Medigap Plans to Rule Out?

[TromboneAl]

I keep procrastinating on enrolling in Medicare, partly because every time I look at it, I get annoyed with the complexity that's been built in.



Of the Medigap plans, A,B,C,D,F,G,K,L,M,N, are there any that I should definitely not consider?

 

[REWahoo]

Al, it's simpler to tell you the only ones I would consider: F, F-HD, G or N. All the others have too many exclusions or limitations.

 

[MBSC]

In another thread, you said you wanted catastrophic coverage. High Deductible F (HD-F) fits the bill. Medicare still pays first. After Medicare pays their 80%, you pay the remaining 20% of the lower Medicare approved amount until you have paid $2240. Then, HD-F takes over paying the 20%. The "deductible" is actually more like an out-of-pocket maximum.

Given that we have a lot of money "in the bank," and we never use insurance to cut costs (only to eliminate catastrophic expenses)...

Al, have you considered a MediGap plan to cover the 20% not covered by Medicare? You might find an F - Hi Deductible option in your area.

+1 to MichaelB's suggestion to consider MediGap Plan F-HD

Some fear HD-F premiums will also increase after 2020 when HD-G becomes available. IMHO, the increased medical costs for the older, sicker pool of enrollees will be applied to the deductible first, insulating HD-F from most of the increase.

 

[davebarnes]

Medicare Advantage with Kaiser is the way to go.

 

[aja8888]

Medicare Advantage with Kaiser is the wat to go.

That's only if it's available in your geographical area. Otherwise it's not the way to go.

 

[Another Reader]

Medicare Advantage with Kaiser is the wat to go.

I'm from the area where Kaiser originated. The original Oakland hospital and clinic was a hellhole in the 60's, 70's and 80's. My mother used to refer to the place as the witch doctors of Kaiser. In her opinion, no real doctor would practice there, only people that graduated in the bottom quartile of their medical school class and couldn't find a better job. Possibly a small step above Highland Hospital, the County cesspool, but she was not totally convinced.

I hear that outside of the Bay Area, Kaiser is pretty good. However, I am of the view that leopards have great difficulty changing their spots, so I will continue to avoid Kaiser.

 

[Ian S]

Al, it's simpler to tell you the only ones I would consider: F, F-HD, G or N. All the others have too many exclusions or limitations.

I agree with you but would narrow it down even more. I switched to an AARP G plan because even paying the full deductible every year it was cheaper than the F plan I originally went with. Might eventually go with a G-HD is they ever come up with one. I've had a few medical issues including rotator cuff surgery so I would have run through the high deductible in F-HD two years running. I switched to G a year ago and since the Part B deductible had already been paid under the F plan I was on, I had 5 months of no deductible to pay under the G plan. The G plan premium is not onerous and it gives me peace of mind that I'm not going to be stuck with costly surprises.

 

[FireBug]

I'm from the area where Kaiser originated. The original Oakland hospital and clinic was a hellhole in the 60's, 70's and 80's. My mother used to refer to the place as the witch doctors of Kaiser. In her opinion, no real doctor would practice there, only people that graduated in the bottom quartile of their medical school class and couldn't find a better job. Possibly a small step above Highland Hospital, the County cesspool, but she was not totally convinced.

I hear that outside of the Bay Area, Kaiser is pretty good. However, I am of the view that leopards have great difficulty changing their spots, so I will continue to avoid Kaiser.

Another Bay Area resident here. I kind of smiled when I read this comment as it hit home with me as well. Granted these are all just perceptions but when I was employed by mega corp, Kaiser was looked upon as a lower-class option. But here's the deal, I do believe it has come a long way in its standing.
Kaiser seems to do away with a lot of the headaches of dealing with the paperwork of healthcare issues. Kind of like one stop shopping. If my situation was a bit different
(single), I might consider them. But, as my wife is a retired RN and well versed in this area, we'll be looking for something else.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I'm from the area where Kaiser originated. The original Oakland hospital and clinic was a hellhole in the 60's, 70's and 80's. My mother used to refer to the place as the witch doctors of Kaiser. In her opinion, no real doctor would practice there, only people that graduated in the bottom quartile of their medical school class and couldn't find a better job. Possibly a small step above Highland Hospital, the County cesspool, but she was not totally convinced.



I hear that outside of the Bay Area, Kaiser is pretty good. However, I am of the view that leopards have great difficulty changing their spots, so I will continue to avoid Kaiser.

I was born in Kaiser Oakland. Several of my fellow residents in pediatrics (from UCSF) have spent their careers at Kaiser. Lately they have done a lot of excellent clinical research, at least in pediatrics, thanks to the ability to gather and data.

It had a bad reputation in the past, but growing up in Kaiser, we had no problems with it. DH’s family was with Kaiser Oakland. They took good care of my parents in their older years.

Taking the $$ out of the equation IMO allows docs to concentrate on practicing good medicine, and patients not to have to worry about the bill. If we had Kaiser here I would strongly consider participating, knowing what I now know.

 

[Another Reader]

Another Bay Area resident here. I kind of smiled when I read this comment as it hit home with me as well. Granted these are all just perceptions but when I was employed by mega corp, Kaiser was looked upon as a lower-class option. But here's the deal, I do believe it has come a long way in its standing.
Kaiser seems to do away with a lot of the headaches of dealing with the paperwork of healthcare issues. Kind of like one stop shopping. If my situation was a bit different
(single), I might consider them. But, as my wife is a retired RN and well versed in this area, we'll be looking for something else.

Yep. Not surprised at all.

 

[harllee]

I would not recommend F since it is going away in the near future and you may be stuck in a group with older insureds and your premiums may sky rocket. I chose G, same as F except you pay the first $183 but the total premiums for me for G was much lower than F. I did not want an Advantage plan because I travel alot and did not want to be restricted as to the doctors I see.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I thought The Cost of a G was just F - the deductible. But in our area the difference is $170 pa. Small Savings but small nevertheless. I am almost tempted to go for Plan F as it is less hassle in the long run.

 

[REWahoo]

I thought The Cost of a G was just F - the deductible. But in our area the difference is $170 pa.

I found the difference in F and G premiums to vary wildly in my area, from a low of $156 to an almost unbelievable $1,080 per year. It really does pay to get as many quotes as possible or even easier, use an independent agent like Boomerbenefits.com to find the best rates for you.

 

[harllee]

The Medicare B deductible for 2018 is $183, I think that applies no matter what state you live in but it increases a small amount every year. For me, taking the G policy meant I had to pay the $183 deductible, but it saved me $400 in premium, so it was an easy decision to take the G rather than the F. Plus since the F is being eliminated soon, most likely the F premiums for those grandfathered in will increase substantially.

 

[ncbill]

Helped an older relative (early 70s) sign up for Part B, Plan G, and drug plan this spring.

Like other posters, we found Plan G was cheaper than Plan F even paying the deductible.

Good thing they finally signed up for the above since they're undergoing spinal surgery this week.

 

[aja8888]

Last yer I qualified and switched from full plan F to G and saved about $120/month in premium difference. The G deductible is only $183/year.

 

[Another Reader]

I recently attended the One Exchange/Via Benefits "seminar" on Medicare. When I questioned the speaker (i.e. insurance salesman) about the possibility of premiums increasing dramatically for Plan F participants after it closes, he stated that when another Medicare plan closed to new enrollment (can't remember the letter) and the pool changed and aged, premiums did not follow. He expected that to be the case with Plan F.

I'm still waiting to find out what reimbursements we get if I don't use Via Benefits to enroll. They apparently don't offer the AARP plan for my ex employer. The enrollment booklet arrives in September. Since half the seminar was about how to enroll through them and the "help" you can get in picking a plan from them, I expect to have to crowbar the information out of these folks.

 

[NoMoreJob]

I was initially planning to buy Plan F high deductible because I thought that it made the most financial sense. But when it came right down to it I decided that the decision was more than just a financial one. I've been simplifying my investments for years in order to prepare for a time when I will likely not be as mentally sharp as I am today. It only made sense to me that there was also value keeping my medical life as simple as possible too.

Beyond living a healthy and safe lifestyle (which I do) I can't control what happens with my health. But in thinking about managing my medical bills I wanted to make that process as simple and straightforward as possible. For that reason I ended up deciding between plans F or G (not high deductible) because I can afford it and it keeps claims and paperwork as simple as possible - basically everything is covered as long as the treating physician accepts Medicare assignment. I ended up choosing plan G for the same reasons others have stated above. It adds the complication of the Medicare deductible not being covered but that I decided I could handle that.

I think that simplifying life for old age is an important consideration. Of course finances must come into play and may be the overriding consideration but in my case simplification won out.

 

[Another Reader]

I was initially planning to buy Plan F high deductible because I thought that it made the most financial sense. But when it came right down to it I decided that the decision was more than just a financial one. I've been simplifying my investments for years in order to prepare for a time when I will likely not be as mentally sharp as I am today. It only made sense to me that there was also value keeping my medical life as simple as possible too.

Beyond living a healthy and safe lifestyle (which I do) I can't control what happens with my health. But in thinking about managing my medical bills I wanted to make that process as simple and straightforward as possible. For that reason I ended up deciding between plans F or G (not high deductible) because I can afford it and it keeps claims and paperwork as simple as possible - basically everything is covered as long as the treating physician accepts Medicare assignment. I ended up choosing plan G for the same reasons others have stated above. It adds the complication of the Medicare deductible not being covered but that I decided I could handle that.

I think that simplifying life for old age is an important consideration. Of course finances must come into play and may be the overriding consideration but in my case simplification won out.

That has been my thinking too. Simpler is better. I have a wallet full of credit cards and I am winnowing those down too. Moving my decades-old DRP accounts (remember when they were the cheapest way to buy stocks?) to Fidelity. Getting rid of the slacker yielding on-line bank accounts. I hate paperwork, so a thinner file for the medical records will reduce stress as well. Fewer people to chase around for payment.

 

[audreyh1]

Same here about simplifying.

And I have a lot of simplifying to do!!!

 

[Free To Canoe]

There is a whole category of "Advantage" plans offered by every carrier. Did the OP rule all of these out? Should we?

 

[audreyh1]

There is a whole category of "Advantage" plans offered by every carrier. Did the OP rule all of these out? Should we?

We will - because we don't want to be tied to any "network". And networks tend to be local.

 

[ivinsfan]

I'm going to a broker on Tuesday the 14th.. I hate that my state MN does not use the Alphabet soup most of the country does. It makes it much harder to compare plans. I have no idea what I will pick as far aa a company. I think I want to go with the lowest priced plan that requires underwriting since I have one free enrollment without underwriting. I don't have issues but I know that if I have medical problems I can't upgrade to a more comprehensive plan since I wouldn't pass underwriting at that time.

As far a billing my DH at 69 has had a few issues we have Blue Cross Senior Gold and haven't paid one cent out of pocket. But, it's expensive and the price goes up every year.

The darn EOB is so complicated I can't even figure out what he would owe without any supplemental insurance. It's beyond murky.

 

[Katsmeow]

This is not complicated. I would consider F and G only. Maybe the high-deductible F. To determine between those 3 I would compare premiums. For example, when DH got his policy some years ago, F was the way to go. The others didn't save enough in premium to make them worthwhile. But, that was then and that was where we are.

You should compare for your location. I like F and G because they are the only plan to cover the Part B excess charges (if any). The high-deductible version of F may be good if it saves you enough money on premium.

Last yer I qualified and switched from full plan F to G and saved about $120/month in premium difference. The G deductible is only $183/year.

That is interesting. When DH went on Medicare several years ago I checked then and the cost difference of the two was basically identical to the G deductible. So, for simplicity, he just selected F since G didn't really save anything. I go on Medicare next year and will revisit it for myself. I will likely choose F or G. I do agree with the post about simplicity. I remember during my mom's last couple of years when she had a lot of medical needs. She had Plan G and she could manage that. I think it would have been very difficult for her to manage some of the more complex plans with lots of co-payments.

 

[HadEnuff]

Several posts have mentioned that F is to be discontinued. I thought only the regular (low deductible) F was going away, and that the F High Deductible was sticking around.

Am I wrong?