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View Poll Results: If you are 65+ and on Medicare, which plan(s) do you use?
Medicare Advantage (i.e. Part C) 8 21.62%
Medicare Part A/B/D + Medigap F 23 62.16%
Medicare Part A/B/D + Medigap F high deductible 6 16.22%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll

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Poll: Medicare users - what type of plan(s) do you use?
Old 06-07-2017, 07:45 PM   #1
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Poll: Medicare users - what type of plan(s) do you use?

If you're age 65+ and use Medicare as your health insurance, what plan(s) do you use? Medicare Part A/B/D/Medigap (and which Medigap - F, F with high deductible, or one of the other ones)? Or Medicare Advantage? Also do you have separate dental and/or vision insurance?

Also, what was the primary factor(s) that helped you decide between Medicare Advantage and Medigap?
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Old 06-07-2017, 08:07 PM   #2
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No dental or vision insurance. Individual plans for those two aren't worth what you pay for them.

We stay away from Medicare Advantage plans so that we have our choice of doctors/hospitals rather than be limited to a specific network.
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Old 06-07-2017, 09:12 PM   #3
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I'm not on Medicare yet, I have another year and half to go. My husband is on Medicare and we have a Medicare Advantage plan. But it's a PPO not an HMO Advantage plan so absolutely no restrictions on hospitals or doctors (assuming they accept Medicare). So just because it's a Medicare Advantage plan does not in all cases equal restrictions on your providers. We chose this plan as it was available at a very, very reasonable rate through my retirement system. Mine will be 100% paid for by the retirement system. The Advantage plan also covers drugs, so no need for a separate Part D.
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Old 06-07-2017, 09:24 PM   #4
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Medicare A/B/D + Medigap G ( don't see that option listed so didn't vote)
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Old 06-08-2017, 02:57 AM   #5
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Took the Advantage plan through AARP/United Health Care. Had UHC previously and had good experience. Like the buying power/oversight of AARP on the plan. You don't have to be an AARP member to buy one.
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Old 06-08-2017, 05:50 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by ejman View Post
Medicare A/B/D + Medigap G ( don't see that option listed so didn't vote)
Ditto to plans and to not voting.
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Old 06-08-2017, 05:57 AM   #7
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Medicare A/B/D + Medigap G ( don't see that option listed so didn't vote)
+2
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Old 06-08-2017, 06:03 AM   #8
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Medigap G - not an option so didn't vote
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Old 06-08-2017, 06:11 AM   #9
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Medigap N. Considered F high deductible but N seemed to be easier to manage with its $20/$50 deductible per visit vs paying until the deductible was reached. (Not sure N is the easiest way but had to make a decision).

Like F, it has international travel coverage.
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Old 06-08-2017, 05:41 PM   #10
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I recently went through the process of choosing and ended up with A/B and G Medigap. I chose G for a couple primary reasons.

First, I wanted a plan that would be simple to administer in later years. F would be the simplest but it is going away soon which means insured pool under F is therefore going to begin to age. This is likely to result in rising premiums under F. F is currently the most popular plan in our area which suggests to me that G will be most popular when F goes away since G will be the 'richest' plan as F is now. This should bode well for the insured pool (lots of 'younger' people signing up for G).

F and G are the same with the exception that F covers the part B $184 annual deductible but G does not. The second thing that drove me to G is that the difference in premiums where I am are substantially more than $184/year so financially it was an easy choice.

Of course the formula for which plan is 'best' depends on the individual and on the area where the policy is being purchased.

Good luck with your choice.
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Old 06-08-2017, 05:50 PM   #11
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We simply kept the same insurance after retirement as while working. It is heavily subsidized by my former employer and I'd be a fool to change. When I went on Medicare it became secondary to Medicare and covers almost anything that Medicare does not. Vision and dental limited but it does cover checkups and minor dental work.
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Old 06-08-2017, 06:12 PM   #12
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We went through this decision process last winter as DH started medicare Jan 1. He ended up (after I told him what to get) with:
- Medicare F+ (high deductible)
- Medicare D

He was most thrilled to learn that his F+ plan came with silver sneakers - free gym membership. He's going to the gym a LOT now.
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Old 06-10-2017, 08:04 PM   #13
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DH is on Medicare and is on traditional Medicare + Plan F medigap. We looked at the Plan F high deductible but basically it worked out the same as the plan F when you considered all the costs. Didn't really save anything.

We preferred regular Medicare since almost all doctors in this area take it and we didn't have to worry about being in network or not. One of the best things about Medicare for DH is that he hasn't had to worry about whether something is in network or not.
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Old 06-10-2017, 08:20 PM   #14
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On Medicare but way to few options to even consider voting. Many more choices out their than you listed.
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Old 06-10-2017, 08:58 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreJob View Post
I recently went through the process of choosing and ended up with A/B and G Medigap. I chose G for a couple primary reasons.

First, I wanted a plan that would be simple to administer in later years. F would be the simplest but it is going away soon which means insured pool under F is therefore going to begin to age. This is likely to result in rising premiums under F. F is currently the most popular plan in our area which suggests to me that G will be most popular when F goes away since G will be the 'richest' plan as F is now. This should bode well for the insured pool (lots of 'younger' people signing up for G).

F and G are the same with the exception that F covers the part B $184 annual deductible but G does not. The second thing that drove me to G is that the difference in premiums where I am are substantially more than $184/year so financially it was an easy choice.

Of course the formula for which plan is 'best' depends on the individual and on the area where the policy is being purchased.

Good luck with your choice.
Yep, G for me, full F for DW.
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Old 06-10-2017, 09:54 PM   #16
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The region to the north of us is controlled by one major hospital, 100's of doctors' practices they've purchased and affiliated hospitals in their management system in 6 states. That's 1,700+ physicians and CNP's.

Medicare Advantage is no longer accepted by any of them. Does that tell you something about how well doctors and hospitals are reimbursed by Advantage?

Thousands and thousands of patients were essentially sent to other physicians and hospitals--many of which may not be the best for the patient's particular problem.
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Old 06-11-2017, 04:15 AM   #17
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Both of us have plan F HD, saves about 200/month over regular plan F.
For some reason this year, the plans dropped about 10/month and we are
a few years older than when we started,plan goes up with age. So right now I am
paying about 62/month which is where I started 4 years ago.

One thing I don't like about Advantage plans is that you can't change to regular medicare without underwriting, unless the you move out of the area or the plan is cancelled.
Wife had Aetna Advantage plan, was real glad Aetna cancelled plans in our area
3-4 or so years ago.

For me, I like to control monthly cash flow,so the HD plan limits cash out/month.

If something major happens, and you hit the 2000 deductible, I can deal with that.


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Old 06-11-2017, 05:19 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by brucethebroker View Post
Took the Advantage plan through AARP/United Health Care. Had UHC previously and had good experience. Like the buying power/oversight of AARP on the plan. You don't have to be an AARP member to buy one.
That's interesting- when DH signed up for Medicare the agent told him he had to be an AARP member. I'll remember that when I sign up, which will be early next year.

One good point she made was that if you get Medicare Advantage and then want to switch to another plan they have to re-underwrite you and you could be turned down. I haven't researched this. I was very happy with DH's UHC supplement- good coverage and they paid claims promptly. He had dental coverage through Delta Dental, which didn't seem worth it to me and when we moved across the state line we tried everything to get our address changed and ran into a brick wall (had to call people, got voicemail, they never called back).

My Dad in SC has Mutual of Omaha's supplement and is very happy with it.

My gym accepts Silver Sneakers but I think it's off-peak hours only which wouldn't work for me. My schedule varies a lot and sometimes I want to get to the gym first thing in the AM. I've also got an upgraded membership that lets me bring DS in as a guest for free when he visits and lets me use the one near him (3 hours away). Don't want to lose that.
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Old 06-11-2017, 05:30 AM   #19
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We looked at the Plan F high deductible but basically it worked out the same as the plan F when you considered all the costs. Didn't really save anything.
As a clarification for future viewers of this thread, traditional Medicare still pays first when you have Medigap HD-F. The member only pays the remaining cost share until they have paid $2200 (2017) in cost sharing, then HD-F takes over. So, only in the years where your cost sharing is high does it work out about the same as regular F.
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Old 06-11-2017, 05:39 AM   #20
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As a clarification for future viewers of this thread, traditional Medicare still pays first when you have Medigap HD-F. The member only pays the remaining cost share until they have paid $2200 (2017) in cost sharing, then HD-F takes over. So, only in the years where your cost sharing is high does it work out about the same as regular F.
Good point.

I've had HD-F for five years and fortunately never come come close to meeting my annual cost sharing amount. I estimate it has saved me roughly $8k over what the non HD Medigap F premiums would have cost during that time.
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