Medicare supplement plan
greatv...@hotmail.com
supplement plans. Blue Cross J seems the best deal but maybe I've
missed a better one.
Any thoughts??
Howard Kaikow
news:5epfv39ai80blqlpj...@4ax.com...
Instead of a Medicare Supplement, take a look at getting BOTH a Medicare
Advantage anf Medicare-D plan.
In general, you should do better getting separate Medicare Advantage and
Medicare D plans,
rather than a Medicare ADvantage plan that includes presscription
drugfcoverage.
In my opinion, the best Medicare Advantage plans for NH are
Harvard Pilgrim's First Seniority: see
https://www.harvardpilgrim.org/portal/page?_pageid=213,229627&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Anthem: See http://www.anthem.com/medicare
For Medicare-D, see the list of available plans at http://www.medicare.gov
A number of Medicare-D plans offer $0 co-pay for generics.
Howard Kaikow
Doesn't anybody read NH.general?
Cheryl Isaak
<kai...@standards.com> wrote:
> I find it interesting that only I responded in this thread.
> Doesn't anybody read NH.general?
>
>
Yes, but I'm still too young for Medicare.
Cheryl
enigma
$186$1...@pyrite.mv.net:
> I find it interesting that only I responded in this thread.
> Doesn't anybody read NH.general?
i'm not old enough (53) to know anything about medicare... i
also don't have health insurance to start with, so i guess
i'll never know the answer.
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.
PeterD
Maybe you are the only one on Medicare? <g>
Howard Kaikow
news:ci4404lin3mauvkua...@4ax.com...
> Maybe you are the only one on Medicare? <g>
Then it's my duty to inform you youngsters.
PeterD
Absolutely... Without you, who would we have to look up to?
Howard Kaikow
> Absolutely... Without you, who would we have to look up to?
Well, for one, Conan O'Brien, as he is taller than I.
Bill Clark
> I find it interesting that only I responded in this thread.
The VA takes care of mine and my wife has another year or two before it
becomes relevant...
--
-bc-
Cheryl Isaak
<kai...@standards.com> wrote:
Then please do!
Howard Kaikow
news:Xns9A7FB7E4EE9F9cu...@198.186.192.200...
Be very careful in choosing a plan.
Also plan, pun intended, ahead.
It is overwhelming when time comes to choose the first and second year. I
expect/hope it will
be easier 3rd year on.
Go to the Medicare web site to see the list of plans being offered in NH.
I would expect that Harvard Pilgrim's First Seniority and the plan offered
thru Anthem Blue Cross would remain the
best plans in NH.
In 2007, I chose the Anthem plan, nothing wrong with the plan, but I would
have
been better off with Harvard Pilgrim. I blew $230 on this.
In 2008, I switched to Harvard Pilgrim.
Last year just about ALL of the low level Medicare Advantage plans covered
blood tests.
This year, as far as I know, none do, they charge either a co-pay or a %
amount in the low level plans for blood tests.
It was not obvious that this change occurred from glancing at the very
legalistic "change of coverage document", received in October.
I expect that lots of folkes missed this.
I switched to a plan that costs $24 per month more this year, but it
includes NO charges for lots of other stuff, e.g., hospital,
and includes blood tests (I have at least 12 per year).
Last year, I had a Medicare-D plan that had $0 co-pay for generics, at
retail pharmacy.
This year they upped their fee by about 36% and did away with $0 co-pay. It
was changed to $2,
but that meant, that due to the $275 deductible, it would have taken many
months to make the plan pay for me.
Mail order generics were not $0 co-pay.
Doing my homework, I found another plan that has a $0 co-pay for generics
and a fee even lower than I paid last year.
However, to get the $0 co-pay, I have to order thru a specific mail order
pharmacy. Co-pay at retail would be $4.
Note that the company offering this is Humana, they lowered both their
co-pays and premiums from last year.
Obviously, they are going for market share. I've heard that they signed up 3
million new accounts in January.
United Health and Humana, as of a year go, had about 45% of the market.
Although I am a life AARP member. I must warn you about the AARP Medicare-D
plan.
It is offered thru United Health. The premium is $31 per month, Humana's is
$19.20,
They too require that one go thru their mail order pharmacy to get the $0
co-pay on generics.
However, AARP has a $7 co-pay at the retail pharmacy, Humana's is $4.
Note that Wellcare offers a $0 co-pay for generics thru retail pharmacies,
but their premium, as I recall was a bit over $25 per month.
Of course, when choosing a plan, the FIRST thing to check is whether it
covers the drugs you need.
Some of the plans cover LESS than the full list of Medicare approved drugs.
A few offer some drugs not on the Medicare list.
My recollection is that one of the AARP plans does cover some drugs not
covered by, say, Humana, so you have to evaluate
whether you think you will need those drugs.
Another factor is how quickly you will fall into the "doughnut hole".
It is not only the co-pays and plan premiums that matter, it is the cost
that the insurance company pays that
determines how quickly you get into the doughnut hole.
For example the drugs I got at Humana's mail order pharmacy cost $171.30 (no
cost to me) in Jan 2008.
If I had instead purchased at Costco pharmacy, cost would have been $84.69
(no cost to me) plus $60 (for 3 month supplies) in co-pays.
So, buying mail order move me towards the doughnut hole twice as fast,
The drugs I got in March 2008 cost about $160(no cost to me) from Humana's
mail order pharmacy.
I save $240 per year in co-pays going the mail order route, and, unless
something unexpected occurs,
I should not fall into the doughnut hole.
So, it can matter WHERE you buy the drugs.
Cheryl Isaak
<kai...@standards.com> wrote:
Thank you Howard. While I have a few years to go, DH has a few less. I'm
glad to see HP is among my choices - no going through all the hoops for
referrals and drugs with a new company.
We've wondered about going the mail order route for DH's meds; right now CVS
works best, mostly because there can be fine tuning stage.
C
Howard Kaikow
news:C429FA05.8AEF1%chery...@comcast.net...
> Thank you Howard. While I have a few years to go, DH has a few less. I'm
> glad to see HP is among my choices - no going through all the hoops for
> referrals and drugs with a new company.
The Harvard Pilgrim and Anthem, and most, if not all, Medicare Adantage
plans in NH are fee for service plans. These allow you to choose ANY doctor,
hospital, etc., that agrees to accept the plan. NO referrals are needed, tho
one normally co-ordinates via a primary physician.
> We've wondered about going the mail order route for DH's meds; right now
CVS
> works best, mostly because there can be fine tuning stage.
Ferget about buying drugs anywhere other than Costco.
U do not have to be a Costco member. Prices are way lower than elsewhere.
Even tho I had prescription drug coverage before I went on Medicare, I
still purchased all but 2 of my meds out of pocket at Costco
as that was less expensive, and less troublesome, than using co-pays.
For example, I had a $10 co-pay. So for a particular med, I would get 60
pills for $10 using the insurance.
But it was cheaper to buy without insurance as Costco sold 100 pills for
$10.
Forget about the $4 generics at, e.g., Wal-Mart and Target and ....
The list of drugs is very limited as are the does available.
I could have bought 1 med at WAl-Mart under the $4 deal, but that would have
not saved much over a 3 month period, and
Wal-Mart is out of the way. Not worth the bother for 1 med.