[MLBellis]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

I'm not at that age yet but my friend living in Tampa uses AARP, pays $115 for part N with $20 copays and the AARP preferred med plan for $40 total $155 a month.

I have BlueCross in NY it's only $700 a month

I can pay a mortgage with the difference!

I was quoted $275.75 a mo

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by MLBellis

I was quoted $275.75 a mo

Probably a different plan. There are something like 8 to 10 different options for medicare supplements, with widely varying costs. We have AARP through United Healthcare and for Plan F we pay $342 per month for both wife and myslelf. So far we have paid 0 out of pocket in the year we have both been on it and we have each had numerous issues (not serious, but nagging) which have required several CT and PET scans and MRIs along with some minor surgery and treatments. Our out of pocket healthcare costs, including premiums, have gone down dramatically since we have been on medicare and supplement, AND we had very good employer paid health coverage through blue cross/blue shield prior to that.

[Avista]

Originally Posted by delima2000

I guess I should have posted where to go to get cost and kind of coverage is best for us. I would like to make a spread sheet with a few companies and compare. Is there someone we could talk to that deals with different companies and not pressure us to get theirs

Sounds like my husband. He did a spread sheet last Nov. We ended up with Preferred Care Partners and have been pleased with our choice.

[RichieB]

Originally Posted by Avista

Sounds like my husband. He did a spread sheet last Nov. We ended up with Preferred Care Partners and have been pleased with our choice.

It's a VERY important decision in your life, and deserves your time and attention.

I just hit 64, and I've started to do the research for next year already.

I'm also tapping the knowledge and experience of a retired co-worker who is two years older, so I know a little bit about what to expect.

[pattybgood]

I suggest that you take a look online at Medicare.com

You enter your zip code and the site will list all the plans available to you in TV. There are Supplemental plans, prescription drug plans and Medicare advantage plans. I found it to an excellent resource.

I also attended an excellent class through the Lifelong Learning College that was put on by Preferred Care Partners. They did an excellent job in explaining all the "parts" of Medicare so that I had a better understanding of what I wanted to look for in a plan.

Good Luck as it is very confusing even when you understand how it all works.

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by RichieB

It's a VERY important decision in your life, and deserves your time and attention.

I just hit 64, and I've started to do the research for next year already.

I'm also tapping the knowledge and experience of a retired co-worker who is two years older, so I know a little bit about what to expect.

I'm in the same boat as you and doing the same thing. I'm not looking forward to the huge amount of junk mail my friend says in on the way in a couple of months! Too many choices. I appreciate this forum!

[RichieB]

Originally Posted by CaptJohn

I'm in the same boat as you and doing the same thing. I'm not looking forward to the huge amount of junk mail my friend says in on the way in a couple of months! Too many choices. I appreciate this forum!

me too !

[delima2000]

To capt John not only do you get a,lot of mail but we are getting calls from bankers life at least once a week. We tell them to take us off their list then someone else calls with a different number also with bankers life today marked the seventh call from bankers life but someone else making the call. From what I guess is the cold calls comes from different people but for the same company so they can get around the do not call list. Beware of bankers life and colonial penn. We keep telling them to take us off their list but the person making the call tells us that she will take us off her list but that won't mean our name will be taken off the other lists from bankers life. I'm making a spread sheet now and have narrowed it down to three plans. The best advice was to see Shine at Chula Vista club house and the villages insurance co.

[RichieB]

we're with you all the way on that one, delima.

that "do not call list" is a load of garbage, IMO

[aljetmet]

I found going to medicare.gov is the best way to find a plan.
Most people ready for medicare are relatively healthy and reviewing the cost of key elements is important. However until you have an illness you really don't know what drugs you need to take (and if your plan will provide them)and that's where all the costs lie. You pay through the nose for drugs on medicare.

The good news is that you can change your plan every year...

[RichieB]

Al, I feel that you are accurate in everything you have stated.

When my parents first became eligible for Medicare, they carried secondary insurance. They thought that they were reasonably healthy and it was a waste of their money.

Two weeks after my father's 70th birthday, he suffered a MAJOR stroke, and spent 18 days in the hospital. Weeks later, when the hospital bill came, my mother groaned and moaned about the 20 percent that had to be paid, and blamed me for talking her into dropping the sup insurance (I didn't, in fact did just the opposite).

How quickly your circumstances in life can turn !

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by RichieB

Al, I feel that you are accurate in everything you have stated.

When my parents first became eligible for Medicare, they carried secondary insurance. They thought that they were reasonably healthy and it was a waste of their money.

Two weeks after my father's 70th birthday, he suffered a MAJOR stroke, and spent 18 days in the hospital. Weeks later, when the hospital bill came, my mother groaned and moaned about the 20 percent that had to be paid, and blamed me for talking her into dropping the sup insurance (I didn't, in fact did just the opposite).

How quickly your circumstances in life can turn !

Insurance companies are the enemy -- until you have a big claim! Insurance is nothing more than spreading the risk across a large number of people plus the expenses of the company, plus a reasonable profit, minus the return on investment of reserves. Some companies do a better job of containing expenses, investing the reserves, and underwriting risk - thus some have lower premiums.

[jimbo2012]

Found this explanation > does it make sense I thought plan "F" was the most popular.


Why Medicare Supplemental Plan G Is Best Medigap Plan Value

January 20, 2012

Most senior citizens on Medicare often have difficulty choosing the Medicare Supplement Plan with the best value. We believe Medicare Supplement Plan G offers the best value when compared with any of the 10 Medicare Supplement Plans that are currently offered. When you are going on Medicare for the first time--often upon reaching the age of 65--you will quickly learn that you need to purchase Medicare Supplemental Insurance, and will find that it is often overwhelming trying to decide exactly which plan to go with.

One of the main reasons for confusion is because of the hard-to-understand verbiage that Medicare uses. Many Medicare terms sound the exact same, yet mean something completely different. When it comes down to comparing all 10 of the Medicare Supplemental Plans available on the market, you will likely feel confused on which one is best for you--for your individual needs.

We realize that it may initially seem very confusing to narrow down the plans, but it is quite simple in fact, and we will explain why. Although there are a total of 10 plans to choose from, over 95% of senior citizens that purchase a Medicare Supplement Plan today will either purchase a Plan F, Plan G, or Plan N. This is due to the strikingly similarities in coverage between these different plans. Medicare Supplement Plans are designed in a letter system ranging from Plan A -- Plan N, with Plans E, H, I, and J not being offered any longer. One might think that Plan A has the most basic coverage, and Plan N has the greatest level of coverage--this is not true in any form. The ranging of the different Medicare Supplement Plans has nothing to do with how much coverage the plan has. When you place the plans in order from which plan is least comprehensive to most comprehensive, the order would actually go like this (from least to most comprehensive): A, B, K, L, M, N, D, G, C, F.

When you actually compare the cost/benefit ratio on all plans, Medicare supplement plan g seems to make the sense--providing the best value for your money. Here is the reasoning. The only difference in coverage between the Plan F and the Plan G is that Plan F pays all gaps by Medicare at 100%, and the Plan G does as well although requires you to pay the Medicare Part B deductible, which is $140 in 2012. The Plan F premium will cost approximately $20-30 more per month on average which adds up to about $240 - $360 more per year in cost, although the only difference is that Plan F does not require that small $140 deductible. You are better off paying that deductible on your own and putting the $240 - $360 premium savings in your pocket.

When you compare the Medicare Supplemental Plan G with the Plan N, you will also realize a better value. Plan N requires you to pay that deductible (same price as Plan G), but in addition, Plan N also requires you to pay a $20 co-pay for doctor office visits as well as a $50 co-pay for emergency room visits. Co-pays can quickly add up to a significant sum of money if you have a problem and need to use the doctor often. The price with Plan N is also not much less than the Plan G, and often only costs $15 - $20 less per month, so that extra money is well worth the investment into the Plan G. Again, we recommend Plan G as being the best valued plan that is most cost-effective for most senior citizens today.

[rirlam]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

Found this explanation > does it make sense I thought plan "F" was the most popular.


Why Medicare Supplemental Plan G Is Best Medigap Plan Value

January 20, 2012

Most senior citizens on Medicare often have difficulty choosing the Medicare Supplement Plan with the best value. We believe Medicare Supplement Plan G offers the best value when compared with any of the 10 Medicare Supplement Plans that are currently offered. When you are going on Medicare for the first time--often upon reaching the age of 65--you will quickly learn that you need to purchase Medicare Supplemental Insurance, and will find that it is often overwhelming trying to decide exactly which plan to go with.

One of the main reasons for confusion is because of the hard-to-understand verbiage that Medicare uses. Many Medicare terms sound the exact same, yet mean something completely different. When it comes down to comparing all 10 of the Medicare Supplemental Plans available on the market, you will likely feel confused on which one is best for you--for your individual needs.

We realize that it may initially seem very confusing to narrow down the plans, but it is quite simple in fact, and we will explain why. Although there are a total of 10 plans to choose from, over 95% of senior citizens that purchase a Medicare Supplement Plan today will either purchase a Plan F, Plan G, or Plan N. This is due to the strikingly similarities in coverage between these different plans. Medicare Supplement Plans are designed in a letter system ranging from Plan A -- Plan N, with Plans E, H, I, and J not being offered any longer. One might think that Plan A has the most basic coverage, and Plan N has the greatest level of coverage--this is not true in any form. The ranging of the different Medicare Supplement Plans has nothing to do with how much coverage the plan has. When you place the plans in order from which plan is least comprehensive to most comprehensive, the order would actually go like this (from least to most comprehensive): A, B, K, L, M, N, D, G, C, F.

When you actually compare the cost/benefit ratio on all plans, Medicare supplement plan g seems to make the sense--providing the best value for your money. Here is the reasoning. The only difference in coverage between the Plan F and the Plan G is that Plan F pays all gaps by Medicare at 100%, and the Plan G does as well although requires you to pay the Medicare Part B deductible, which is $140 in 2012. The Plan F premium will cost approximately $20-30 more per month on average which adds up to about $240 - $360 more per year in cost, although the only difference is that Plan F does not require that small $140 deductible. You are better off paying that deductible on your own and putting the $240 - $360 premium savings in your pocket.

When you compare the Medicare Supplemental Plan G with the Plan N, you will also realize a better value. Plan N requires you to pay that deductible (same price as Plan G), but in addition, Plan N also requires you to pay a $20 co-pay for doctor office visits as well as a $50 co-pay for emergency room visits. Co-pays can quickly add up to a significant sum of money if you have a problem and need to use the doctor often. The price with Plan N is also not much less than the Plan G, and often only costs $15 - $20 less per month, so that extra money is well worth the investment into the Plan G. Again, we recommend Plan G as being the best valued plan that is most cost-effective for most senior citizens today.

Jimbo, What is the source of this information?
Thanks

[jimbo2012]

here's the website