend on almost anything, to get my business. Each of these cards are from an insurance company trying to get your Medicare payment. If you read the fine print if you accept the card, you’re switching whatever insurance you have now for the new company.

[markman46]

My Medicare advantage plan has a over the counter meds pre paid card, I get 50.00/ quarter nice to get stuff cheaply delivered. My plan also has a grocery card but I don’t qualify

[LRoggy]

It’s not a scam

My ex gets $110 a month for food pre-loaded

You need to find stores that have the right input cashier for it. Publix takes it

[caver]

If you are poor or don’t make much social security, you are eligible for these extra benefits such as a prepaid card. If you get the average social security benefit and receive a pension plus interest off of your benefits, the you make too much.

Quit listening to Joe Namath.

[Pirate Ragnar]

I have a “U card” which provides a total of $40 a month for medical/age related items such as Fixodent, Efferdent, Tylenol etc. It is great.

[Pirate Ragnar]

Me too. It works great and is useful.

[BobL]

There’s a certain amount of money that Medicare pays to their Part C recipient companies (Medicare Advantage, really HMOs or PPOs), something $8000 per patient, per year. If the company running the Part C plan can come in UNDER what Medicare is paying them (say $6000), then they basically have to offer goodies to balance out their income versus payouts (in other words, if the plans just keep the difference, they’d be price gouging). So the freebies include gym memberships, eyecare, hearing aids, and also grocery cards...and yes, if costs go up, the goodies can vaporize on you.

But, obviously, there is a rub with the Part C plans - and that is you have to work through insurance companies whose interest, of course, is minimizing costs (not necessarily good if you need a knee, for example). Traditional Medicare doesn’t have that middleman - if something is needed, and it is covered by Medicare, then it’s done, no questions asked, but you do pay for that in separate Supplemental and Drug Plans.

[Chicory]

Had a friend in your situation. She had two heart attacks in one year and switched to Medigap the second she could.

Just FYI :)

[Ouch]

I live in Williamsburg, Va. I get $90 a month for groceries and $140 every 3 months for OTC. I AM ON Medicare only.