What company to use for supplimental Medicare
 

Hello all.
I am 67 have been retired over a year. On social security.
I have been on my wifes Baltimore county public school health insurance.
She will be retiring July 1 but is not old enough to collect ss for another 6 months.
She will have to pay alot more for her health insurance and I will have to start using medicare.
Along with that I will have to get supplimental dental, vision and i guess prescription.
I am in perfect health as we speak and takwe no medication, but you never know what the future brings of course.
I suspect alot of the villagers are in the position I am entering.
Who do you use. I am in MD now but will be moving down there perminately Oct 3
Any help will be appreciated.

Sounds like she is eligible for COBRA and that should last 18 months. She is in the area where in NO insurance company wants to insure(older and under 65 yrs old). Depending upon your income she might be eligible for ACA which will reduce the premiums. I had Florida Blue and price was around 11k two years ago was in the same boat. You are in a good situation as you are eligible for Medicare(best insurance I have ever had). She could find a job locally in order to get a group health plan.

We use AARP United health care for Supplemental, widely accepted, reasonable costs. Now a word of caution, the villages has it own unique health care system, that does NOT accept Medicare and Supplemental coverage, they only accept 3 or 4 ADVANTAGE plans. Before you jump ship to get into the villages health system, talk to SHINE, here is their website, SHINE - Home, they provide UNBIASED health care information.

Strongly agree with talking to Shine. Pros and cons to everything but they will advise you without an ax to grind.

If you can handle the monthly premium of around $230.00 per month, I would seriously consider the Medicare F, now called the "G" plan. It will open many doors for you as it will allow you to use any doctor you want as you're not locked into a group. Also, a big plus is that you do not have to wait for referrals. Talking to Shine as mentioned above is a smart idea and they will give you all your options for consideration so you can make the choice that is best for you.

Health Insurance - Medicare
 

We were referred to HIRAdvocates.com, Deborah Vega - 352-406-4010 - by a neighbor. Debbie spent time with us on a Sunday evening, reviewing my Medicare plan and my wife's pending Medicare enrollment. We are very happy with her patience, explaining the complicated subject, and her recommendations.

I believe The Village's health care specialist takes Medicare. Which is odd.

I found YouTube to be an excellent place to learn about Medicare. Once you are here make an appointment with Vyonne Tepsick Insurance she's a great resource and will ensure you get the right insurance plan for you.

Medicare.gov provides a list of all the supplemental plans available in Florida. I use it every year to review whether my current plan fits my needs for the next year, Last time I checked there were 48 plans available - Half for HMO so eliminated those, more were either not top rated or not rated - got it down to 8 options. Excellent site - Shine uses this site when you meet with them.

Yes, they do. It is only the PCP side of the house that requires one of their approved Medicare Advantage Plans once you are of Medicare age. Prior to Medicare age, the PCP side of the house takes a wide variety of insurance plans.

You are correct about the SPECIALISTS taking Medicare and supplemental, I actually use a couple of them. The confusion is that you cannot use the villages health for your Primary Care Physician (PCP) as that system only takes the ADVANTAGE plans. Our problem was back in the 2013-14 time frame we were in the VHS and were in the group that was grandfathered, and then forced out as we did not want to give up our Medicare plan. We did try the advantage plans and had problems that we could NOT continue to use specialists that we already had as they would not accept the advantage plans.

Great Advice, hope new residents listen and follow your advice to do a thorough investigation of ALL OPTIONS, so many sad stories, disillusioned people, and sub-standard care. Take the time to "turn over every rock" so to speak !

If you did not apply for Medicare when you were 65 (even if you didn't need it) expect to be penalized. I had an uncle that worked until he was 80 and did not apply for Medicare when he was 65 because he had a plan through his employer. When he went to apply at age 80 they penalized him 6 months. His congressman got involved and Medicare would not budge with the penalty.

Note that the penalty for delaying applying for Medicare Part B is 10 percent of the basic premium per year. So, a 15 year delay would result in a penalty of 150 percent. However, as long as your uncle was working and had a credible health insurance plan through his employer, he would not have incurred the penalty. It sounds like you don't have all the facts.

I have not gotten there yet. I am retired and still have my companies insurance for another 5.5 years and at 65 they offer insurance as well. Congrats on being in good health. I think I am on about 30-32 pills a day and have been for years. First it was high blood pressure plus cholesterol then diabetes and for the last 10 years it has been cancer. Stay healthy.

Cheri Harper-Tate, Guided Medicare Solutions, 352-260-0151. Knowledgeable, efficient, accurate. SHINE was a waste of time for us.

You are talking about Advantage plans not Medigap plans. Medigap plans do not change year to year, Advantage plans very often do.

We give Vyonne Tepsick our first rate approval every time. Consider Plan N which is a little less expensive and charges $20 deductibles to see a Dr. Since you are in good health you won’t see one often.

But Yvonne will give you the info so you can decide.

I have Transamerica Life for my supplement. A lot less expensive than UHC and it’s rated A+. My premium is about $160 per month. I carried the plan over from NJ and have been extremely happy.
What many don’t realize is you don’t need the most expensive provider or well known by name. They all have to cover the same benefits as Medicare. For prescription I use WellCare. It’s less than $12 a month. Actually cheaper in Fl than NJ. I am only on a statin. So it works fine for me. By all means consult an expert but make sure they represent a portfolio of plans not just the most commonly known.

Do not go with an Advantage Plan! Go with a plan G supplement plan. Also, you don’t have to have a Florida based plan. I’m saving around $75 a month by using a Georgia based plan compared to getting the exact same plan in Florida. I asked the insurance company and they told me their insurance is good wherever Medicare is good. So while you are up north, check both states to see which offers a cheaper plan.
Also, you can’t be turned away from the start to get into a supplement plan, but they can refuse you afterward, so it’s crucial you get your supplement early on. You can always get an advantage plan if you ever want to change.

FYI...the Villages Health for primary care docs do not accept traditional medicare, BUT their specialists do accept it. UHC supplement is the way to go

Talking to Shine great advice , nice people & they lay everything on the the table, no push. I find traditional Medicare the best, then any supplemental company will work, they are all contracted & paid by Medicare

Medicare A&B plus I have Blue Cross with Dental and vision. I chose my doctors. Check into C for both of you too. Different plans for all chose best for you two. I did not need C because how my Blue setup.X fed employee.

Very happy with United Health Advantage plan

Medicare and myBlue
 

Is that some thing that you had to set up before you retired from federal employment?

Many of these answers are not accurate. Supplemental insurance is the same for each company (meaning same benefits - if you choose plan G all benefits the same) the difference is the premiums. If you are fairly healthy try Mutual of Omaha plan G. They underwrite by asking questions regarding your health. The other companies do not so the premiums are less. And yes you need med D for prescriptions or they will surcharge you heavily when you do sign up. I was in healthcare so my knowledge is accurate. I am not knowledgeable about advantage plans, although I would never have one.

Freedom Health, based in Tampa. We've been with them for a few years.

Don’t Use Florida Blue!
 

Many people are “tied” to the insurance company chosen by their employer. But for those that have a free choice, I can tell you all from first hand experience which insurance company NOT to use.

Florida Blue is the worst insurance company I have ever had the misfortune to use. You will have to get their pre-approval to go to any doctor or specialist other than your primary care doctor, as well as many procedures. And Florida Blue is slow, slow, slow in providing such approvals of your doctor’s referrals and ordered treatments.

Once, on a Friday afternoon Florida Blue simply went home for the weekend and told me to call back Monday morning. My primary care doctor was enraged and sent me to the ER because the condition he ordered be treated was life-threatening. Even though the ER was a long wait, at least he knew I would be treated Friday evening.

United Healthcare

"Along with that I will have to get supplimental dental, vision and i guess prescription."

You don't have to get any of those. I haven't had dental or vision for decades. Those two restrict who you can see and what they will cover. I find many of the best dental providers don't take insurance at all.

The prescription plan may be worth it because you never know what you may need at a given time.

The kind of plan you are referring to had to be some kind of Advantage or HMO plan. True Medicare supplemental insurance or Medi-Gap, as most insurance companies refer to it, do not normally require referrals. Medicare would be considered primary and billed first, no matter Florida Blue, United Health or AARP.

Agree medicare G with gap coverage is way to go. If you are eligible for USAA, they are best. Also need drug plan but they are reasonably priced and you can change them every year. All drug plans vary the copays on the pharmacy you use. You can change pharmacies to match your plan if the difference is worth it. You can find all that out by going to medicare.gov and looking at drug plans. Most dental coverage is not worth what you pay for it. Check all the deductibles and copays. Vision is included with medicare with the exception of refractions or contact lens fittings which are not expensive. Be aware that all premiums increase as you get older so don't compare yourself to what others are paying unless you know all the details. Also be aware, your government medicare costs vary depending on your taxable income, including what you take out of IRAs. If you net a lot of money on the sale of a house, they may include that for the year you sell but I'm not sure. Might be an exemption for that.

Under 65 here and we have Florida Blue from the Healthcare.gov exchange. There aren't many other choices for ACA plans. Most of the dermatologists I wanted to see in The Villages do not take Florida Blue. One had just dropped it recently. We have an extremely high deductible of $9,100 and we had very high premiums until our income went down. So with the high deductible, we just pay for most of our medical anyway. GoodRx almost always gets us a better price on our prescriptions than Florida Blue. Medicare premiums are affected by income, so if your income is high, you will pay more. Good luck!

I know Baltimore County Public Schools have good health insurance options. They also to have Health Benefits Coordinators who can educate retiree's regarding COBRA options. That might be a good temporary option for your wife. The cost of Cobra will include both the employee and employer portions and a added on administration fee. She could then make a switch to supplemental insurance at age 65. Many supplemental plans are portable, which means you could just purchase it locally then carry it with you to Florida. Shop around! Call health insurance brokers, who are knowledgeable in the different supplemental plans. Don't forget to pick up drug insurance.
Vision and dental is a whole other ball game, especially if you had one of the good plans offered through Baltimore County Schools.

Below is a link to a good video on Medicare plans. Also if you go on youtube to this guys site there are many videos that are informative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pWQ5vwt8nE

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Medicare supplement rates
 

Florida has a very nice web site where the rates for the standard medicare policies are listed along with the rates. Keep in mind if you purchase a "G" policy or any other policy other than an HMO the coverage is exactly the same regardless of the company from which you purchase the policy.

Link to the Florida web site with the information.
Medicare Supplement Rates

Go to SHINE...it is the singularly best place for accurate, unbiased information. They do not sell products. They merely are a source of information. They hold various meetings in The Villages and I highly recommend them. They did wonders in informing me. I saved a ton of money and got really good coverage.

I used Yvonne Tepsick also - she lets you know all your options and leads you in the right direction- I will go see her every year - changed my husbands plan - saved me $$ and much better coverage.

I am 81and have been with AARP Supplement insurance since before I turned 62. When I arrived here in the Villages, at age 64, I got a job at Walmart to get insurance for my wife who was 6 years younger than me. In March of 06 I went to a cardiologist for a check up and he told me I had ventricular Tachycardia and needed an ablation. I had the operation and Walmart insurance would only pay $1,000 of the bill of $26,000 AARP/United Healthcare paid the rest. I haven't changed since and I won't. I don't have co-payments and I have never had to pay anything for Doctors or Hospital visits. I have a separate drug Insurance. I would suggest you get your insurances before your wife retires because you will be penalized for every month that you don't have insurance and have to pay a higher premium. I pay a higher premium for my drug insurance due to not knowing about it and getting it after a few months.