Medicare Open Enrollment

[Grandma Helen]

Just a quick reminder, if you are eligible for Medicare that open enrollment is only until December 7.  If you have Medicare, do you prefer the original Medicare or do you like the Advantage plans better?

[Johnnieboy]

 

I have until next May to decide. I have decent insurance through FEHB but with all this Obamacare shit, I'm not sure what to do. My insurance is going from $145 to $184 a month. It's never gone up that much before. I can switch companies but I'm not sure I want to. UGH!

[Grandma Helen]

My medicare is set up.  I just became eligible in October.  I have one of the Advantage plans and that seems to fit my budget very well.  I was totally confused with it and I talked to the local office on aging and they broke it down for me and it seems ok.  My neighbor was down here yesterday and she swears paying the 20% coinsurance makes more sense.  She's on a very tight budget, that's worse than mine, so I'm not sure how that works.  I told her to call the office on aging and see what they can show her.  I knew yesterday that we weren't going to agree and I don't stress myself with stuff like.  She likes it because they don't make you pay the 20% upfront like my copays.  The difference is I know walking into any doctor's office how much it's going to cost me and she doesn't.  I guess it's all how you see things. 

[Eaglewoman]

My union is not going to do medicare anymore, they switched us to a plan which cost more, less benefits, and no good dr. takes it here.( mine don't, and at this point with kidney disease   I'm not  willing to change dr.)So I think I will have to being paying the 20% rather than pay for a plan that I can't use.I will be putting the payment amount into a special bank account and use it to pay for the 20% and hope I don't end up sometime with a big hospital bill.the problem for me is that they keep saying a insurance company can't refuse you for pre existing disease, that doesn't include medicare, so I can't find an insurance to cover me. Unless I want the one that union switched us to. I am on my 3rd try right now, if they don't take me I am just going to do the 20% and try and not worry about it.

[carol machulski]

I chose an Advantage plan through AARP which is very close to that I had from my employer and I kept all my drs. Since the premium is taken out from my Social Security before I get it, I don't notice the deduction. For now I'm happy with it.

[Eaglewoman]

Wow, finally found a medicare supplement that will cover me. Its going to cost about $60 more than I was paying for about the same coverage-but at least they will cover me!

[Grandma Helen]

Eaglewoman, that's good news.  It seems like everything keeps going up but my income.  I have an advantage plan too.  I only started with Medicare in Oct.  Other than sending me a  letter about one of my meds that my doctor has to justify, I like them. 

[Grandma Helen]

Maria, since I was new to Medicare I was all confused (doesn't take much anymore)  and once someone broke it down, the advantage plan made sense.  If people can afford original medicare and either have medigap policies or have something similar as part of their retirement, that may make sense.  On a limited income the Advantage plan made it seem much more affordable for me.  From what I've seen of any of the hospital costs I'll be screwed no matter what.  I beginning to think Medicare is the only decent health insurance around anymore.