[zmarkp]

So I'm moving to TV and am shopping for Medicare Supplement F.

I attended the SHINE meeting and my take away was to sign with whoever had the lowest premiums.

So far I've looked at Blue Cross, and United Health Care through AARP.

Any suggestions or warnings?

One challenge is I'm still in NC and won't be changing residency until after I sign up.

Thanks to all of you who can help!

Mark

[villagetinker]

We have UHC through AARP, and no problems, except of course this is NOT accepted by the villages health system. So we got a new Primary Care Physician (Leesburg), and kept all of the existing specialists. Wait till you start looking at the part D prescription plans........... Cannot give any advice on these, as you need to decide based on your specific prescription needs.
Also, you do NOT need to be present for the AARP UHC plan, sign up on line or by phone call, so you can do this from anywhere, just be aware of the limitation with village health care system.

[zmarkp]

Thanks for the reply, VillageTinker.

Do you find AARP to be worthwhile?

Mark

[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by zmarkp

Thanks for the reply, VillageTinker.

Do you find AARP to be worthwhile?

Mark

Not sure how to answer your question, but if you mean versus an ADVANTAGE plan yes, we found too many restrictions with the advantage plan. When I turned 65, the person I used to evaluate the plans indicated this was best for me, NOTE, there are several plans available (listed by letters).

If you want additional info, send me a PM with phone number and we can discuss over the phone.

[greenhillsgirl]

Originally Posted by zmarkp

So I'm moving to TV and am shopping for Medicare Supplement F.

I attended the SHINE meeting and my take away was to sign with whoever had the lowest premiums.

So far I've looked at Blue Cross, and United Health Care through AARP.

Any suggestions or warnings?

One challenge is I'm still in NC and won't be changing residency until after I sign up.

Thanks to all of you who can help!

Mark

Mark, I have FLBlue, plan F, and have been completely happy with it for the last 4 years. Yes, it cost more, but as you are aware, you get what you pay for. No, it is not the cheapest, and I cannot believe that someone told you to buy the least expensive supplement. That is simply bad advice. Everyone is different, have different health needs...perhaps cannot afford to pay for a top-tier plan......
As the Village Tinker stated, TV doctor group has booted all who did not ascribe to the UHC Plan with who they contracted. No matter....there are other practices that gladly accept great insurance.
I worked in the insurance industry for many years, both medical and denttal, and knew that as long as we could afford it, we would remain with the Blues.

[ukbill70]

My wife and I stayed with Blue Cross / Blue Shield, Just switched from Blue Cross of Illinois to Florida Blue both plan F.

Actually Florida Blue was less expensive after a couple of years as They don't increase premiums as we became older unlike BCBS of Illinois.

As has already been posted the real challenge is Part D, it's a gamble to which plan you choose as you need to look in your crystal ball to see what medications you may need to take the following year. What may seem a perfect plan in January could prove very expensive later in the year if you need a new drug.

[billalexander]

Mark, I am a licensed agent, but not licensed in Florida so not looking any benefit except to give you facts versus the information you are receiving which is not in your best interest. Medicare is very complicated and quite hard to understand and many people make decisions that is based on their perception and understanding, but in many cases is not correct. First, the person who advised you to buy the cheapest Plan F is exactly correct. Every Plan F is the same because the Medicare requires that every Plan F provide the exact same coverage, no exceptions from one carrier to another allowed. You only have a few decisions to make when choosing which insurance carrier you choose. What is their financial strength and all of the carriers approved in Florida are financial stable because the Fl Insurance Commissioner makes sure of that and all of the approved ones are. So what should you consider in making your decision, lowest cost and what has their premium increases been in the last five years. Based on premium increases, the last company I would even consider is BCBS of Florida. Not a personal bias, just the facts. United Health Care is a good company and AARP highly recommends, but if you read the fine print of AARP, you will find that they are supplementing the premium and it will increase in a few years to a higher premium than other insurance companies. REMEMEBER what I said above, all the benefits are exactly the same with all carriers. I recommend that you go to the Fla Dept of Insurance website and look at the approved carriers in Florida and choose and call the lowest two or three carriers and ask them what their rate increases have been for the last five years. Once you get this information, you will have what you need to make your decision. If you want to send me a private message, I will respond. I was hesitant to even respond to you because I will probably get a scolding from other people who read this, but I hate to see people make a decision on one of the most important decisions they have to make based on misinformation, not that the individuals offering it do not have good intentions, just bad facts and understanding. You only get one shot at 65 to make decision with no preexisting conditions or underwriting, so make sure it is a good one. I am 65 and have a Plan F so had to make that decision. Did not choose either Fla Blue or United Health Care.

[NYGUY]

Originally Posted by billalexander

Mark, I am a licensed agent, but not licensed in Florida so not looking any benefit except to give you facts versus the information you are receiving which is not in your best interest. Medicare is very complicated and quite hard to understand and many people make decisions that is based on their perception and understanding, but in many cases is not correct. First, the person who advised you to buy the cheapest Plan F is exactly correct. Every Plan F is the same because the Medicare requires that every Plan F provide the exact same coverage, no exceptions from one carrier to another allowed. You only have a few decisions to make when choosing which insurance carrier you choose. What is their financial strength and all of the carriers approved in Florida are financial stable because the Fl Insurance Commissioner makes sure of that and all of the approved ones are. So what should you consider in making your decision, lowest cost and what has their premium increases been in the last five years. Based on premium increases, the last company I would even consider is BCBS of Florida. Not a personal bias, just the facts. United Health Care is a good company and AARP highly recommends, but if you read the fine print of AARP, you will find that they are supplementing the premium and it will increase in a few years to a higher premium than other insurance companies. REMEMEBER what I said above, all the benefits are exactly the same with all carriers. I recommend that you go to the Fla Dept of Insurance website and look at the approved carriers in Florida and choose and call the lowest two or three carriers and ask them what their rate increases have been for the last five years. Once you get this information, you will have what you need to make your decision. If you want to send me a private message, I will respond. I was hesitant to even respond to you because I will probably get a scolding from other people who read this, but I hate to see people make a decision on one of the most important decisions they have to make based on misinformation, not that the individuals offering it do not have good intentions, just bad facts and understanding. You only get one shot at 65 to make decision with no preexisting conditions or underwriting, so make sure it is a good one. I am 65 and have a Plan F so had to make that decision. Did not choose either Fla Blue or United Health Care.

It's nice to see someone provide facts about this topic.

[MSGirl]

Thank you. Helps me a lot when I become Medicare eligible

[zmarkp]

Thanks to all, and especially to billalexander.

Premium increases are definitely a concern to me. Thanks for revealing the AARP fine print. It makes sense from their point of view but not something I want. I've been self employed since age 28 with BCBS and their premiums are slowly bankrupting me. When I asked to raise my deductible a few years ago in order to lower my premiums BCBS said "No". They basically have no competition here.

Thanks again to all who have helped. What a great community this is.

[Carla B]

Bill Alexander, great info. May I ask which company you went with for Plan F, if not Blue or AARP UHC?