I should clarify that we used a Medicare agent. They represent more than one company and only deal in Medicare insurance. I don’t have any issue with using someone who is paid, because they showed me information from all insurers who sold in my state.
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I used The Medicare Connection. They had an office in a local shopping center. They didn’t charge a fee and were very helpful.
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One of the pharmacists at our Walgreens was helping his dad with the Medicare sign up - and I gave him the 411 on it. Yes, some ‘old’ people need to rely on family/friends to help research yearly the Medicare part D plan that works with their prescription drug list. Some will be on a Medicare Advantage plan where the prescription drugs are included.
I forgot the ‘underwriting’ term.
I think some people handle signing on to Medicare like they have handled college for their kids - head in the sand and then ‘high stress’ and ‘deadlines’ looming. Those TV ads, the barrage of mailers must have some effect with people signing up to those plans.
REALLY dumb question (sorry!):
All these components - B, D, G -
For these portions of your coverage you shop between various companies?? Like Humana or BC/BS? So, when you are saying you got Part G (which I am gathering is the “Medigap” portion), that is the level of coverage you decide you want and then you figure out from which insurance carrier to purchase that?? But the A part is just the A part?? No comparison shopping for that? Because that comes from…? The government itself? Ha ha! I’m embarrassed to be asking this. And the A part is 100% of hospital stays?
We are four and five years away (respectively), but this discussion is so very helpful!
EDIT - are all of the amounts for these various components taken out of your SS checks? Or just the A & B parts?? And, if your SS isn’t enough to cover, you pay the difference to???
Yes, taken out of your SS if you have enough to cover it. Otherwise, you will get a monthly bill…I got one for three years while my husband was still working (IRMMA, plus my SS benefit is very very low due to offset and windfall provisions)
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If you choose Medicare plus a supplement, you shop for the supplement and for Part D. The supplement can be one & done, meaning you can just keep it. However … in some states, you can choose to change without underwriting at various times of the year (depending on state law), so you might choose to change if rates rise. Even in states with underwriting, you might choose to change even with underwriting if your rates rise too much; in that case, I’m not sure at what point in the year you can change to a different supplement. If you choose to switch to an advantage plan, you do that during the Medicare open enrollment period. The cost for the supplement can be automatically deducted from your SS check if you choose.
If you get a supplement, you have to purchase Part D separately. I don’t think it can be deducted from your SS check. The formulary and cost can (and DOES) vary year to year. Sign up is annual, from Oct - Dec.
If you choose advantage instead of a supplement, changes are done during the Medicare open enrollment period. Some advantage plans include Part D, but with others, Part D is separate. In that case, you’d have to sign up for Part D every year (Oct - Dec).
Although some people think it’s all straightforward, the annual changes to Part D plans can present a real problem for older adults. Just a quick scroll through the thread about taking care of parents will give you an idea of how hard it is for some folks … who may very well take quite a few meds … to stay on top of it.
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Once of the planning catch phrases for those doing traditional Medicare - “Marry your Medigap (supplemental plan), Date your Part D (med plan - annual enrollment)
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Medicare “agents” can be independent or captive; the former can sell any medicare policy, whereas the latter sells only for one carrier. That said, just bcos an agent is independent doesn’t mean that they are truly independent. (When I was approaching Medicare, I reached out for names of Medicare brokers from contacts I had from a former life in MegaCorp health benefits. The top and most popular broker in my area was pushing one letter plan from one insurer, which just so happened to be the highest cost plan – which I assume meant highest commissions. When I challenged him on it, he demurred and mumbled something to the effect, 'that’s what most of my customers prefer. Hmmmmm.)
btw: Medicare pays broker/agent fees at not cost to you. (I woudl assume that captive agents also receive a $$ bump for selling their carrier’s insurance.)
Part D can also be deducted direct from SS check if you request it when applying for Part D.
Absolutely. your health status changes. Drug forumularies change. So it’s important to review Part D carrier every year during open enrollment.
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Thanks for the clarification on Part D!
From an email I received today from Medicare:
If you or someone in your household has a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can make a coverage change during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which runs from January 1–March 31 each year.
You can:
- Switch to a different Medicare Advantage Plan; or
- Switch to Original Medicare (and join a separate Medicare drug plan).
Click here
https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare/
DH and I chose traditional Medicare plus Supplement G plus Drug plan. It is probably the most expensive option if you’re healthy, but can be very reasonable if you have chronic or serious conditions. Our main reason for choosing G was that we live in two distant states (like a snowbird), and wanted full flexibility.
Some things we learned during our research period:
- An excellent book to help guide choices: “Medicare for Dummies”. Make sure it is a recently updated version. It does not outline specific companies, but helps explain choices and timing. Another helpful source: Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap: Key Differences (investopedia.com)
- Not all “G” plans are the same. The basic coverages are equal, but there can be subtle important differences. ( Perks, Billing methods, History of increases, What happens if you move, etc.). My G plan includes gym membership, but they can also cancel it (which United did).
- Different states have different rules – and potentially different pricing for similar plans. For our G plan, in state A, premiums are much higher initially because all ages pay the same. In state B, premiums start low, but rise as your age increases, (and will be much higher later). Prices can also vary within a state by residence zip code.
- Brokers don’t cover all plans. We researched first, then went to a Medicare-only broker to confirm our research or ask specific questions. My particular broker also offers help after the ‘sale’, if there are medical billing issues. It does not cost extra to use a broker, so that is a nice after-sale perk.
- If you call insurance companies for questions, they usually direct you to a ‘sales’ department which may or may not be located in your state. We found the sales reps to be lacking in knowledge of particular state laws (because they often cover multiple states). They also rarely had answers to our particular questions. The state SHIP office was much better. So was the broker. If they didn’t have an answer, they took the time to find it.
Aside: Should there be a separate thread for Medicare? It appears many CC posters could benefit.
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Re Part D, MyMedicare has a good tool for exploring drug plan options during the annual enrollment period. You plug in your current meds and desired pharmacies, and it shows you total annual out of pocket costs for various carriers, including monthly premiums.
We’ve been on WellCare ValueScrip PDP for a few years and monthly premiums just dropped to $.40/month. Most of our prescriptions are generic so we just pay the deductible and the rest are zero cost. I do have one expensive prescription so hit the donut hole each year. It’s on the Federal list of drugs to be price negotiated, so maybe it will get less expensive in 2025. The only change we’re not quite happy about is that WellCare just switched from Caremark CVS to ExpressScripts for their mail order prescriptions. It’s a tiny bit more complicated to order, and takes several days longer to fill.
We have HealthNet Supplemental F and have been satisfied. Their rate chart has graduated rates in two year age categories; so aside from normal types of increases we go up for age every two years.
Plan F is closed to new (and presumably healthier) enrollment. Thus, enrollees in F will grow older and sicker. Plans are supposed to be actuarially breakeven (plus small profit), so over time, F enrollees should experience higher rate increases.
You might inquire with HealthNet what their rate for Plan G woudl be and then add in the annual deductible to see if it woudl be any cheaper that F, and if so, whether you can switch without underwriting. (In my CA zip code, G is still less expensive than F even after factoring in the deductible, so switching was a no-brainer, but I hated to lose that 1st dollar coverage. )
I think everyone of Medicare age is a regular in this thread so no need to have another one. 
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This particular thread seems to ebb and flow between different topics.
There have been Medicare threads but they don’t have the long life that this one does.
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My Part B and the Supplement D is deducted from my monthly social security check. I have a draft set up to pay monthly my Medigap G and my dental/vision to my previous employer who allows retirees to continue with the dental/vision/life at employee rate if they are of Medicare age.
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There is not a huge difference between F and G. The primary difference is that F covered the Part B deductible and and G doesn’t. That amounts to about $275 for the year currently. It does change annually. My father has an F plan. I have the G plan. Best I could get. It’s not real expensive. This year it’s around $125 per month. I believe my 84 year old father’s F plan is around $300 per month.
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My F plan is going up from $247 to $272. Plan G would be $237. So it’s true that the total difference for the year is more than the deductible. But it’s not a huge difference and I hesitate to give up Plan F just in case there’s some changes in the future that would make me regret it. I’ll keep an eye on the costs.
Per the government, 2024 Part B deductible is $240.
The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries will be $240 in 2024, an increase of $14 from the annual deductible of $226 in 2023.
When we first were considering plans (husband six months before me), we were able to make an appointment at a JCC event with a dot gov specialist. Neither husband nor I can remember which “gov”, but I think likely the county. She did a very good job explaining all the possibilities. As a former SSA employee myself, it didn’t seem too confusing.
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Depends on the State. In my Socal CA county, the net annual savings obtained from moving from F to G is several hundred dollars. For example, a 70 year old in my CA zip could get the popular UHC plan (AARP) Plan F for $2974/yr, or $2325/yr for G (+ deductible). I found a similar differential when plugging in a NorCal zip code.