Medicare Megacorp Support

[savory]

Hi,

I am retired and I have been purchasing health insurance from my former employer. DW turns 65 early next year. I expect to get information about Medicare and my 'new plan' near the end of this year. About the only thing I know is my former employer will be directing me to Towers Watson One Exchange https://medicare.oneexchange.com/ Beyond that, I do not know if I will lose my dental and vision care, if they will subsidize the program in some fashion, if my costs will go up, etc.

For those of you who have gone through a similar transition, what was your experience? Tips/thoughts, etc

Happy to answer any questions and provide more specific information on my current plan if you feel it will help your response.

Thanks

 

[omni550]

davef,

I'm in the midst of trying to figure this out as well.

What I did find out is Towers Watson (AKA One Exchange) will bombard you with phone calls but only offers you a limited menu of offerings that are available in your area. Two biggies that I noticed are missing are Blue Cross Blue Shield and AARP United Healthcare.

Found this site that seems to list all (or more) offerings that are available in your zip code... https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/medigap-home.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

HTH,

omni

 

[omni550]

Helpful Youtube videos

davef,

I was browsing on Youtube and found a number of videos on Choosing Medigap and Prescription Drug Coverage by a guy (Christopher Westfall) who is an independent insurance agent in 42 states.

I like his straight-talking, no B.S. approach and have learned a few new things.

Here's an example of one of his videos (Plan F vs Plan G) that might interest those who are LBYM types.

He does have a website also Senior Savings Network - Insurance Savings for Seniors

omni

 

[kaneohe]

I used to have a Megacorp retiree plan which was an in-house plan (self insured). Megacorp decided it didn't want to be in that business anymore so sent us to Towers Watson which would administer the HRA (Health Reimbursement Account) and reimburse
us to a limited extent for the premiums. That subsidy would stay fixed over time so in the beginning it was a great deal but will become less so as time goes by and costs increase. We are not limited to Tower Watson offerings.....e.g. you can signup for AARP UHC medigap plan. If you go through TW, you can get automatically reimbursed. If you do it on your own, reimbursement is manual and more cumbersome. The subsidy is a function of yrs of service.....longer = more $$$.

 

[Sue J]

DHs retiree insurance is moving to a Medicare Connector system with Tower Watson One Exchange starting in 2016. We are only 60 so will not be eligible for a few years but it's been interesting watching how they get ready for this transition.

Thanks for that link to Senior Savings Network. I know so little about Medicare. My father uses a Medicare Advantage plan with no additional cost to him and that's my only experience so far. When he broke his hip and was hospitalized and then in rehab it was my first exposure to anything Medicare related.

I've learned a lot since then.

 

[Bikerdude]

When I retired from Megacorp I was covered by a retiree health & dental plan that was subsidized. At age 65 when medicare started it became secondary and the subsidy for dental stopped (although I still have group coverage). The plan does not cover medicare co-pays as most medigap policy's do but it is less expensive. The plan also covers prescription drugs so no need for part D.