I am in open enrollment for Medicare. I was going to enroll in an advantage plan because I need dental and optical. I shopped a little a couple of months ago and thought I had a likely plan. Last week I was looking with a bit more detail. This time I added the 3 medications I take regularly. My generic flovent was only covered by 2 plans. These plans have decent dental, but the optical is a bit of a joke. They cover exams and that is it. Other plans that have good optical do not cover my generic flovent and it costs 600.00 plus dollars a month. Yikes! No way can I afford that and affording glasses out of pocket is pretty close to non-doable for me also. I recall reading that someone here is pretty conversant with Medicare. My question is: Can I sign up optical at my job/can I buy an optical plan if I’m on either advantage or traditional Medicare? If anyone knows or has some advice I would appreciate it. I’ve got 4 months to figure it out. Sheesh.
This thread, started by the redoubtable @JohnT, is the default go-to for Medicare questions. It should be noted that it’s devoted to general information about Medicare (traditional & advantage) rather than vision, but there’s a lot of good information there nevertheless.
I know there are standalone vision plans available, though I’ve never really looked into them (my Rx has been stable since having cataract surgery umpty-ump years ago). If you have a regular ophthalmologist/optometrist/optician that would probably be a good place to start looking for recommendations.
I called an insurance broker today. He gave me a pared-down version of Medicare Supplemental vs. Medicare Advantage Plans.
He made it easy to understand, and best of all, asked about my medical background, prescriptions, my heart and habits. Then he said “Well, if you want to gamble on not having any big problems or hospital stays in the next year, here are two Medicare Advantage plans I’d recommend. On the other hand, if you want to pay more each month and not worry about costs and coverages, here’s the best Medicare Supplemental plan for you.”
I chose the Supplemental. I had to sign up for separate dental and drug coverage, but those are cheap.
I am hesitant to speak to an agent. I don’t trust them as they are the bulk of unsolicited calls my husband and I receive every damn day.
I am pretty familiar with the different Medicare options as I’ve had to navigate it for my husband. He had a supplement for a while and lost it because we missed payments. He has an advantage plan now. I’m not a huge fan, but it’s better than the alternative.
The cost of my generic inhaler just really caught me by surprise. With my ACA plan I only pay 20.00 for it and I’ve been using it sparingly as 20.00 is sometimes tough. I’ve been waiting for Medicare for inhaler compliance and new glasses. I feel like I’m at square one. I have been reading @JohnT 's Medicare post. And no offense to @JohnT if he still works for the MA company. He sounds like a good guy.
So, I checked MS plus part D. I found an affordable supplement, but even the part D with the highest premium does not cover my inhaler. So I’m guessing my best bet is Medicare Advantage. Which really sort of sucks. I hope I can find a decent optical plan.
OK, now I feel stupid. I’m a lit major; I should be able to read with some sort of comprehension. I guess that’s what I get for doing this stuff in the middle of the night. Anyway, they do cover glasses and frames. They do not cover just frames or just lenses. There are limits, but I don’t need to have the most expensive fashionable thing around. Guh! What a dope. 
First thing: Get a supplement (Medigap) instead of Advantage if you can at all afford the monthly premiums. I did so after digesting the thread linked above by @OttoDaFe, and I am so glad I did.
Know that there are different plans within the supplement category. Go with plan G or N. FWIW I went with BCBS Plan G.
You can get vision/dental/hearing bundled together. It’s not expensive, but I don’t think you’re going to find a plan that has great coverage. I went back and forth on this and ended up getting V/D/H for $17/month. The annual amount is pretty close to what I would pay out of pocket for visual exams and dental cleanings, and the coverage beyond that is nothing to write home about.
For the Part D (medications), I’ve concluded that I am spending too much. I went with the best coverage I could find - still BCBS - but I’ve been paying high monthly premiums (and zero deductibles) and paying more than I need to. I am now shopping for an overall less expensive option (much cheaper monthlies, higher deductibles, but still saving a ton over the course of the year). I plugged in my 5 prescription meds and found this to be true. I’ll save $50 a month or more.
mmm
I don’t think you should go to any trouble to get optical coverage; you need an eye exam every year or two and perhaps new lenses. Neither should cost very much out of pocket. And my mother often just gets new lenses in existing frames.
Well, I looked at all the part D available to me and none of them cover my inhaler. It is more for the inhaler yearly than the deductible for the MA plan I’m looking at. That plan covers all my meds with a 0 copay, my doc 0 copay, and 40? for specialists. Hospital is 250 1-5. It’s not bad and I can’t afford premiums for D, a supplement, dental (I must have dental), and my scrips, which one is not covered by any D plan available to me. It really is what it is. The US health system is not for our benefit, but for the benefit of the insurance companies and the Conservatives to make sure that the poors pay something. I’m one of the poors, not poor enough for medicaid, but not rich enough for the outrageous prices for certain prescriptions.
Trust me, I’m really glad we had a sup for my husband when he was having all his back surgeries. Oddly, with the plethora of meds he takes, none of them were in the astronomical range of one generic inhaler.