Every time this thread is restarted, it degenerates into the same few folks defending their decision to stay with TM, for reasons easily debunked, such as doctor availability and costs. I think people just tend to defend their choices, regardless of what they are. So I'm going to defend mine, right now.
We've been on Medicare Advantage since we became elgible, and have never had anything we needed rejected, including my wife's week in the hospital from a stoke last year, or any of the dozens of tests that followed.
Yes, I complain about the lousy primary care doctors that are available here in-network, but I'm not convinced that paying an extra $1000/month between the two of us would improve our choices much in this healthcare desert, 45 minutes from the nearest city. We had great in-network doctors in Houston on the Kelsey-Seybold Medicare Advantage plan.
Our current Humana "Giveback" PPO plan is free and even refunds the Social security deduction for Medicare. It includes Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa in-network. Even our great Kelsey plan in Houston didn't include MD Anderson, in-network. But either way, since we always choose a PPO, we can see any doctor we want if we don't like the in-network doctors, and it still covers 80%. That's the same as my old employer's United insurance, that cost me $500/month.
I confess, I don't understand how MA stays in business giving insurance way for free. I suspect it has something to do with those $500 office call visits they bill the gooberment, that used to only cost me $25, back before doctors started billing insurance companies instead of patients. But after paying 3% of my wages for 50 years on a promise to get some back if I lived to 65, I see no reason to shell out $1000/mo of my life savings at the back end of this scam, for the same thing I can get for free.
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