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.