^united American is your plan D?
Thank you.
In my area, no issue with docs accepting the medicare advantage plans. I do check, though. Originally, travel to some states wasn’t covered (ER, yes.) But I believe this has changed.
My AARP/UHC did raise rates the 2nd year, but just a few dollars. Then, surprise, they lowered them by a few dollars. 2021 coverage looks a little better than 2020 on some items.
It’s very state-dependent. I waited until I had narrowed down some plans and then looked at the nitty gritty.
You can call your state dept of health and ask for their office on aging and then ask them who can speak about Medicare and the various options available in your area. They can give you unbiased info.
Under Medicare A&B, there is NO limit on your total out of pocket cost, which can get every high. This is why folks generally choose a Medicare or Medigap policy and a Part D coverage for Rx.
My H has Part A plus we buy part B for him plus we also have BCBS family plan from his former employer. It’s primary for D and me but secondary for H. It also has Rx drug coverage so we don’t need any more coverage. It has a max out of pocket we can all live with.
The max out of pocket per year is very important so you can sleep well at night, just in case.
Thank you all!
If you go with original Medicare, you’d want to get a Medigap plan. Depending on the type of Medigap plan you get, it can cover the copays you’d be left with otherwise.
Right now, between Medicare, Medigap plan and Part D plan, I’m paying around $250/month in premiums. I know that will increase annually, but it’s alot less than I was paying before I turned 65.
Rules depend on the laws in your state. It may also have changed since we enrolled a few years ago. It can also be a complex decision.
We chose traditional Medicare G plan, plus supplements (Supplement plus Drug), because it allows us to choose ANY Dr. that accepts Medicare. There are no networks, and no need to pre-authorize specialists by a GP. Traditional plans here are more expensive than Advantage plans, but since we live part-time in two states, we wanted that flexibility. Traditional plans typically don’t have as many perks (gym memberships, dental/vision etc.), but I do like that I can go to any doctor.
We can move from Traditional to any Advantage plan during open enrollment. BUT… once in an Advantage plan, we can’t move back to the Traditional plans without underwriting (after the first year). Some states allow switching between Traditional plans during open enrollment (I think WA is one), but not mine. If I’m healthy, it MIGHT be possible. But in my state, the Traditional plans can deny entry after the first eligible year, or charge more if they so choose.
All traditional plans in my state increase premiums as you age – except for one (United). Some states (again WA???) charge everyone the same for the Traditional plan whether you’re 65 or 95. As a result, in those states, the traditional plans can be a LOT more expensive while you’re in your younger senior years. We calculated the break-even point in my state to be around age 86. If I live longer, it would have been smarter to choose a plan that charged everyone the same. But who knows what they will charge next year, let alone what the laws & options will be in 20 years!
Effectively, the “network” for Original Medicare is the set of providers who accept Original Medicare. This appears to be quite large, at least for primary care physicians. About 72% of primary care physicians accept new patients with Medicare, while another 21% accept Medicare for existing patients.
https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/primary-care-physicians-accepting-medicare-a-snapshot/
However, there may be variation locally, and what can matter more is if your personal physician(s) accept Original Medicare (assuming that you like them and want to continue using them).
*The article does not specifically state that this means accept Original Medicare, although it is likely that this is what it meant.
https://www.medicare.gov/
I spent soooooo much time there studying and learning.
Ugh - Medicare. I have to decide what to do about my parents. They have a Medicare Advantage PPO plan, with NO premiums. I always assumed that it would be better to have an IBX plan than just regular Medicare, but that may not be the case I guess.
I will have to make an appointment with a counselor to discuss all this again. I’d be happy if I never heard a hospital social worker speak the words: “We will have to see if insurance will cover that” again!
And my random question - I got an elevated garden bed this year to plant herbs and a few pepper plants. What do I have to do to it now for winter? Just cut down the plants that I can’t re-pot and bring inside for a few more months? (My basil bolted, otherwise I’d try to bring it in). Cover it?
Depends on your location I’m sure but I have not had much luck here in Ohio bringing in herbs to continue in the house. They will hang on for a little while like a month or so. Last year I cut basil stalks/small stalks and just put them in water on the counter. They propagated and kept producing basil for a few months!
Here some herbs might come back - like chives. I cut them to the stubs and they come back in the spring. Herbs like oregano, parsley, etc. do not come back. I pull them when ready and snip and freeze them to use in recipes over winter.
As for the raised bed itself, I cover mine with a few inches (like 6) of leaf mulch for the winter.
Also if you’re interested (and again depending on your locale) this is the time of year to plant garlic! I plant mine just a couple inches in from the edge of my raised bed so that in the spring it doesn’t interfere with the main middle of the garden. You could plant some even just on one edge of the bed. Do not use garlic from the grocery store. If you have a farmers market look for locally homegrown organic garlic. Separate into cloves, push each clove “root” side down (pointy end up) like 3 inches into the ground - that’s it! You’ll harvest garlic (here in Ohio) around first of July.
I don’t do more than move mine out of the way (it’s on wheels.) Mine’s not filled to the brim, so I don’t worry about freeze-thaw cycles.
Next spring, I’ll take out about half (?) the soil and replace it with aged compost.
If you can still get compost, not a bad idea to set it aside now, to ensure it’s aged.
Btw, any herbs still producing can be tied and hung in a dry spot or quick dried in the microwave.
So, what do I do with my basil bounty, if I don’t want so much pesto? What else?
We’ve had really good luck wintering oregano indoors.
Many, many doctors don’t take Medicare Advantage BTW… Make sure the doctors you want to use do.
I have a Medicare Advantage plan in Brooklyn, NYC and since I turned 65 I had three hospitalizations in the first five months of 2017 for pancreatitis (an unfortunate consequence of a diagnostic endoscopy), open gallbladder surgery, and total knee replacement. Each hospital was part of a different network in NYC and all are first-rate, as were my doctors. In February of this year I broke my arm (ugh, ugh, ugh!) and was referred by the ER to a first-rate specialist who also took my Advantage plan. So far, so good for me!
@Knowsstuff good point. Luckily where we live, all the teaching hospitals and regional hospitals all participate in the IBX Personal Choice. We have never had a problem seeing any specialist we want.
Getting PT approved was another matter, but I think that was more procedural and not due to the specific insurance.
@surfcity - We have a raised planter bed too. (Chicagoland area). I brought in my rosemary last year as I usually am able to keep it alive until about February. Last winter I managed to keep it alive completely. It started looking a little sad in April but the second it went back outside it grew like crazy.
We have our first frost advisory tonight so I pulled it into the sunporch. I stripped the basil, froze the leaves, and dried out a bunch of sage in the oven. The parsley is already kaput but the thyme and chives are going strong. They seem to be more frost tolerant.
Last year we covered the chives, thyme, sage, and parsley with burlap and packed leaves around the base of the plants. They all came back up this year. That said, it was a pretty mild winter.
Good luck!
Wouldn’t it be providers accepting or not accepting a particular Medicare Advantage plan, versus accepting or not accepting Medicare Advantage?
…please frost, snuff out whatever I’m allergic too…
As a dentist, I accept the advantage plan that has Delta Dental as its carrier. BC turned out to be a nightmare, and I’m not in network with any other plans. You will need to check that out, too.
There are 8 options for dental, ranging from “free” to $39/month in my area. The more you pay, the better the coverage and benefits. Consult with your dentist before you choose.