NYEXPAT
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I live overseas so I will only be getting Plan A&B at this time. I am on SS and am turning 65 this year, do I have to apply or is it automatic?
You will need to apply since you do not live in the states.I live overseas so I will only be getting Plan A&B at this time. I am on SS and am turning 65 this year, do I have to apply or is it automatic?
Individuals already receiving Social Security or RRB benefits at least 4 months before being eligible for Medicare and residing in the United States (except residents of Puerto Rico) are automatically enrolled in both premium-free Part A and Part B. People who are automatically enrolled have the choice whether they want to keep or refuse Part B coverage.
Reference: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Eligibility-and-Enrollment/OrigMedicarePartABEligEnrol/index.html
This is my plan. I will sign with UHC, their rate is competitive at all age levels. If they introduce G-HD and allow changes I'll switch. If not, I can live with UHC G.One suggestion - maybe sign up for G, then when G-HD is introduced see if you can make the switch. An insurer might look favorably on a downgrade where they are on the hook for fewer claims dollars.
Only states can regulate insurers. Congress passed a law standardizing MediGap policies, and CMS oversees that. The pricing and general compliance is a state responsibility.
Pricing is done like any other insurance product. The insurer submits pricing requests to the state insurance commission, which then acts to approve, reject or modify. Insurers are free to price as they wish, within state guidelines.
Plan D is different. There is an annual open enrollment and you can change plans each January. I plan to follow the lead of others here. Use the Medicare Plan D finder (here) to identify the plan with the lowest total annual cost (premiums + cost sharing) this year based on teh prescriptions I currently use. The revisit each November to see if there is a less costly option.I was planning on buying the drug plan with the most inclusive formulary and the least resistance to allowing you to ditch second tier drugs on your doctor's recommendation and to paying for those expensive cancer drugs. Anyone have experiences with Part D drug plans they want to share?
You will need to apply since you do not live in the states.
Plan D is different. There is an annual open enrollment and you can change plans each January. I plan to follow the lead of others here. Use the Medicare Plan D finder (here) to identify the plan with the lowest total annual cost (premiums + cost sharing) this year based on teh prescriptions I currently use. The revisit each November to see if there is a less costly option.
I live overseas so I will only be getting Plan A&B at this time. I am on SS and am turning 65 this year, do I have to apply or is it automatic?
There is a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for those returning to the U.S. to enroll in Part D plans and MA plans without a late penalty.NYEP -- If I recall correctly, you're planning on moving to the States in a few years. You may also wish to consider signing up for a cheap Part D (drug) plan on turning 65, even if you are not on any Rxs. If you do not sign up, and later wish to get Part D you will then have to pay a monthly surcharge for the remaining years you would be getting a Part D.
When you return to the United States after living abroad.
You cannot receive Medicare drug coverage when you’re living abroad, but you can join Part D when you return to live in this country permanently. If you turned 65 when you were living abroad, you get a seven month initial enrollment period to join a Part D plan without penalty, starting three months before the month of your return and ending three months after it. Or, if you turned 65 before leaving the United States to live abroad, you get a special Part D enrollment period on your return, and will not pay a late penalty provided that you begin receiving Medicare drug coverage within 63 days of the date of your return.
Reference: https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-11-2009/Part_4_Do_You_Need_Medicare_Part_D.html
Is the no underwriting rule between companies or just between plans, within the same company (in WA)?............The Cigna rep, unlike his counterpart at Premera, quickly advised there is no underwriting in WA as long as you go to a comparable or less plans. State uses a "community rated" model and not individual pricing system.
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You can switch between companies anytime in WA.Is the no underwriting rule between companies or just between plans, within the same company (in WA)?
WA Medigap rates can be found here: https://www.insurance.wa.gov/media/1807WA Residents: If you're already enrolled in a Medigap plan B through N, you can switch at any time to another Medigap plan B through N. If you have a Medigap plan A, you can switch to any other Medigap plan A. In either of these situations, you do not have to take a written health screening questionnaire.
Source: https://www.insurance.wa.gov/when-can-i-sign-or-switch-medigap-plans
Got, coincidentally, the Via Benefits and the Medicare envelopes in the mail on Monday. Phone rep was wrong, we get $200 a month, down from the $270 we get as pre-Medicare retirees. Once I can see the plans offered (i.e. when these people stop playing hide the ball with the AARP plans), I can decide if AARP is the best option.
Based on my limited interactions with Via Benefits, it looks like they are not well organized or helpful. The licensed person got the subsidy wrong. I really don't want to reward these people by giving them a commission if I can avoid it. Someone up thread or possibly in another thread said it was more expensive to buy the AARP plan through them than by buying it through AARP. I'm going to verify through the pension system that I have to buy through them to get the reimbursement.
They sent me a survey... Could not find anything positive to say.
Al you can go through an independent agency such as www.boomerbenefits.com for the Medigap and part D drug plans. They will explain the differences to you and the costs for the various companies plans.