AARP/UHC Medicare Supplemental Inflation Increases 21.88% for me!

[Dawg52]

Plan G up almost 25% effective 7/1. Last year pretty much the same. Can’t make a move due a preexisting condition but may have a chance in a couple of years if bladder cancer stays in remission. But….just glad to have the insurance.

 

[sengsational]

I mean that the providers typically make you sign the forms that say that you are responsible for payments if they cannot get reimbursed by Medicare or the insurer. So you have to sign that says that you will pay.

The generic form that says you're the responsible party for payment doesn't mean if Medicare denies it, you have to pay. Unless you get the option to check a box that allows you to decline or warns you Medicare may not pay, you're not on the hook to pay. It's all about checking the box. If the provider participates in Medicare and you didn't actively check a box agreeing to pay if Medicare denied, then you are not on the hook to pay.

 

[MBSC]

AARP is taking steps to keep Plan N premiums competitive. Brokers received advance notice from UHC that downgrades from Plans F/G to N without underwriting will no longer be allowed effective 4/29, unless required by state regulations.

'N' is not on the federal list of Guaranteed-Issue plans, but it was GI with UHC/AARP. This will also end.

Advance notices give brokers time to help their clients. UHC customer service may not be informed of the changes until 4/29 or later.

Copy of notice sent to brokers: https://www.resourcemedicare.com/po...need-to-know-about-plan-n-and-switching-plans

 

[fosterscik]

Thanks! It appears that we also have a 14.5% increase to look forward to in Tennessee for those gym-included plans. I suppose the argument is similar to those I've seen for plan N; healthier people opt for the gym plan and have lower medical expenses.

A slightly worse increase has been confirmed for us. We're each getting a 15.25% increase for the June fiscal year (in addition to our 3% birthday increases). AARP/UHC Plan G with gym extras.

 

[sengsational]

AARP is taking steps to keep Plan N premiums competitive.

Thanks for bringing that news here. I guess as price pressure mounts, people in G would like to drop into N without underwriting to save a bit? And the rule change turns that off. I wonder if the G people that desire N would be higher utilizers, though. I'm curious about what they hope to accomplish by not offering N to new enrollments. Presumably that is where you get your healthy non-utilizers (to keep prices low). I'm not sure if they can rob Peter N to pay Paul G. I'm still kind of mystified about the G with perks pricing vs plain G.

 

[MBSC]

I'm curious about what they hope to accomplish by not offering N to new enrollments. Presumably that is where you get your healthy non-utilizers (to keep prices low).

'N' is required to be available to everyone in their Medigap Open Enrollment Period, the 6-month period after enrolling in Part B and being age 65+.

Guarantee-issue rights are a limited list of Medigap plan letters available to those who have lost other coverage and can't pass underwriting. Examples are Medicare Advantage plans and retiree plans being terminated.

 

[sengsational]

Ah, so plan N won't become a refuge for Part-C people who's plans get terminated. That's good.

 

[audreyh1]

AARP is taking steps to keep Plan N premiums competitive. Brokers received advance notice from UHC that downgrades from Plans F/G to N without underwriting will no longer be allowed effective 4/29, unless required by state regulations.

'N' is not on the federal list of Guaranteed-Issue plans, but it was GI with UHC/AARP. This will also end.

Advance notices give brokers time to help their clients. UHC customer service may not be informed of the changes until 4/29 or later.

Copy of notice sent to brokers: https://www.resourcemedicare.com/po...need-to-know-about-plan-n-and-switching-plans

Thank you. This looks like an alternative for us if we take care of it right away,

 

[zaqxsw]

As always, thanks to MBSC for the inside info.! Good to know.

However, it will all be about the loss ratios going forward in the plans. As it was for "basic" vs "extra" letter plans.

This move by AARP/UHC just fogs everybody's crystal bowl...

 

[audreyh1]

AARP is taking steps to keep Plan N premiums competitive. Brokers received advance notice from UHC that downgrades from Plans F/G to N without underwriting will no longer be allowed effective 4/29, unless required by state regulations.

'N' is not on the federal list of Guaranteed-Issue plans, but it was GI with UHC/AARP. This will also end.

Advance notices give brokers time to help their clients. UHC customer service may not be informed of the changes until 4/29 or later.

Copy of notice sent to brokers: https://www.resourcemedicare.com/po...need-to-know-about-plan-n-and-switching-plans

From what I can determine, the second company, United Healthcare Insurance Co of America was introduced in TX in 2022 to offer "no-frills" (i.e. no wellness extras) versions of Medigap plans. DH signed up before that, so his medical coverage is with the original United Healthcare Insurance Company.

Anyway - so I got caught in a pretty short-lived experiment as I signed up in 2024 - Plan G offered 2022 through 2025. I also got a very high multi-insured discount, a stretched out enrollment discount starting at 45% and extending to age 86, an EFT discount 2x compared to DH. I think they got too aggressive with the "no frills" pricing and decided that it was unsustainable after a few years. Interestingly what I currently pay for my Plan G is the same as what the current Plan N would cost and the current Plan G is 17% higher.

@MBSC

 

[Pluperfect]

Anyway - so I got caught in a pretty short-lived experiment as I signed up in 2024 - Plan G offered 2022 through 2025.

When I signed up in 2022, I remember there were two flavors of AARP/UHC's Plan G--with extras and without. I didn't look into the details because I wanted the gym benefit, and the difference in cost was something like $10 or $15. And I was surprised when a friend of mine with a Plan F he'd had from them for 10 years did include the gym benefit; I assumed there had always been the two flavors and the name of his plan didn't say anything about wellness extras. Turns out I had it backwards.

(But I'll note that one time I was trying to get general information on Renew Active (the gym benefit) and the customer service person wasn't wanting to talk in general terms and insisted I give a zip code, so I gave 10003 instead of my zip code in Texas, and she said the gym benefit wasn't available in the 10003 zip code. But when I checked that zip code recently, all of AARP/UHC's supplements do include Renew Active.)

Anyway, it sounds to me like the Plan G you're in is now a closed plan. Is there the danger of rising premiums due to that?

I was thinking since it was available for only a few years, maybe having that younger population in a fairly tight range would prevent against that, for a while, anyway. But the companies that seem to make it a practice to close plans and open replacements regularly seem to have plans open for just a few years, too.

 

[audreyh1]

When I signed up in 2022, I remember there were two flavors of AARP/UHC's Plan G--with extras and without. I didn't look into the details because I wanted the gym benefit, and the difference in cost was something like $10 or $15. And I was surprised when a friend of mine with a Plan F he'd had from them for 10 years did include the gym benefit; I assumed there had always been the two flavors and the name of his plan didn't say anything about wellness extras. Turns out I had it backwards.

(But I'll note that one time I was trying to get general information on Renew Active (the gym benefit) and the customer service person wasn't wanting to talk in general terms and insisted I give a zip code, so I gave 10003 instead of my zip code in Texas, and she said the gym benefit wasn't available in the 10003 zip code. But when I checked that zip code recently, all of AARP/UHC's supplements do include Renew Active.)

Anyway, it sounds to me like the Plan G you're in is now a closed plan. Is there the danger of rising premiums due to that?

I was thinking since it was available for only a few years, maybe having that younger population in a fairly tight range would prevent against that, for a while, anyway. But the companies that seem to make it a practice to close plans and open replacements regularly seem to have plans open for just a few years, too.

Yes, there is some risk and I have no idea how small the group is. It’s definitely a tight range of ages and a young cohort, and currently still cheaper. I wasn’t looking for gym benefits and had no idea there were two open books at the time, but I definitely got a great starter deal. The current open Plan G is $22 more rather than $11 more as it was a few years ago, plus my enrollment discount is steeper longer and the multi-insured discount is much better than DH’s from 2020.

UHC did this two books set up, I believe, because perhaps they were trying to grab more market share, not to close the book on their longer term customers and open a new one for the younger folks. But ultimately it didn’t match their long term model, so they are closing the book on the cheaper plan. Ironically the plan for longer term folks with a huge number of much older folks are still open. In terms of future relative premiums, that’s clear as mud. Who knows what other moves UHC will choose to do as they struggle with profitability.

 

[wmc1000]

big variance between companies and states they are in - currently plan G - DW 73 - $161.89, Me 72 - $180.19 in Indiana

 

[audreyh1]

big variance between companies and states they are in - currently plan G - DW 73 - $161.89, Me 72 - $180.19 in Indiana

probably even by county.

 

[zaqxsw]

probably even by county.

My AARP/UHC Plan G "Extra" from 2019 is community rated by my state. So is my wife's 2020 AARP/UHC Plan G "Extra".

The "Basic" plans in Ohio have three (3) different areas depending on your zip code. Guess they differentiated the area's medical cost or the loss ratios when they launched these plans?

 

[Texas Proud]

I did not calculate the exact number but got mine today and is in the 23% range...

WOW...

 

[Telly]

I received mine today too. Plan N "extra".
+18% for the inflation, then a later +3.7% on top of that for clicking over age (reducing the original 33%? discount each birthday month).
So taking it from what it is today, to after birthday, a total increase of 22.47%. By far the highest % increase ever for me in Plan N.