Medicare 2016

[dannylion]

Oct 20, 2015 20:19:59 GMT -5 Ombud said:

Insurance companies are always offering free dinners on it here so I think that I'm going to go to a couple of them just to get a more complete perspective

Cool! Free dinner!

I'm always tempted to go to one of those free dinner things that the annuity pushers keep offering and then pretend to be too stupid to understand what they're selling and keep asking annoying questions.  (I don't get out much).   

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I have been hitting brick wall after brick wall this evening, looking at Medigap plans.  The minute I put my birth date in, I get bounced back.  At this point, I'm beginning to think that it's going to be very difficult for me to get a Medigap plan as my Medicare is through my disability.  Great.

[Gardening Grandma]

Oct 20, 2015 20:31:12 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I have been hitting brick wall after brick wall this evening, looking at Medigap plans.  The minute I put my birth date in, I get bounced back.  At this point, I'm beginning to think that it's going to be very difficult for me to get a Medigap plan as my Medicare is through my disability.  Great.

Mich, are you under 65? If so, change your birth year so it thinks you are 65. That's what I did when I was shopping before I was actually eligible

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Yes, I'm under 65.  However, I'm not going to be 65 anytime soon, so even if I get rates, they will still need my real birthdate to enroll.

[Gardening Grandma]

Oct 20, 2015 21:39:06 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Yes, I'm under 65.  However, I'm not going to be 65 anytime soon, so even if I get rates, they will still need my real birthdate to enroll.

Of course, but if all you want are current rates, that's a way to get the info

[wvugurl26]

www.medicare.gov/supplement-other-insurance/when-can-i-buy-medigap/when-can-i-buy-medigap.html#collapse-2239

It addresses under 65 and having Medicare due to disability. Unfortunately your state mich isn't one of the ones requiring that insurers offer a medigap policy to under 65 disabled. For those states it says insurers may offer one but it is likely to cost more and include medical underwriting. Also said to check with your state insurance board for the states not requiring it. You will get an open enrollment period when you turn 65. I know you aren't close but it does still have that even if you've been on Medicare previously due to disability.

[marvholly]

I am amazed at the numbe rof responses to my OP. I did call the 5th company on Tue. My preferred Drs are NOT in network.

to respond to some comments:

I will still need a gap coverage plan if I change to regular Medicare part A & B PLUS need a plan D for Rx.

I made the calls on 10/5 and 1 company did send me info so NO excuse for the other NOT sending it in 2 ½ weeks. I plan to call for a supervisor today AND will go up the flagpole until I reach someone with the authority to priority mail or FedEx the info I want.

GG- Some (most these days) Advantage plans DO have a premium above & beyond the Part B payment even w/o extras like gym, vision, dental.......The one I am most interested in is $29/mon.

[Deleted]

Oct 20, 2015 19:24:36 GMT -5 dannylion said:

Make sure you read through all the insurance information to see if it mentions what happens when you sign up for Medicare.  If it doesn't mention how your insurance works with Medicare, call them and ask.   My insurance at the time (BCBS) became secondary to Medicare as soon as I signed up, but all Medicare and BCBS deductibles and copays were waived, so there was some offset of the Medicare fee.  The Medicare information was way down at the bottom of the insurance information, so make sure you read all the way through. 

I never even thought of signing DH up for Medicare when I was employed. It sure would have made life easier when I quit! It might even have helped since I had an HDHP at work and Medicare might have picked up some of DH's costs.

I was really annoyed when DH's first Medicare claims were kicked back because my employer was listed as the "primary insurer". Weird (and a little creepy) how those things get into the computer- DH was always careful to show his Medicare card and not the one from the employer I'd left. That got straightened out in time, too.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Oct 21, 2015 9:28:12 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Oct 20, 2015 19:24:36 GMT -5 dannylion said:

I was really annoyed when DH's first Medicare claims were kicked back because my employer was listed as the "primary insurer". Weird (and a little creepy) how those things get into the computer- DH was always careful to show his Medicare card and not the one from the employer I'd left. That got straightened out in time, too.

The opposite happened to me with my first surgery (pre disability).  For some reason, the hospital and anesthesiologist submitted my claims to Medicare...which bounced back.  I have absolutely no idea why they submitted them to Medicare, when I only had an insurance card at the time which they xeroxed in my pre admission.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Well, one Medigap plan doesn't even service this area.  Scratch that.  I did get an email back this morning about United Healthcare.

My biggest problem is that the biggest plan in this area is an advantage plan.....that my orthopedic surgeon will not touch.  He does accept Medicare though.  It is imperative that I maintain access to him.

[wvugurl26]

From what I found on the Medicare site you may not be able to get a medigap plan mich. Your state doesn't require it to be offered to disabled under 65. They may choose to offer them but it's not required. I would say that's why your search is so difficult. Maybe the insurance commission would have a list of insurers offering medigap to that segment in your state.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I *may* have found one.  I had to call and after 45 minutes on the phone, I finally had to hang up and get to class.  But according to the rep I spoke to, AARP does provide it.

This morning was one of the more frustrating calls though.  The first time I called the number that I popped up online, I got a rep who had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.  Before I started giving her all my information, I asked if she could tell me whether AARP provided Medigap insurance for those who are Medicare through SSDI.  She kept asking me if I needed life insurance.  I repeated that I needed health insurance, and if they provided Medigap for those on disability and had both part A and B in Medicare.  She hung up on me.

I called back, trying again.  This time, the woman knew what I was talking about but she didn't know.  She referred me to a phone number of someone who did know.

I called that number, finally got through and spent waaay more time waiting for this woman to fill out the information that she needed to send me info.  I hope that this 45 minutes isn't a waste, but I'll call back later today and see if I can't find something concrete.

[Deleted]

Oct 20, 2015 20:26:27 GMT -5 dannylion said:

Cool! Free dinner! I'm always tempted to go to one of those free dinner things that the annuity pushers keep offering and then pretend to be too stupid to understand what they're selling and keep asking annoying questions. (I don't get out much).

According to people on the Early Retirement Board, they're getting wise to people like us. (I've been tempted to do this, too, especially since I'm retired.) They structure the presentation with no Q&A time and then disappear before the dinner. An assistant runs around at the dinner taking contact info for people who want follow-up meetings. No fun at all!