New topic - finding Medicare Brokers (agents who help you find he best plan for your situation…. free to you, same monthly rates). The National Council on Aging
I’m not old enough to use one yet, but my husband really liked the one he used. A friend in another state was having trouble finding a personal recommendation for one. (She’s had lots of mailings as she approaches age 65, from agents who seemed to push Medicare Advantage plans). I recommended she consider social media post. After asking for help on a Facebook post, she had two enthusiastic recommendations for local medicare brokers. Obviously this method won’t work if you don’t want your FB friends to know you age
I’ll post on the other thread, thank you to @thumper1 for starting it. Just wanted to say that how @Youdon_tsay explained it is perfect, and the reasoning is something I will keep in my mind the next time we talk about it. Inoffensive, thoughtful and honest.
And @deb922, absolutely on the taxes, upkeep and permitting. Complicated!
On to the other thread, thanks, all, this really helped clarify things to me.
I had read that the Medicare Brokers get something like three times the commission if you get an Advantage Plan, so likely that’s the reason for the pushing. I don’t know if I’m going to want one of those “free” brokers at all!
yes, brokers don’t charge you, but they do have a vested interest in the plan you choose. A high deductible Letter plan, for example, pays them a lower commission than the higher cost regular Letter plan.
Much better to start your search with an unbiased and free resource, your state SHIP who do not work on commission.
For those that choose a Medigap* plan, Rx for Medicare is Part D. Your H can enter his meds on teh website and it’ll recommend a plan for greatest cost savings. But note, drug formularies change like the wind. Part D has open enrollment every year in late fall, so H should compare plans & prices every year.
*Alternatively, Medicare Advantage plans (technically, Part C), will include pharmacy benefits.
I just cruised over to CC because I’m shopping Medicare plans right now and my head was spinning!
I’m working with a highly recommended agent. Doing my own due diligence now. I did follow your links which lead to the same two supplemental plans already on my radar for Medigap, and confirmed my Part D choice. So down to the Medigap. I’m looking at reviews, which vary wildly. We travel too much for an Advantage plan.
reviews should not much matter for a Medigap plan. All letter plans (G, N…) are essentially the same, except for pricing. Medicare is controlling – once Medicare approves a medical service, and pays what’s due, the Medigap automatically pays its share. (Much different than medical coverage from an employer plan with insurer pre-certifications, etc.)
Pricing, history of increases compared to other companies in that space, and history of closing one book of business but opening another (leaving those in the old book with higher costs) are what you should focus on … to the extent possible, given that it is impossible to truly predict increases.
Thanks for that input. I’m leaning toward the one my mom has, and she’s never had an issue – it just had iffy ratings on Trust Pilot. Yet it was top rated on Nerd Wallet.
I can’t tell you how much I stressed when doing research for H last year! It’s my turn in a couple months, and this time I know what to do. Part D is a pain, though, that pops back up annually.
I’m simple (one generic Rx) on Plan D right now so going with the cheapest that was recommended by my agent. I like having the option to revisit when things get more complicated.
I only have a simple generic, as well. H has a med that costs a little or a lot, depending on the Part D plan … but GoodRx and Costco cash-pay are reasonable, so we leave that med out when pricing plans. People who don’t know that they can sometimes pay less without insurance get tripped up & end up with a plan that costs more overall. And then everything can change the following year.
when GoodRx and Costco are still pricey, my next go-to is Canada. (need to ask my doc for a manual printed script so I can order from CA, but saves several hundred dollars over US pricing.)
I realize bogleheads may be a better place to ask this, but I’m asking it here anyway.
As you retire, or get closer to retiring, did you make any changes to the allocation of your assets? (Stocks, bonds, real estate, cash, whatever…)
If you are retired or close to retired, what is your (rough) allocation?
Does your age impact allocation?
If you have a pension, does that impact your choice?
I suspect our allocation (I have to figure out what it is overall - I think both of us would have a hard time saying what it is overall, but we know roughly by “buckets”) is pretty risk averse, given we have pensions, but we do sleep well at night.
