I hate .gov.

End of transmission.

Nothing shows the inefficiencies of government more than trying to use one of their websites.

Not sure if I understand you correctly, but we get our Medicare supplemental from a private carrier (United HealthCare). We signed up with them directly, their website, not via a .gov website.

The basic coverage, Medicare A and B, we signed up via Social Security. Supplemental was via private, not government.

quote:

The basic coverage, Medicare A and B, we signed up via Social Security. Supplemental was via private, not government.

Yes, Got my wife's thru USAA. Just started using it this month. It's the Part D that I have a hard time justifying. After her OBama care experience with BC/BS & Cigna, I wanted no part of a PPO.

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
It's the Part D that I have a hard time justifying. After her OBama care experience with BC/BS & Cigna, I wanted no part of a PPO.

Part D is Rx drugs. We are using a plan offered by Silver Script, less than thirty bucks / month. It's paying for itself with prescription drugs.

Not sure that I understand your reference to PPO. Part D has nothing to do with PPO, and given the alternative, HMO, I am glad to have PPO.

Health Insurance in general and especially Medicare, I can't wrap my head around because it's confusing to me. And I have been doing my taxes even as i go through various complications like self-employment, stock sales, and house transactions. Doing taxes is a lot straight forward to me than trying to figure out Medicare.

I, too, prefer PPO over HMO. It's generally more expensive than HMO but you get quicker service, can go directly to any specialist without having to go see your primary first. Only thing needed is to make sure they're in network and also get pre-approval for any major medical stuff but the doctor's office usually handles those although, I've followed up independently myself just a couple of times.

I have Medicare and a BC/BS supplement. The vast majority of these TV ads, we have recently been inundated with are for Medicare Advantage plans. They sound enticing. Just let us combine your Medicare, supplement and drug coverage into one plan and save you money. Well why are you spending so much money on ads to save little old me money. The answer is that these are nothing but Medicare HMO's and bring with them all the ills of HMO's, mostly they make money by denying coverage. Some years back, I saw a segment on the Today show about an elderly woman, who went to the ER with a stroke. Her Medicare Advantage plan refused her admission and insisted she be treated as an outpatient. The hospital administrator was there and said that if she had been covered by regular Medicare, there was no question she would have been admitted.
I also have a friend whose wife works at the hospital and works with the patients and their insurance. I have heard her say more than once, whatever you do, don't sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan.

Before the wife and I were eligible for Medicare, we spent a couple hundred bucks with a company that specializes in analyzing options and recommending specifics of Medicare-related approaches based on our actual situation. They don't sell any products, so kind of like a consumer report for Medicare/Supplemental/Part D. Well worth the money IMHO and made navigating all that much easier.

It's all confusing to me. I have no clue what Medicare Advantage is all I know is my medicare is handled by Humana.

I need referrals from my regular Dr. for specialists. also any Dr. needs to be in network.

Someone mentioned United but I have looked at that and decided against it because you now have to be member of AARP to get it and I'm not nor do I want to be a member. So I stuck with Humana since it seems to be the best in my area.

You do not need to join AARP to get United coverage. I use United of Omaha Life and it is great coverage. I've had several trips to ER this year, lots of x-ray and scans plus kidney stones removed and my total out of pocket costs for the year is less than 300 bucks. I can go to any hospital in the US that accepts medicare which is why I choose them.
There are some good deals if you never travel and can live with just your local doctors / hospitals but I don't mind paying a little extra and getting coverage in all states.

quote:

decided against it because you now have to be member of AARP to get it and I'm not nor do I want to be a member.

Some United Medicare plans in FL seem to be offered only through AARP, at least they were when we signed up.
However, once you sign up, United can not cancel you for any reason but nonpayment. So you do not have to maintain a membership in AARP beyond the initial period when you are signing up. I would not have signed up with United had I not known that I could drop AARP after We were covered.

We were reluctant members for one year in order to get coverage which is not offered any where else.
AARP still bugs us by mail to join, I put waste paper in the prepaid envelopes and return them. I suspect that AARP still gets an agency fee from United for us but our coverage is lower in cost than any other available so that is between AARP and United.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG 229R:
It's all confusing to me. I have no clue what Medicare Advantage is all I know is my medicare is handled by Humana.

I need referrals from my regular Dr. for specialists. also any Dr. needs to be in network.

Someone mentioned United but I have looked at that and decided against it because you now have to be member of AARP to get it and I'm not nor do I want to be a member. So I stuck with Humana since it seems to be the best in my area.

Had Humana for years but this past summer the medical group/hospital my 3 doctors/specialists are with dropped Humana in mid year (although they recanted and accepted it till years end due to the uproar.) Signed up with Excellus zero premium now but I sure will miss the Humana mail order, 90 day prescriptions at zero cost (generic.)