New To Medicare

~ What supplement plan did you choose and why ? So far I think I like the high-deductible plans.

 

If you had a healthcare plan you liked with an employer that was reasonable, the same company for a supplement wouldn’t be a bad first place to look.

 

Sorry, I can't make a recommendation. I'm retired USAA and they provide my supplemental.

 

Be careful. You’re entering a time in your life where medical expenses are much higher..

 

This is a time, for example, where a heart specialist will recommend you go on 40mg per day of Lipitor per day even though youre total cholesterol is 137. This they do because, you’re over 50 or 60..... the drug companies need their cut.

 

Don't choose Plan F, if you did change it next year to Plan G. Plan F is awesome, nearly is a 100% coverage almost zero out of pocket to you. However it is killing the medicare coffers. There is no incentive at all to stay home if you have the sniffles or you sprain a finger. Plan G has a minimal deductible that keeps millions of people home for a day that recover and do not see a doctor, if you are really sick or injured the deductible is under $200 so you will still go to the doctor.

Plan F will go away and no new healthy people will enroll and eventually the rates will go sky high and you might be trapped if you are uninsurable and then have to enroll in a Med Adv plan. I am not big on those.

Choose a national carrier like Anthem Blue Cross, Mut of Omaha or Cigna. My two cents.

 

Pay a little more, go with a silver plan. Healthnet has a silver plan with a $500 deductible. When I was on the ACA, I never actually paid it. I'm on medicare, and I have the healthnet advantage. My payments are $132 per month. that's it. No copays on doctor visits. My payments are low because I'm not in a high tax bracket, I'm retired and took a simple job for pocket change. I'm also a jazz musician, do gigs for fun once in a while.

 

Do you like their supplemental? I’m getting close to that age.

 

~ Nice. Jazz is where it's at for me. Those old original musicians were special.
I believe Healthnet is a HMO/PPO "Advantage" plan- not Medicare. Here in Los Angeles those type of plans are often troublesome when you really need them. I am on original Medicare with a supplement.

 

My subsidy is paid by medicare expansion, and it's some $700 per month.

I've been on healthnet for 5 years, not one problem or issue thus far, and one operation, to date,