Monthly charge for medicare

[Texas Proud]

Like some other threads I see, I am turning 65 this year...


I have been thinking that I might go the medigap way as that would allow me to go to any docs that I want and not have to deal with an insurance company....


But, I cannot find any place that says how much it costs per month. Anybody care to share what they pay for medigap... what about your drug plan?

 

[Dash man]

You can go to Medicare.gov or sites like Boomer Benefits or Via Benefits to check on prices for Medicare Supplements and prescription plans. They vary widely depending on your zip code. DW and I both have the AARP Plan N for $232/month and our Aetna prescription plans total about $77/month. We also pay IRMAA because of our income levels.
Those prices are for two of us.

 

[Doribe]

I pay $108 per month with a private United Health Care policy. This includes my drug policy. I pay $9 for each Rx/ $18 for a three month supply.
I have a $350 annual deductible with a $1,500/yr out of pocket maximum. I pay 15% for co-pay that goes to my deductible. There is no difference between in-network and out-of-network so I use whatever service I want. I move around the country quite a bit so this works well for me.

 

[statsman]

I'm not sure, but I think the drug plan costs may depend on which prescriptions you are currently taking (excluding the costs for the actual prescriptions). Not a concern for you now, but the Medigap plan costs increase as you get older.

My DW is on a Medigap Plan G and costs $142/mo (just increased). Only deductible is the Medicare Part B deductible ($233 for 2022).

 

[CardsFan]

We pay $290/month for two of us on AARP UHC plan G. Mine is a little more than DW.

For prescriptions you really need to search based on your current meds. DW has an Aetna plan for about $7/month. I have Wellcare for about $13/month. Her Aetna plan covers her current drugs better than Wellcare (by quite a bit), and my Wellcare plan covers mine better than Aetna (though not by much). Both are actually serviced by CVS/Caremark.

 

[omni550]

Like some other threads I see, I am turning 65 this year...

I have been thinking that I might go the medigap way as that would allow me to go to any docs that I want and not have to deal with an insurance company....

But, I cannot find any place that says how much it costs per month. Anybody care to share what they pay for medigap... what about your drug plan?

I had a great experience by contacting https://seniorsavingsnetwork.org/. Chris Westfall walked me through the best options available to me, based on my zip code.

I'm on Medigap Plan N through Aetna for $106.37/mo and Drug Plan D through Aetna for $26.60/mo.

omni

 

[bluelight]

You may want to check your state site to see if they have a list of plans and rates. I'm in NY and the dept of Financial Services lists all companies and rates by plan. There is a large $ difference in rates, even though I believe the coverage is the same. We found UHC AARP plan to be the cheapest for us. I have Plan G, my husband as Plan F (which is no longer available). Our combined is $600 per month. For Part D, we each have Humana Walmart at combined $50.

 

[GaryInCO]

I have Plan G coverage with Anthem BCBS in Colorado. Practically everything is covered after a $233 Part B deductible. Part B is $170, the Anthem Plan G is $121 plus about $16 for vision/dental, I think. Drug plan with Wellcare is stupid-cheap, $5.50. Which is nuts considering my cancer meds are $1000 a day. Or would be, if we hadn't convinced the pharma cos to give 'em to me for free.

So my total insurance cost is under $300 with a $233 deductible. Big improvement from $830/mo with a $6000 deductible. But if the pharmas weren't so generous and my drug plan had to pay for the cancer meds, it's basically a $6500 deductible to reach the 95% coverage level. And then the 5% I'm responsible for would be $1500 a month.

 

[Telly]

I think if I had tried the seniorsavingsnetwork instead of the internet broker I did, I would have saved myself a lot of trouble (as doc'd in other posts by me) to get where I am now (OK).

I think I'm paying $138 for AARP/UHC Plan N, and ~$13 for WellCare "Value Script" Part D. The costs of Medigap supplements, and I assume Medicare Advantage plans too, are very home-location specific, as they use the medical costs of the area. I live in a higher-medical-cost area in TX (DFW area). But there are many places much more expensive, like some areas of Florida. And many places cheaper, too.

I past age 65 a while ago, so I'm beyond beginner rates for Medigap plans. I do not take any prescription drugs, so just a placeholder is fine for me for Part D, since if something happens, I could switch to a more-encompassing drug plan during the fall open enrollment period.

 

[Dash man]

Something to be aware of is some prescriptions may not be covered or are very expensive. If you find that in your search, check out GoodRx, SingleCare and other prescription discount programs. My Aetna plan doesn’t cover everything, but I found reasonable prices through the discount plans.

 

[Marita40]

I am new to Medicare as of last October. I pay $230 for a BCBS Medigap plan (it doesn’t have a letter since MN is an outlier state), $170 for Part B, and $6 for the cheapest Aetna Part D plan.
Boomer Benefits helped me, as did an independent consultant, when I researched plans. I would definitely go with a Medigap plan rather than Advantage plan, although of course everyone’s needs vary.
If you have recently retired you will perhaps need to file for IRMAA. This was a bit complicated, but manageable and greatly reduced my Parts B and D cost. There’s very good threads on all these things here.

 

[Dash man]

If you have recently retired you will perhaps need to file for IRMAA. This was a bit complicated, but manageable and greatly reduced my Parts B and D cost.

To clarify what I think you mean:
If you receive a letter from Social Security about having to pay the Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA), you can file an appeal if you just retired and your income has dropped below the IRMAA tier you are in. If the appeal is granted they will reduce the amount of IRMAA you pay. However, changes in income that are investment related such as capital gains or Roth conversions are not reasons for appeal. It is for loss of salary or perhaps you sold a house with a large capital gain. IRMAA is based on your AGI from two years prior. So at 65 they will look at your income for the year you turned 63.

 

[Piper20]

AARP/USHC also provides discounts at dentists, hearing and glasses thru Lens Crafters. Logon to your USHC site and click discounts and services. Luckily our dentist is listed for the discounts of 30-40 percent off contracted rates.

 

[Jackietime]

I turn 65 this year and chose Mutual of Omaha Plan G for $115 and Wellcare Value Script for prescriptions at $12.90 per month. I was pleased to discover that I qualify for an HRA until whenever megacorp decides to end it.

 

[MBSC]

You can check the local rates for UHC/AARP Plans G & N here:
https://www.uhcmedicaresolutions.com/health-plans/medicare-supplement-plans.html

Texas does not post Medigap rates on their Dept. of Insurance website. If you don't want to contact a broker for Medigap rates, each state has Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) counselors who are not biased and usually willing to email you the rates.

Texas SHIP: https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare

For Part D, select "find plans" on the Medicare.gov home page and enter your drugs to find the best plan for your specific situation. Some people who only take generics find it cheaper to use GoodRx/Singlecare and have the lowest premium PDP as a placeholder.

I had a great experience by contacting https://seniorsavingsnetwork.org/. Chris Westfall walked me through the best options available to me, based on my zip code.

+1

 

[pb4uski]

...But, I cannot find any place that says how much it costs per month. Anybody care to share what they pay for medigap... what about your drug plan?

Medigap costs vary by plan. carrier, state, gender and age... whereas Part B is the same for everyone unless your income exceeds the IRMAA tier limits.

Our Part B is $170/month and our Part D is $8/month and our Plan G Medigap is $186/month for me (66 yo male) and $162 for DW (67 yo female).

 

[audreyh1]

DH is paying $125 per month for Medigap Plan G from United/AARP, and $6.90 for Part D from Aetna. He currently takes no prescription drugs.

 

[Marita40]

It is surprising to see the wide range of Medigap costs...

 

[pb4uski]

^^^ Not to me... when we shopped it even for me where the state, age, plan and gender were the all the same there were noticeable differences in monthly premiums between different insurers... add in differences in states, age, plans and gender and the differences would multiply.

 

[travelover]

It is surprising to see the wide range of Medigap costs...

Yes, especially for the exact same coverage in the same area.

 

[foxfirev5]

Medicare Plan G AARP/ United Health for DW and I (65/66) is a combined $217 this year in MI. Worth every penny.

 

[anethum]

I currently pay $153/month for Plan G with AARP/UHC in an HCOL area. I'm 67. I've got a placeholder Wellcare Part D policy for $12.90. I went through Boomer Benefits for my Medigap plan and was happy with them, esp. my 2nd time. I switched from initially signing up with Mutual of Omaha, then changed to UHC (by passing underwriting) when I got a big increase from Mutual Of Omaha. FWIW since you're in Texas, Boomer Benefits is based in Ft. Worth.

https://boomerbenefits.com/

I'm not impressed with SeniorSavingsNetwork for 2 reasons: the Westfall guy was going on and on in a video urging folks to switch to Plan N because of "Guarantee Issue" without giving any evidence or reason why that would cause a disproportionate price increase to Plan G in the future. I think he was simply trying to encourage people to switch plans so he'd get commissions. Also, he set up his web domain with a ".org" URL which implies it's a non-profit company. It's not.

 

[Calico]

Wellcare Part D $12.90

AARP/UHC Supp. G $107.90 (will increase to $112.69 in June)

I'm 66.

 

[CRLLS]

DW and I have AARP/UHC Plan G. We have been paying $228.56 for the both of us combined (incl. household discount). We just received notice a couple of days ago that the prices are increasing to $244.80 in June and then again to $257.78 in January of next year. Prices do change based on the plan you choose the company you choose your age, your gender and your location. Generally, choices are good to have. Sometimes those choices make it difficult to find the best one for your situation both now, and years in the future. That last part is important as many states, not all, will require a person to pass underwriting (a medical questionnaire and possibly a physical) to change companies or plans later on. Know what your state rules are and take a best guess.

 

[foxfirev5]

DW and I have AARP/UHC Plan G. We have been paying $228.56 for the both of us combined (incl. household discount). We just received notice a couple of days ago that the prices are increasing to $244.80 in June and then again to $257.78 in January of next year. Prices do change based on the plan you choose the company you choose your age, your gender and your location. Generally, choices are good to have. Sometimes those choices make it difficult to find the best one for your situation both now, and years in the future. That last part is important as many states, not all, will require a person to pass underwriting (a medical questionnaire and possibly a physical) to change companies or plans later on. Know what your state rules are and take a best guess.

Yeah, and also probably because you have a birthday and the discount decreases each year. However it was clearly disclosed during your initial enrollment.( and yes I'm the guy that reads all 33 pages of the disclosure) I'm not a shill for the plan but it's still the best I've found so far.