Best Medical Health Insurance @ 65
 

Hello -
After delaying for as long as I can, ( I've been 52 for a while), I'll be turning 65 in a few months and seeking guidance on the best possible medical insurance plan used by fellow Villagers without factoring-in cost.

My COBRA ends when I turn 65 and I am seeking a similar medical insurance plan comparable to my COBRA plan which essentially covered everything including prescription drugs, treatment from almost any physician with minimal out of pocket cost.

Thanks for your help.

Medicare is not free. Check with Shine for help choosing your options.
 

There website is:
SHINE - Home

I spoke with a women in the villages who helped me with that process who is part of that organization. They are not affiliated with any of the companies selling the various plans you can choose for "full" coverage.
It's provide by the state of Florida I believe.

Too many choices! I will be doing the same in early 2022 and not looking forward to it. For me I want to make sure that I will have good access to doctors, hospitals etc. when I am traveling. Have Florida Blue now and do like their service. Good luck.

Yes, absolutely talk to SHINE they saved us from making a very big mistake.

I have Medicare and a supplement policy with AARP United Healthcare. My plan has no co pays, deductibles and pays everything that Medicare does not cover. I have had 5 surgeries in the last 10 years including 9 days in ICU in U.F. Shands hospital and I have never paid a dime for any of these procedures. I can go anywhere and make my own appointments without a referral.I do pay a monthly premium, but one stay in a hospital Is worth a years premium
Bob B.

I am guessing you have UHC, via AARP, Plan F. If you live in Sumter County you can save yourself money by switching to Plan G ( no underwriting required). The Part B deductible (about $200) is covered by Plan F and not Plan G but the Plan G premiums are about $360 less. All other aspects are identical.

My wife and I took care of my father for three years in our home prior to his death. I took care of all his finances and he had AARP UHC plan F and it paid for everything without question. When I turned 65 I signed up for AARP/UHC as did my wife when she turned 65. I have had the normal health issues, but my wife has had dozens of hospitalizations, in Kansas City as well as in the TV area, and we have never paid a cent out of pocket. There are probably cheaper plans out there, but the peace of mind we get that we are 100% covered is worth more than the premiums we pay (which are hundreds of thousands less than what the insurance has paid.)

Both of you forgot to mention that you also have a Prescription Drug Plan which covers most, but not all, of the cost for your prescriptions. I have the same combination as you do: Medicare + AARP medicare supplement + PDP.

Prescriptions are the real issue with Medicare for me.
 

I have the UH drug plan with a monthly premium of over 100 dollars. The real question is why can't Medicare negotiate prices for drugs. That's very big part of health care costs for many of us on Medicare today. That's a conspiracy worth looking into. Any of you on Eliquis or
Humira ? That's a real dent in the annual budget!

Shop all of them and pick what is right for you.

I would stay with the Traditional Medigap Plan, if you are healthy go with Plan N United Health Care carry it. There is a premium but it lower then most. With this plan you pay a once a year Part B deductible and a co-pay to each dr visit $20 or under. If you go to the emergency room there is a co-pay of $50 and if you have a hospital stay Medicare and the insurance company pay the cost you have $.00 out of pocket. For you RX you will have to pick a plan right for you and if you go to Medicare.gov website you can put you meds in and it will pull up all the plans available to you and the cost and co-pays.
With Traditional Medigap plans there is no network to worry about. NO you will not be able to go to The Villages Health Care but so what I hear to many complaints anyways.
Hope this helps
Plan N really is a good plan

Plan F is no longer
Plan G is now the new F but the cost is moving up
Look at Plan N $40-60 less a month depending on your age…..yes you have co-pays to dr visit but if you go to the dr 3-4 times a yr you will be saving money, hospital coverage in Plan G and N are the same

Are you going to Medicare.gov every year and putting your list of meds in? RX plans change every year so you need to do a little homework every Oct to be sure you are in the right plan. The Medicare website will give you all the plans and you can sign up for the plans from the site no need to call anyone for help if you don’t want to.

go meet a SHINE ( serving health insurance needs of elders) meeting, given at several rec centers or call 800-963-5337. You are eligible at 65 for medicare and the people at SHINE are medicare specialists, NOT insurance salespeople

Not exactly. The Plan F eligibility date cutoff is Jan 1, 2020. If you were eligible for Medicare before that date you can use Plan F. For the post I was responding to, the person was clearly eligible for Plan F and most likely had Plan F. Those who have Plan F can keep Plan F and those who are eligible for Plan F can switch to Plan F. As I already posted, however, Plan G carries lower cost than Plan F for the same coverage (they differ only by the Part B deductible). Plan G and Plan N differ not only in possible co-pays but also possible (but unlikely) excess charges. The premium difference between Plan G and Plan N is about $30 per month (depends on age, location, and whether you are a smoker). I agree that Plan N can be very cost effective and those who are newly eligible for Medicare, as well as those with Plan G or Plan F already, should take a look at it. I have Plan N.