Can someone help me understand Medicare? What are my options with add on plans? Are they worth it? Do I need to pay separately for all the different parts? How do I know what I have now?
In Oregon the hospitals are all their own networks, don’t remember what it’s called. CCO? Anyways, I’m about to move back to Indiana and will have to drop my Providence advantage plan. But I don’t know how any of this works and don’t know if I should look for another advantage plan? Or whatever the other option is? Or just not get any add on plan?
Can someone help explain these things to me? I’ve tried googling, but I’m getting information overload and none of it is making any sense to me.
In Michigan, my advantage plan is totally worth it. I pay for Medicare and $47/month for my advantage plan. But with all my medical costs considered, I saved a lot of money. I also changed all my meds to be affordable within my plan. But I only know Michigan’s plans.
Yeah, I looked at what’s available and it’s a bunch of big name insurers and I’ve heard horror stories from all of them. I have a lot of health problems, so I know I’m almost certainly better off with a plan. I just don’t know how to make the choice of which one.
Can you go on a local Facebook group for the area you’re looking at and ask for recommendations for doctors and use that to make your decision? Like would it be worth paying for this for these doctors vs these doctors.
There are insurance agents in Indiana who can help you choose the best Medicare plan for you. In Michigan, medicare pays the insurance agents for you. You don’t have to pay. It’s worth googling Medicare insurance agents in Indiana and calling one of the companies that come up to see if they get paid by Medicare. I use an agent my first year on Medicare, but ultimately chose a different plan anyway.
I had no choices when I started Medicare in SD. There was a program that I paid no extra for to have as advantage, but it basically made office visits 40 bucks and meds were 10 bucks or less. They cancelled it the next enrollment period.
Since I have John’s insurance too now I don’t have an advantage plan cause his is 15 dollar copay office visit and meds are mostly covered, or I can fight with them to get things approved.
Yeah, compare their service plans and formularies. See about your specialists, hell, see if your current doctors recommend any specific health system/clinic. I knew my limits when we moved back here to Janesville, either Mercy or Dean. Mercy is in town, Dean is Madison and that means they serve more people than Mercy. But both are over booked, so my therapist is going into their big meeting March 1st to try and get an exemption for mynoldest to go to a therapist she knows at Crossroads. A teen young adult center, and if he can get in the insurance would pay for it if they contracted him out to them. So I have someone on our side.
Neither system can keep people in behavior management, so it’s long lists, denials, or you pay cash for help no sliding fee.