Although I appreciate @JohnT for starting this thread, we really don’t need expert advice anymore. I’ve gotten a small dumptruck full of envelopes with offers for supplemental and advantage plans. But Saturday I got an offer for Cigna’s plan that promises a free backscratcher if I sign up!
Well shit, it’s game over now. Any company that’ll send me a free plastic backscratcher is obviously the best choice for my future medical needs… Amirite?
Seriously, what kind of idiot is actually swayed by a 39 cent “free” gift? Are we collectively that dumb in America? Maybe I shouldn’t ask that question.
(Seriously, thanks JohnT for this thread. It’s been very helpful.)
I hear what you are saying, that free travel bag from AARP keeps getting me thinking “hey that’s cool” and then I realize that its a sign of old age to fall for these types of things. I bet once you accept one you’ll start getting all sorts of free gift offers.
And yes, @JohnT is doing a great service to this board with his helpful directions through the minefield.
JohnT, I hope you still offer this thread in a couple of years when I’ll need it. In the meantime, United Health Group would like to remind me that I only have 4 years (well, 3.5) in which to learn everything I need to know about their generous Medicare supplement plans before I actually need to pick a plan. I’d think more kindly of them if they, nah, there’s other plans out there.
Wait until you hit 65. You’ll need a shovel to dig yourself out of the mail. (They apparently don’t believe us geezers know how to use email.) And it goes on every year, five years and counting for me.
This thread has been terrifically helpful, thank you JohnT! My husband turns 65 in January so we have just run this gauntlet. I am myself a former health insurance broker so felt at least somewhat prepared, but I still learned a few things here. The absurd complexity of this system is barely navigable even by me, with direct experience, so a big consideration is keeping things simple and making sure he knows where to go for answers if I’m not around to run interference.
For us the choice was an AARP Medicare Advantage plan by UHC, a PPO plan with $0 premium and reasonable copays. Here’s what went into our thinking:
–We have a decent HSA cushion to cover the annual MOOP of $7000 if need be. In the meantime the $0 premium is better for our cash flow. This may change when I am also retired in five years but for now it makes sense.
–Doctors and drugs are all factored in. He might have to replace one specialist he sees annually but in NJ there’s lots of providers to choose from.
–Simplicity and familiarity. He’s been on UHC plans for several years and actually knows how to navigate the MyUHC patient portal. The one-stop-shop nature of this coverage is immensely appealing, as I know from hard experience that one missed claim, approval, or piece of paperwork can cause lots of problems.
–AARP as a resource is not likely to disappear anytime soon. Having to shop for an insurance plan is bad enough. Having to find a new insurance agent if one retires or quits adds another layer of complexity and risk.
So it boils down to valuing the simplicity and bundling of benefits, plus trusting the backing of AARP and its readily available agents. I don’t recall any mention of a free travel bag though.
Looks like I’m screwed. Back in October 2019 I was automatically put on Medicare because I had been on disability for 2 years. I was not feeling well and didn’t understand about the need for gap insurance. Now I’ve been told that since I didn’t apply when I was first put on Medicare I have to give through underwriting to get gap coverage. It’s diubtful that anyone will want to cover me.
I just got off the Medicare.gov website. I’ve chosen to continue my AARP/UHC plan G and changed over to the Walgreens plan D.
I can certainly understand how confusing all of this is. The learning curve for all things medicare and supporting insurance choices isn’t really a curve at all. It’s a mf’n brick wall made out of shit!
I don’t think I’ll ever feel confident that I have made the right decisions. It’s all too convoluted and confusing.
Last year I had a different AARP/UHC part D plan. The problem was, as it always is, that it doesn’t seem to matter what pharmacy is chosen as long as it’s preferred. Couple a bucks here and there is all. They problem is they all claim to offer a ‘one stop per month’ option for picking up meds, but the reality is, none of them can make it happen. Like I mean, NONE.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it care.
Last year I found what was called a standard pharmacy. One that’s not preferred but not ‘out of network.’ It was more expensive but I believed the pharmacist when she told me she could make the ‘one stop per month’ thing work and I believed her. She actually made it happen! Three previous pharmacies all said they offered the service and could do it, but they couldn’t do it. At one place I was making maybe 40 trips a year, picking up one prescription today and another one a week later and so on.
It was nuts. The lady that could make it happen at the standard moved on, so I really just decided her ability to care enough to make it work was a fluke. Everything there soon completely fell apart, so I decided I might as well go with the cheapest plan. Why pay more for everything and get the same level of crappy administration as every where else. It was worth it when everything was lined up, but not now.
The Walgreens only Part D supplement plan was the cheapest and I’m sure it’ll be as messed up as all the rest. They offer the ‘one stop per month’ thing. But really, so what? It’s meaningless.
Have you turned 65 yet? When you turn 65, you do have the option of getting your medicare supplement insurance at group rates, even if you had an advantage plan prior. It’s like you get a one-chance reset.
I was 65 in April, so maybe it will go through. The agent said that he would try but it probably would be rejected.
I did receive an email with the following:
Congratulations! Your enrollment application was received and will now be processed.
You successfully applied to: *Plan G
Your Application Confirmation number is: *********
Transaction Date: [12/3/2021 11:22:15 AM](calendar:T7:12/3/2021 11:22:15 AM)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must approve your enrollment.
That you were in pain/under drugs when the decision was made.
That the pain/drugs made you of unsound mind to make this decision.
You were pressured to make the decision by an agent. (You can include this or not, but it appears to be what happened).
When of better health, you discussed this with your agent who said there was nothing to be done. (Do you have a date for these interactions?)
However, your agent apparently failed to disclose that new Medicare Advantage enrollees, who enrolled under their general enrollment (age 65), had the option of changing to a Medicare Supplement plan in the first 3 months, with no penalty and no underwriting.
Effectively this guy fucked you if he signed you up while you were of unsound mind, and/or if he didn’t disclose the 3-month ‘look back’ period.
Make your case as soon as possible. If you know of other experts in this (lawyers, SHIP personnel, etc), call them as well, ask for advice.
I guess I just don’t understand why, if this man knew you were enrolled in Medicare for 2 years prior due to disability, why he did not IMMEDIATELY sign you to a medicare supplement plan or transfer you to someone who could. The only reason you would sign up for a MA plan is if you can’t afford the MS plan in the first place… and that does not seem to be an issue.
I assume you don’t have Medicaid? That would be the only reason I wouldn’t sign you up for a Med Supp (assuming affordability isn’t an issue).
I may have misunderstood, but I thought you signed up for a MA plan @ 65 and then, finding out what had happened, an insurance agent applied for a MS plan after the 3 month period mentioned above, an application which he says will likely be declined.
If I got this wrong, my apologies! It was a nice rant though…
No. My problem is that I may not be approved for the Medigap plan because I waited too long. I should have gotten it when I was originally placed on Medicare in 2019, but I didn’t understand that.
But you turned 65 this April. Turning 65 means that you get the enrollment period where you can get a MS plan regardless of health.
In short, even though you chose a MA plan when aged 63, when you turned 65 (this April), you then had the option of resetting this decision and getting a MS plan. Your agent should have made this crystal clear to you.
I mean, there was a seven month window for you to get a MS plan.
Still, doesn’t matter. You had that Initial Enrollment Period when you turned 65, and if you had an insurance agent guiding you in all this, they should have explained this to you and signed you up for the MS (or a MA) plan.
Of course, if you have Medicaid as well, this advice may be different (as noted).
Thankfully we have no more worries about another Texas deep freeze. The sheer volume of mail we’ve received about Medicare plans should (assuming it will burn) keep us warm throughout the winter.
Will we get this same amount of stuff every year? Or is this sudden popularity due to being new arrivals, Medicare-wise?
