# Best Medicare plan, etc.?



## mtnbikerva1 (Feb 4, 2008)

I know they’re all kinds of people that mountain bike and on this form. I know there are all kinds of people with all kinds of different professions background and knowledge. So I’m wondering how best to learn and find out about Medicare or even Medicaid and what plans are a rip off? Plans are great if any such thing.
I live in Virginia Northern Virginia if it matters.
Thank you and
MERRY CHRISTMAS!


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

Medi-Cal. But that's California.


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## Gasp4Air (Jun 5, 2009)

There are sites that will help you pick plans. Here's one from medicare itself: https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare/#/?lang=en&year=2021
You give it your zip code, then tell it what kind of plan you're looking for. There's original medicare, medicare advantage plans, pharmacy only, etc. You'll probably want to read up on the differences, it can be confusing at first. I went the medicare advantage route: told it what drugs I take, what pharmacy(s) I use, and it automagically lists plans in your zip code ranked by how much they're going to cost you.

The enrollment period for 2021 ends tomorrow (Dec 7) though.

If you qualify for either medicare or medicaid, they're far from a rip-off. My expenses, which are significant due to my being a type-1 diabetic, are considerably less than when I had insurance from a major corporation I worked for before retiring.

Good luck.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

Nothing... but thats Australia for you.


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## DeadGrandpa (Aug 17, 2016)

I have a Medicare advantage plan with Humana, no prescription coverage because I don't need any. Costs me nothing, but I don't go to the doctor, either. I have a friend who sells insurance and he recommended that plan. I used to have an Advantage plan with Aetna, but I moved and they don't cover me where I live now.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

https://www.businessinsider.com/get-paid-to-live-in-this-swiss-village-2017-11


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

I used to sell plans in a past life. It was a small% of my business as a financial advisor at the time. 

If you go the supplement route, all plans with the same letter have to pay the same based upon the plan type.

Most folks I worked with ended up with a plan F and a Part d plan that fit their needs. 

Part D: You will want to put your entire drug list into the plans calculator and see what your annual outlay is. Some plans don’t have a drug, but have it’s generic available. You will want to consult with your doctor or already know whether the generic works for you. Or you may already know that it doesn’t. 

Many big pharmacies have tools that will help you compare your drugs and the plans to see what works best for you financially. You should go through this exercise every year. Plans change and so do people. 

While Medicare advantage plans are cheaper, you will need to make sure it works with your typical medical expenses for the year as well as your level of savings and income. Even though a plan F is more premium, for most people on a fixed budget with a lot of medical issues in a year will save so much money vs an advantage plan. 

It’s been years for me so some of the supplement plans may vary, and there may be some differences between states. One thing that stays the same is evaluating how much your “medical life” could cost you and evaluate which plan is likely going to save you thousands of dollars. Super healthy folks with plenty of assets or income may opt for an advantage plan. Advantage plans throw in a few perks to sweeten the offering. Silver sneakers programs, etc.

The rules for agents are bizarre in the sales process they aren’t supposed to ask things that would actually allow them to make the best recommendation. I’m sure it happens, but there are rules in place. If you are fourth coming, they are likely to be able to give you the best advice possible. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Probably good to go ask in the Fifty+ forum, which all the forum geezers (and a few not-yet-50 wannabees) frequent. That official medicare site mentioned in post #3 is a good one. It knows specifically what's available in your area and rates the different offerings. It's heavily regulated and, as FJSnoozer says, the coverages in a given category are all the same, and that site spells it out. Sames goes for Part C, except for the ancillary perks different companies offer.

https://forums.mtbr.com/fifty-years-old/


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Aren't there like only six people on this forum who_ aren't _older than 50, lol?


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## Scott O (Aug 5, 2004)

Nat said:


> Aren't there like only six people on this forum who_ aren't _older than 50, lol?


Stoopid kids with their long hair, MTV, and Nintendo!


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

I live in Scotland. Free health care, including prescriptions, hospital, ambulance etc.
First class service IMO.
I like that their emphasis is on preventative medicine and not putting us on the perpetual medication conveyor belt.


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## kosmo (Oct 27, 2004)

Go to a (often free) four-hour seminar offered at many community colleges.

Even better if you can get your wife to go, while you work on her bike.


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## Ft.Rock (May 7, 2020)

I live in Maine and just retired. I went with the Medicare Supplement Plan G, which is pricey. My reasons - I'm pretty healthy but I get kidney stones and have several loaded up. My medical expenses are usually sports injuries, but if something worse comes up I want the option of going to the hospitals in Boston. No slight to Maine, but Boston for certain things is better. I figure I'll gie this a year and if I don't find I need it I'll go Advantage for cheaper next year. I got a drug plan for $17/mo but I only have one prescription...


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## Calsun (May 12, 2021)

The rip-off plans are the ones mislabled Medicare Advantage which are private plans from companies that want to privatize Medicare. Americans already spend twice as much for half the coverage as in any other advanced country.


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## Gasp4Air (Jun 5, 2009)

While the U.S. has good care for those who have access to it, it's overly expensive, byzantine and badly distributed. 

However, compared to other choices available here, Medicare Advantage plans can be a pretty good deal. With most Advantage plans you get drug coverage, which would be a separate cost on top of straight Medicare. Plus some other goodies like a bit of dental and vision reimbursements and so forth. You do have to deal with networks, offshore call centers and the like, but for many people it's a lower cost option Many plans have zero monthly premiums beyond the Medicare premium you pay anyway. 

Basically, Medicare pays the health insurance companies to administer your health benefits.


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## Calsun (May 12, 2021)

Medicare Advantage are how the medical industry is conning the public with a short time reduced rate that is privatizing medical care and this privately operated medical system is why Americans pay twice as much for half as much care. It is much like a loan that has a low rate of interest for 5 years and then the rate jumps and people find their houses in foreclosure. 

We go with whichever Part B plan provides us with the coverage we need at the lowest monthly cost. I have also discovered Honeybeehealth.com where I can buy prescription meds without my insurance for half as much as buying them from CVS or Costco with my Part B coverage. 

Healthcare in the USA is ranked about 27th in the world from year to year. In 2007 I had to fly to Germany to receive a treatment that had been in widespread use for more than 40 years in Europe. I paid 400 Euros as a U.S. citizen for a series of treatments. When I got the second series of the exact same treatments in the U.S. a few months later the bill was over $13,500 and the insurance company paid $10,000 and I was hit for $3,500. When a private company has to pay 20% of its revenue to cover the shareholder profits and the fat paycheck for the CEO that means it costs 25% more to provide services to patients and this is pretty simple math. The big myth is that the private sector is more efficient (and this is not at all true) and that there is actually competition in the marketplace. 

One company, Brookdale Senior Living, Inc owns 1066 facilities and Genesis HealthCare owns 380 facilities and HCR ManorCare has 280 and Holiday Retirement has 274. They crush smaller operations and with few or no competitors they can charge far more.


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## nOOky (May 13, 2008)

Stuff like this has me more and more thinking about moving to South America or Europe to retire.


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## Gasp4Air (Jun 5, 2009)

Calsun said:


> Medicare Advantage are how the medical industry is conning the public with a short time reduced rate that is privatizing medical care and this privately operated medical system is why Americans pay twice as much for half as much care. It is much like a loan that has a low rate of interest for 5 years and then the rate jumps and people find their houses in foreclosure.
> 
> We go with whichever Part B plan provides us with the coverage we need at the lowest monthly cost. I have also discovered Honeybeehealth.com where I can buy prescription meds without my insurance for half as much as buying them from CVS or Costco with my Part B coverage.
> 
> ...


To be clear, I wasn't arguing the merits of the American healthcare system. For some, like those on Medicare, it can be pretty good. For many, high deductables are a disincentive to get care they need. For many more, they have little , if any access at all. Healthcare should be available to all, publicly financed (as are Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans) and not driven solely by profit motive.

Medicare Advantage plans are paid for by the government to administer healthcare and are subject to regulation. Monthly costs, for me at least, are considerably less than straight Medicare plus Prescription coverage. I have it pretty good, and feel for those who can't afford the healthcare they need.


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## mactweek (Oct 3, 2011)

You have to be somewhat careful with the advantage plans if you plan to travel at all. Most of them don't cover out of network expenses. You can get hit really hard with unexpected expenses. A neighbor was in a car accident, unconscious, flown to a hospital where he stayed several nights. the only part his plan covered was the emergency room treatment.
I travel frequently so I use regular medicare with a plan g supplement. Works great for me. My drug plan this year is only $6.70 per month.
Medicare has already covered 2 major surgeries for me, with no additional out of pocket expenses even for uncovered expenses, (because of my gap coverage) . Very much worth it for me.


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## DavianSamson (6 mo ago)

My parents are very fond of extreme sports, but they are already over sixty years old and I am very worried about them. I constantly tell them that it's time to retire and live peacefully for their own pleasure, but they don't listen and do what they want. I can understand them -- the main thing is always to be young in the soul and all that. But the body is not eternal and you need to take care of it. I found a secure horizons medicare supplement insurance plan for them and suggested they use it. After one accident at a resort, they agreed to use it. It was a great choice -- I tried hard to choose a good insurance plan for them.


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