This Section Dedicated
to the Insurance Enrollment
PCN Members String
PCN chime in!! Help out by either answering a questioning member or replying to a sharing of information. All string offerings are numbered and most have an author’s email. To chime in: Please Do Not Hit the Reply button, rather compose a new email with a the author and CC mark.pcndir@gmail.com and I will publish your help for others to see in our group.
We all know that every person’s situation is unique and that there isn’t a one size fits all approach on enrollment decisions. Some members appear to be tired of the confusion and want someone to simply explain the “good deal” and advise them how to sign up for it. This string is not designed to be a personal advisor. Rather our group is a very experienced and intelligent group and members can benefit from by either sharing info or experience, which can help “educate” others into making a more informed decision. That is the goal. If this works out, we may try to re-do this each year during enrollment. Please remember, that most of the confusion exists because slick offerings that inundate your mail box each and every enrollment period. IF YOUR HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE FOR INSURANCE OPTIONS YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING as you will be automatically re-enrolled. It’s the “shiny” thing flashing over the fence that has so many thinking they may be missing out on a good deal. Also, some of the choices have been named for promotion sake. Ie. Medicare “Advantage” plan. Obviously, this plan must have advantages over the traditional Medicare. Right? Well, maybe and maybe not. Look under the hood and then apply it to your unique circumstances before you jump.
There are consequences and pros and cons of any choice. The following string from our members speaks well to many of the issues that may help you with this annual ritual.
(1) Denny Walsh dennywalsh42@gmail.com
It is true if out opt out of ITDR insurance you cannot get back in. Denny walsh
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(2) William Pantesco wjpantesco@gmail.com
Hi Mark,
I have Medicare of course with supplement coverage from USAA. Humana drug plan also. Pay about $227 for supplement. Pay nothing out of pocket ever. Very happy with it.
Bill Pantesco
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(3) Bill Rodway abq767@gmail.com
Mark,
I do not use
ITDR.
I use
Medicare, a Presbyterian (free) Medicare Advantage Plan, and my Tricare from
the military.
I take no
meds, and if I go to the doctor twice a year, that's a lot.
Seems to
work for me.
Bill R
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(4) Mark,
Guys may wish to read this article. Billy Ray
Medicare Unhinged
September 29, 2020
by Joanne Giardini-Russell Advisor
Perspectives
welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily
represent those of Advisor Perspectives. Joanne Giardini-Russell will be
speaking at our virtual conference, the AP
Thought Leader Summit, on October 6th at 3p ET. Register for free today! I was recently told, “I love Medicare 101, but I’m ready for a Medicare ‘unhinged’ – the real stuff that advisors should know to the core and not all of the usual stuff we hear.” Well, it took about five minutes to get my brain going about that article. I shot a note out to ur team on Google Hangouts and within another five minutes, I had the framework to start writing. Here are some of our favorite lines that we hear on a daily basis. And, I’ll provide the reality behind the lines.
1. I have to have dental insurance? “What do you mean dental and vision aren’t included in Medicare? I’ve always had that coverage.” Just because you’ve always had something, it doesn’t mean it’s good coverage. It means that you are used to having the coverage. When you have employer-sponsored dental coverage, it’s often cheap! It’s highly, highly subsidized and it’s pretty darn inexpensive. And, the funny part is that most people will say, “But it hardly covers anything.” If that is the case, my question is, “Why do you all want it?” I’ve never met a dentist that says that dental insurance is a good value. But, everybody wants it. (Caveat - we do offer a dental plan or two that are relatively good values, but for the most part, dental insurance is a product that the consumer has been trained to want.)
2. They said I could change my Medicare plan every year “The commercials and the agent I bought this plan from said I could change my plan every year if I didn’t like it.” This person enrolled into a Medicare Advantage plan and, at times, half the story is told (or remembered by the consumer) at the point of sale. Yes, if you don’t like that particular Medicare Advantage plan, you can exchange it for a new Medicare Advantage plan during the following annual election period from October 15 until December 7. Now, when that consumer says, “No, I want to get the Medigap plan that offers better coverage because I now have to get some cardiac testing done.” Ohhhh, you want the better coverage now that you have a medical issue. Understood. But, sorry, it doesn’t work that way. “But the agent and carrier said that I could change each year.” You sure can, which new Medicare Advantage plan would you like to change to, Mr. Smith? This happens constantly. Each and every year I hear the same arguments. And, just because Mr. Smith says that he didn’t know the rules, it just doesn’t matter. He’s not getting a Medigap plan this year. Read my article to find out why it’s important to get this correct out the gate as you start Medicare. This is why I am a bit psycho about making sure people understand that they have a choice between two products and they need to take time to understand how they work and what the rules are. Give your clients my 2020 Guidebook to help them learn.
3. You are a lonely individual in Medicare-land John wants to buy a Medigap Plan G. His wife Sara wants to buy Medigap Plan N. Sara and John argue for hours about which plan they’ll eventually get. Stop. Sara, you can have Plan N and John can get Plan G. There is no more “family plan” during the Medicare years. There’s no need to “match” just because you are married. The same holds true for Part D drug plans. Many people will say, “I’ll just take the same plan she’s taking.” No! You take different medications and you might even use different pharmacies. People get unnerved when they start not matching their spouse. Guess what, you can even have different insurance companies! How crazy and far-fetched is that? You’ll be okay not matching your spouse in the coverage arena, I promise. Page 1, © 2020 Advisor Perspectives, Inc. All rights reserved.
4. COBRA can be bad for Medicare-eligible people “I don’t need Medicare yet because my ex-employer is being generous and paying for my COBRA coverage for five months.” That’s great of them. But, you still need to get your Medicare set up with the government if you are eligible for Medicare – as in “over 65.” As in set up now. I hear this often. Due to COVID, I’ve got lots and lots of people post-furlough being permanently laid off. Or, they elect to retire. There are many reasons for a person to be offered and then accept a COBRA coverage offer. Remember that COBRA is the coverage that the employee “takes with them” as they leave their job. They typically can take COBRA for 18 months. The consumer thinks that the COBRA is “the same” as their active employer coverage. It is in many ways, but not in the eyes of Medicare. The minute you wake up officially enrolled in COBRA and you are eligible for Medicare, Medicare becomes your primary insurance carrier. Oh, you don’t have it activated? You have a problem. Now, when the employer so graciously offers to pay for the COBRA for a person for those five months? It’s extra hard for them to understand the need of adding Medicare’s Part B (which has a cost) when they’re getting this sweet, free medical coverage deal. I am the party spoiler, no doubt. Sorry, you need to hustle off and get your Part B added. Now, I am not saying to cancel the free COBRA; just don’t get into a big old pot of trouble by not adding your Part B. It can bite you. Read my recent Advisor Perspective COBRA article as well.
5. Can’t always trust what your buddies tell you “My buddy told me that he pays nothing for his Medicare.” This is the oldest line in the Medicare book. Don’t listen to anything your friends tell you about their Medicare. Harsh? Yep. Real? Yep. A new client was at a party. In fact, it was his retirement party. His buddy told him that he pays nothing for his Medicare coverage. In fact, my new client took the time during his party to take a picture of the buddy’s health insurance card so that he could text it to me to show me just what he had so that maybe he could get the same “free stuff.” First, it’s ludicrous that they’re spending time talking “free Medicare” versus celebrating retirement, right? But, that’s how it goes. Second, the picture came to me via text and I wrote back, “Sure you can have that same free plan. His friend is paying the government, just like you are, but the only things he is getting for zero each month is his Medicare Advantage plan. That’s not the plan that we talked about signing up for, though.” My new client said, “Don’t forget, I want a PPO.” I said, “Look at his card, do you see where it says HMO-POS?” That’s an HMO. “Well, I don’t want that because I don’t want to have to get referrals.” Do you see right above that where it is literally printed on his card “referral required?” End of story. He brushed it off and we enrolled him into his Medigap plan.
6. Have wealth? You get IRMAA IRMAA – the income-related monthly adjustment amount. It’s a tax. It’s a surcharge. It’s an additional fee that you will pay Medicare each and every month because you have a higher annual income than those in the lowest income level. (And, it’s on page eight in our guidebook.) It might not be fair, it might not feel fair and it might not make you happy, but you do have a higher modified adjusted gross income than other folks and that’s the way it is. It doesn’t matter that no one told you it would work like this. It doesn’t matter that you, “Paid into the system your whole life and this is what you get?” Unfortunately, I find that most people have zero idea of what Medicare will actually cost them on a monthly basis until I explain it to them. “But my advisor never mentioned this.” Oh, they didn’t? Well, then let's just relay that to the Social Security Administration and they’ll happily not charge you the additional amount, no worries. Sorry, it’s not gonna fly.
7. Can’t trust what your buddies tell you – part 2 “My insurance company paid for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars for my procedures and I paid nothing at all. And I have a zero-premium Medicare Advantage plan.” Sorry, your friend who told you that is just plain old forgetting about all of those bills that they got. I’m not calling them a liar, but they are stretching the truth – a lot. Most plans will charge a co-pay of approximately $300.00 per night of hospitalization. So when your friend is in the hospital for three nights for that million dollar procedure? He’s getting a bill for $900 – and then some for other items. So take it with a grain of salt when you hear all of this magical talk about zillions of dollars of free health insurance being tossed like fairy dust. You’re not the only one spending money on medical care, rest assured.
8. Contrary to headlines, prescription costs arehigh for some If you take pricey medications, they will cost youfar more than you can imagine. Sad, but true. All of the hoopla you hear saying the donut hole is closed, the costs of prescription medications for seniors is lower than ever before – generally untrue. Try and explain to the person who is covered under group health insurance and takes Xarelto that his $10.00 coupon pricing is no longer valid and he’ll have to pay $400 per 90 days just because he’s on Medicare. Xarelto, by the way, is certainly not an uncommon medication. Medications are costly. And they only get more costly for Medicare beneficiaries. Today I spoke with a person that has an insulin pump. I hate to tell you that I got excited and said, “Oh, that’s great!” What a rotten thing to say about having an insulin pump. But, when someone has an insulin pump, if they get a Medigap plan, the insulin and pump are both covered through Medicare Part B and the Medigap plan. So it costs very little Page 2, © 2020 Advisor Perspectives, Inc. All rights reserved. out of pocket, if anything, for the consumer. If he were injecting 90 units of insulin per day, he could be looking at $300 per month in charges to his wallet. So, the insulin pump is a “good deal.” At the end of the day, realize that medications are costly and are getting more costly as time goes by, contrary to what you might hear.
9. Can’t listen to professionals Medical billers, rehab coordinators, home healthcare folks, doctors and nurses. Excellent and extremely worthwhile professions, each and every one of them. However, they are not insurance experts. The rehab biller that told our client last week, “You should cancel your Part B with Medicare; you’re wasting your money.” (Really? And the proposed coverage for that rehab service would be?) The home health aide that told the daughter of 93-year old Mary that, “she should really just get a Medigap plan versus the Medicare Advantage plan to secure better coverage.” That won’t happen – Mary will be declined a Medigap policy due to pre-existing conditions. You just got the family’s hopes up. Or, the nurse that tells my client, “Everybody gets Xarelto for no charge.” I don’t know why you’re the only person out there paying $1,200 a year for no reason (is the implication to my client’s brain). And, my new favorite: my friend whose husband has been hospitalized for three weeks with a serious medical condition. He was admitted during August; he’s turning 65 and his Medicare is effective 9/1/2020. She sent a text today saying that a nurse told her that his Medicare coverage will not begin until he is discharged. His ACA coverage ended on 8/31/2020. Do you really think that is a calming thing to tell her? And, it’s not accurate. Please stop talking to clients when you are out of your professional zone.
10. Re-read 1-9; Welcome to my world I hope that this gives you a glimpse into my world of Medicare. It shows you what my clients face. If your client doesn’t have a good source to go to and say, “Hey, I was told this… or I heard this… Or, I read this… is it true?” you can see what an incredible challenge the Medicare system is for them. Yes, we all want spectacular and perfect health insurance because ourhealth is that important. We want to believe the commercials and the misinformation because it would be fabulous if it were all true. And at the end of the day, we’ve learned that every person wants a Medigap plan. However, they want it to cost what a zero premium Medicare Advantage plan costs – as in zero per month. I hate to be the bubble-burster, but it won’t happen… So, I do the best I can to align coverage, budgets, needs, pre-existing conditions and more with the best plans possible. Happy annual election period to you and your clients! Credit for the concept of this article goes to Heather Dulle from Protective Life. Heather and I do a number of Medicare sessions together for her advisors. Joanne Giardini-Russell is a Medicare nerd withGiardini Medicare, which was created to help those approaching Medicare eligibility or those currently enrolled in Medicare better understand what they are purchasing and how their choices may affect their long-term outcomes regarding care, finances, etc.
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(5) RE: PCN - Insurance Questions & Input
Delta will provide subsidy only with IDTR or the Delta Pilot plan. That subsidy this year is $100 and change per person. That’s why I’ve always stuck with the IDTR.
Ken Fisher kfisher@yahoo.com
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(6) Jack Welsh
Re: PCN - Insurance Questions & Input
ALPA Medical Plans, from what I looked at, they are "Advantage" Plans and not Medicare "Supplement" Insurance plans, therefore the lower cost quoted, and strictly a personal choice.
Jack Welsh
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Greetings,
I currently use ALPA for dental coverage and ITDR for vision coverage. As a retired Navy guy and enrolled in Tricare, I am eligible for the FEDVIP program for dental and vision. Anybody else ever used that program and had good results. No complaints with ALPA dental, just that the FEDVIP program is cheaper for better benefits.
John Newbold
B767A (Ret)
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(8) Mark
A caveat: These rules apply to those who are approaching Medicare age. If the ages of spouses are different, the rules must be applied as each person approaches Medicare age.
The ITDR 2021 book has a great example of the difference between Medicare Part A&B Supplement (Medigap) plans and the Medicare Part C Medicare Advantage plans. That page, where major differences between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage, are highlighted, is attached to this email. A major difference is that your choice of doctors and other medical services is limited to those who accept Medicare with or without a Medigap plan, and the Part C Medicare Advantage plans may have further limitations to doctors and services who accept Medicare AND the Part C plan.
Medicare approves all plans which may be sold in the USA, but the States may choose to NOT accept all of the approved Medicare plans. Check Medicare.gov to determine if your state allows the plan you choose.
With Medicare Part A&B with Medigap you may appeal to Medicare if there is a problem with your care and billing. The Part C plans are controlled by that plan and there is no appeal to Medicare.
Part C. Medicare Advantage plans may offer additional services such as hearing, vision and Silver Sneakers more often than the Traditional Medicare plans.
The Medicare.gov website is an excellent search engine for all of the available plans in your state and has a Medicare Part D prescription plan search engine to determine the best plan for your medications needs. The formularies (list of their covered drugs) on the different plans are not the same.
Medicare approves all plans which may be sold in the USA, but the States may choose to NOT accept all of the approved Medicare plans. Check Medicare.gov to determine if your state allows the plan you choose. Travelers – beware!
Because Medicare has limited travel medical coverage outside the U.S., you may choose to buy a travel insurance policy to get more coverage. An insurance agent or travel agent can give you more information about the cost of travel medical insurance. Travel insurance doesn’t necessarily include health insurance, so it’s important to read the conditions or restrictions carefully.
If you are covered by the military TRICARE for LIFE, do not switch to a Medicare Advantage as you probably would not be able to return to TRICARE for LIFE.
The ITDR 2021 book has a great example of the difference between Medicare Part A&B Supplement (Medigap) plans and the Medicare Part C Medicare Advantage plans. That page is attached to this email. I have annotated the major differences between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage part C. A major difference is that your choice of doctors and other medical services is limited to those who accept Medicare with or without a Medigap plan, and the Part C Medicare Advantage plans may have further limitations to services who accept Medicare AND the Part C plan.
Medicare approves all plans which may be sold in the USA, but the States may choose to NOT accept all of the approved Medicare plans. Check Medicare.gov to determine if your state allows the plan you choose.
With Medicare Part A&B with Medigap you may appeal to Medicare if there is a problem with your care and billing. The Part C plans are controlled by that plan and there is no appeal to Medicare.
Your Medicare part A&B plan with or with or without a supplement is good anywhere in the USA. The Part C Medicare Advantage plan may or may not be available in all states, so travelers beware.
A Gotcha: If you are receiving any health benefits from Delta and want to continue them you must choose to keep those benefits (vision or dental Cobra if DL still offers them).
******************************
Below is some Medicare info that I compiled several years ago. Some are repeated from above. I believe the info is still up to date. The Medicare & You 2021 Medicare handbook has all the answers.
The Medicare Supplement Plan (Medigap Insurance) is not the same as a Medicare Advantage Plan. They are separate from and very different from Supplement Plans.
You qualify for Medicare on the first day of the month of your 65th birthday unless your birthday is on the first, then you qualify on the month prior. You have to accept (and pay for) part B coverage, Premiums are taken out of your SS check. Part B Premiums are indexed to your income.
Original Medicare
Part A: Hospitalization (No cost to the holder)
Part B: Doctors (We must pay a premium - it is indexed to income)
Medicare controls the types of Medicare supplement (Medigap) plans. Your state decides which of the Medicare Supplemental Plans (A - N) it will allow the commercial companies to sell in that state. Premiums vary by company and by the plans. Benefits are the same for each plan. A company does not have to offer all of the plans, but it has to fulfill the standardized requirements of the plans that they do sell.
Medicare generally pays 80% of "what is Medicare allowable" and the remaining 20% is the "gap" covered by the supplemental policies. IF you want to pay the gap you do not have to get a supplement, however, getting a supplement during the first 60 days (I think) that you are eligible will allow you to bring in pre-existing conditions without penalty. This may have changed under the ACA.
Medicare Advantage Plans Medicare part "C."
If you select this, your Medicare premium is sent directly to the Medicare advantage plan, you may or may not have to pay additional premiums, based on the plan.
These plans are similar to HMO's and Private Fee for Service (PFFS) plans. Costs for these plans are generally less than a Part B supplement. The Medicare part B premium that you pay to Medicare will go to the Medicare Advantage company and that company now controls your health care, not Medicare. Some come with a part "D." drug plan. If you are healthy, the Medicare Advantage plan is a much less expensive way to get health coverage, but the caveat is - they control your care - not Medicare. States control which Medicare Advantage plans can be offered in that state. If you travel, some Medicare advantage plans may not be accepted in other states.
Medicare Drug Plans
Part D: Medicare Drug Plan (May be separate from other plans or may be included. Members pay a premium.) It is an optional plan, but financial penalties apply if you wait to join a Plan D without a Creditable drug plan.
You will need a Medicare part D drug plan if the supplemental plan does not offer a drug plan unless you have a creditable (i.e.. VA or employer paid ) drug plan..
Hope this helps. I'm not an expert but familiar with Medicare - drop me a note if you have any specific questions.
Dave Ewing
Retired May 10, 2002 B767 Captain
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(9) Hi
Mark!
Thanks for your work. FYI, we moved from CA to GA last
summer (2019) but I kept my "cox.net"
email until now. We sold our house a few weeks ago, and I terminated my
cox account. Here's my new email address:
I'm still doing a bit of work for RAA, but gradually moving more and more into the "semi-retired" mode. There was also a slight change to my RAA email address (though the old one is still good.) New RAA Email: Jim.George@RAA.com
Thanks Mark!
And thanks once again for all your work!
Jim
PS: For RAA clients, the company pays for a "Medicare Plan Review." Our outside agent is available to annually review the medical and medication needs of each client and family, looks at all the available options for them for their supplement or Advantage Plan, and makes a recommendation. While this won't help the majority of your readership who are not RAA clients, OTHER financial advisors/managers MAY also perform this service, or MAY pay for it if asked, or at least MAY be able to connect their clients to an expert on a for-cost basis. In this age of medical plan complexity and significance, it may well be worth it for retirees to pay for such a review.
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(10)Travis Foster thfoster6@aol.com
Hi Mark and Joel.
I think this is a great topic for discussion
before we have to input our Medicare insurance plan choices by 6 Nov.
I have used the ITDR (Insurance Trust for
Delta Retirees) since I went on Medicare in 2007.
1) My wife & I have received received an
annual subsidy from Delta which started out as $75 per month for each of us.
In 2021, that subsidy will reduce the monthly
premium by
$81.44 for each of us. 81.44 x 2
= 162.88 x 12 mos = 1,954.56 savings per year.
My monthly cost for the ITDR supplemental
plan that includes a Part D drug plan and a Dental PPO plan will be $437.90
which is $4.80 more than my 2020 premium for the same coverage. Annual cost
will be $5,255 with a max out of pocket of $1,500 per person. That max saved
many thousands in 2015 when I had 44 radiation treatments for prostate
cancer.
There is no guarantee that Delta will
continue this subsidy. Covid-19 COULD cause them to discontinue it at any point
after 2021. I don't know of any similar discount being offered by other plans.
If that ever happens, I will start to compare other plans.
2) I am unable to positively say that you
can't regain your ITDR insurance after dropping it, but I would not bet the
subsidy on it.
3) I am stealing the following info from
AARP:
Generally, original Medicare is popular (over
advantage plans) among people who:
# Travel often or have more than one
residence.
# Want flexibility in choosing their doctors
& providers.
# Prefer to manage their own health care.
# LIVE IN AREAS THAT HAVE LIMITED OR NO
MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PROVIDERS, (such as in State College, PA. as opposed to ATL)
# Don't mind managing multiple insurance
policies.
4) Having said all that, an advantage plan
has a lot going for it, if you live where that network contains all of the
doctors & providers you currently use, AND all those that you might need in
the future.
5) If I didn't have ITDR with its subsidy, I
would have to compare the ALPA supplemental plan to that of a local PA Advantage
plan that is well regarded in this state.
Travis Foster
a former swamp resident
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(11)
From Ray Jones:
The
provision that if you leave ITDR then you
can never come back has been with ITDR since the beginning.
Another
“gotcha” that I have just learned about as I was investigating whether to
change from Traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan is this:
‘If you are in the Traditional Medicare Plan
with a Medigap Plan and decide to change to a Medicare Advantage Plan they will
cover pre-existing conditions. However, when you join a
Medicare Advantage Plan the Medigap plan must be cancelled. Now if
you decide next year that you do not like the Medicare Advantage Plan and
decide to switch back to Traditional Medicare with Medigap the Medigap plan
now does not have to cover pre-existing conditions, or, if
they do cover pre-existing conditions they could charge an exorbitant price.
The same applies if you cancel a Medigap Plan for any reason after the
initial 6-month enrollment period.’
“Under
U.S. law, there is a six-month Medigap open enrollment period that begins on
the first day of the month in which you are age 65 or older and also enrolled
in Medicare Part B. During this open enrollment – also referred to as the
guaranteed issue period – insurers cannot charge you more for a policy due to
any pre-existing conditions.”
“Only during an initial Medigap enrollment period — when you first
became eligible to sign up for Medicare — are you guaranteed coverage by
Medigap plans in your area. Then and only then are insurance companies
forbidden from denying you coverage or charging you more money because of
pre-existing conditions, says
Reuters.
Afterward, in most states, the door opens for insurers to ask about your health status.
So, depending on your health and where you live, if you lose your initial Medigap coverage due to switching to Medicare Advantage, you could end up paying significantly more for a Medigap policy if you later decide to switch back to Original Medicare. Or you could be barred from certain plans.”
Be careful out there, especially anyone with pre-existing condtion(s); it is a mine field!
Ray Jones L-1011 1997
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(12) I am Liz
Ashby Hurt, widow of Delta pilot Charlie H. Hurt, 4/17/61 – 9/15/95 based
in Dallas and Atlanta. I am thoroughly confused over the best medical
plan. Right now I am on ITDR but have not been happy with Aetna Blue Cross/Blue
Shield. I understand I can go back to Delta’s insurance, but not sure
that is wise in light of the fact that I could no longer return to ITDR.
Any suggesstions?
Liz Hurt lizahurt@yahoo.com
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(13) Hello Mark,
I am both of my elderly parents' POA and have
handled their insurance enrollment for the last few years. In his younger and
better years, Dad was a devout Delta guy and he refused to research other
insurance options. He stuck with the Delta Pilots Plan together with
original Medicare for years. We are in Georgia, so this might not apply
to everyone, but as Dad has lapsed into dementia, a few medical problems, and
needing 24/7 care, I have learned a few things that have made me rethink
insurance options.
Currently, both my parents are covered by
ITDR's Anthem, Standard Medicare Advantage Plan. It is very good coverage for
the money--as long as you don't have to deal with nursing home admission. While
interviewing nursing homes and other facilities of our (my mother and me) own
choosing for Dad, one after the other told us that the coverage is good but it
is out-of-network and they wouldn't take it. We were straight-out told by two
facilities that if we'd change Dad to traditional Medicare, they would admit
him. In the last couple days, he had to be admitted to a new facility. It does
accept the Anthem MA Plan, but, we have decided to switch to traditional
Medicare so at least his rehab will be paid for by Medicare. I had begun to think
about moving him to traditional Medicare because of the majority preference for
it, and I had planned to do it during the annual enrollment period. However, I
have been told in the last week that switching back to traditional Medicare can
be done at any time during the year.
Thank you for offering what your medical
insurance choices have been. I will be looking into Medicare supplements during
this enrollment period.
Leslie Rounds Ratliff captgrumps@aol.com
Thomaston, Georgia
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(14) Mark,
I did 28 years combined active/reserve and when I retired at
DAL at age 55, I paid out of pocket for my medical like everyone else. At
age 60 I went on Tricare until age 65, and then then onto Medicare A&B and
Tricare for Life. My wife and I pay virtually nothing and feel we have
great PPO plans. We choose our doctors and medical care, the drug copays
are cheap and we are healthy and happy.
Aloha,
d
Doug Kirkland ATL 767/757A at retirement
--
Douglas I Kirkland 26usna72@gmail.com
“Now is not the end. This not even the
beginning of the end. Perhaps it may be the end if the beginning.” Sir Winston
Churchill
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(15) Mark,
I started driving a school bus for boone county, its a great job with a great group of people. the job is easy, the kids are great and the health care is great. also there is a new retirement.
Donnie Mack donniemack3@netzero.net
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(16) Mark,
Thanks for doing this. I have waded through the maize of Medicare flyers for years and cannot get a good answer. Some civilian friends swear by their no cost program while I pay $320/ month! What a convoluted mess trying to figure it out.
Stuart Evans hawkeyestu@yahoo.com
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(17)
Delta insurance – Rating???
What type of insurance class?
A to E, or F ?? My question was what are
the Delta plans, Pilot's plan, Delta dependent plan rating? I do not think it is a
"F" plan which should cover almost all???
Larry
Stuppy captainlarry@earthlink.net
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