My wife is now through all her training to be a medicare counselor. If you are near the age to be eligible for medicare you better visit these state trained counselors. Congress funded and set up training for this service, use it. They help you understand the different choices and rules and cost comparisons, they don't sign you up or tell you what to do. It's called SHICK (senior health insurance counselor for Kansas), in other states it has other names, SHIC and SHIP is often used. Google it to find them in your state.
Getting started on Medicare is complicated, listen to your crazy government hate'n uncle if you want, but if you do it wrong you will pay a higher rate (penalty) to get it straight, and in some cases you are without insurance for a long time, a waiting period and a period exempting pre-existing condions. The one thing that is clear, Medicare Advantage (a Bush program) is what you should avoid if at all possible. This is the GOP gift to the insurance company, the gateway drug to privatizing Medicare, it's the lowest price system, but it pays very little, very fucking little, get sick without many thousands in the bank, and your not getting treated, other than put a depend on you at the ER you can set at home and rot, buy most your own meds, pay most your own bills, forget a choice on doctors, they tell you who will be your doctor, end of story. But, it's simple, and Wallmart and others lets insurance companies come in and set up a table next to their sign about $2 prescriptions and tell people, oh the system is so complicated with part a and b and c and d how can you understand it, just sign up for Advantage with our company and thats it, simple, cheap. (oh, and your fucked)
Now I understand this may be what some can afford, OK, but if you can swing it, you have to, some of these policies are almost worthless in what they will cover. Go SHIP it before you sign, you can't get out of Adantage if you start it, it's forever.
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Bonus comment from the Fringe. Now lets say Rmoney and Ryan get in and privatize the whole program with vouchers. Your 85 year old mom may be unable to conduct her own business, what the hell, you have to take off work and run around trying to learn this shit and sign her up for a program, with a stinking voucher, insurance companies won't cover as much as the government will, she will get less coverage. Just like Advantage. It's a crock of poo that business will do it cheaper, she gets less care, if she still has any assets kiss those good by, your not inheriting them, sell them to buy her meds. Thank the GOP.
Darrel,
ReplyDeleteI must disagree with you on the Advantage Plan.
Mom was paying about $204 for a regular Medicare Supplement - which incidrntally goes p every year with your age. She was/is in excellent health so I moved her (I was their insurance agent before I quit doing that) and got her a zero premium plan from United Health Care. Come on! She was paying a duece a month -
$2,400 a year and seeing a MD every sic months!
How the plan works is that UHC recieves between $600 to $800 a month (sepending on the county) and she pays ZERO premium.
How can you do a zero premium with a plan and still provide quality care? Simple, healthy people like Mom don't run up medical bills - she is almost pure profit for them. Contrast that with my younger brother who with him they took it in the ass major huge (two major operations, nursing home, drugs).
Here is what needs to happen - the payments from Medicare to the Advantage Plan companies under Bush was too "rich" - UNC is making a bundle (and I like the monthy commission checks). We need to see what Medicare is paying them reduce and them start charging a modest premium.
Darrel, I can't bitch! I have a $250 annual deductible and then pretty much 100%. Once 65 -
I pay the Medicare Part B fee ($96) and that is it.
Darrel, the less care thing with the advantage plan is nonsense - Kenny was operated on at St Mary's Medical Center - choppers fly overhead here rushing people to that facility. I am using a St Mary's MD myself.
I think Medicare pays 14 days of skilled nursing - the UHC policy paid for Kenny likely $Huge a day from day 15 - 100.
Darrel, the advantage plans are good plans otherwise I wouldn't have my Dad, Mom, younger brother, and Mom's sister on one.
Bests,
Ron
Excellent, you haven't written this much in a long long time. OK, your on Tricare or what ever the retired GI policy is called and that is excellent, make sure you don't drop that.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, in your parents situation it sounds like this is the right policy. Good.
I say people need to look at all the options and make educated decisions. People who have a lot of ailments, take a whole raft of meds, some of these advantage plans may cost them a lot in copay or out of pocket, and if you have a doctor you really really love you need to check to see if he is in their program, if you can go see him, the insurance company may contract with a certain clinic and thats where you will go.