Insurance And Medicare

Discussion in 'Money & Finances' started by Hedi Mitchell, Sep 7, 2019.

  1. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    Whom do you have as insurance or do you just have Medicare ?
    State you insurance company and monthly premium .Also why do you prefer this insurance over others.
    I have had Care n Care for two years.
    Paid with SS $135 a month.
    So far has been excellent for me.
    Trying too decide do I continue or change- plus have to find something for hubby soon.
     
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  2. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    We have Medicare, Medicaid, and Humana (which is covered by our Medicaid ). I definitely suggest finding a health/Medicare insurance agent that you like and trust, and let that person help you decide which program best meets your needs.
    We started out with Cigna, which was what Medicaid put me on, and all it did was cover my heart meds. When Bobby was checking out Medicare plans, he had a call from a local agent, who then came to sit down with us and explain the available plans.
    It turned out that if we switched to United Health Care, we had more benefits, including the fitness membership and the OTC allowance, plus vision and dental.
    Last year, he said that Humana had the best plan, and so we changed over to Humana this year. With the open enrollment time coming up soon, I contacted him the other day, and he is going to research and see what looks like the best plans for us for the next year.
    If we hadn’t found Jassen , we would have still been with the plan that didn’t cover anything except prescriptions.
    And it doesn’t cost anything extra to have an agent, plus if there is a question about coverage, he can contact the company in our behalf.
     
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  3. Joy Martin

    Joy Martin Veteran Member
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    Listened to a radio program last night
    sponsored by 2 attornies from 2 different firms. The THRUST of the program is the doctors spending so much time "FIGHTING/BATTLING" insurance companies to help them to treat their patients. It was horrible and something I have not dealt with since I've had Medicare for 19 yrs and in recent yrs hardly any visits to my doc. I work on my own health more than ever and have been doing this since the 80's.

    When I had the major hip replacement in 2010, there were no problems, just the damage I'm left with. I made payment to the surgeon over some time where insurance did not pay.

    Now I'm hearing more horror stories, pre-authorization on so much standard issues etc... The longer the
    insurance companies DRAG their feet, the more chance the patients expire or just get worse and worse.

    Bottom Line, DO ALL YOU CAN to keep healthy on your own and stay away from the doc offices.....
     
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    Last edited: May 31, 2023
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  4. Thomas Windom

    Thomas Windom Very Well-Known Member
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    We have Medicare and, when we retired, my wife picked out a really good supplemental plan through United Healthcare. Good thing too because right after we retired, things started going south. She had two surgeries for metastatic breast cancer, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, physical therapy, lymphedema therapy, still on hormone therapy, then rotator cuff surgery and more physical therapy. I had to have spinal surgery and then we both went through the rabies protocol for bat exposure. I was stunned that the last thing was $23,000 for the two of us.

    The only thing we had to pay for out of all of that was for a weird sling she needed after her rotator cuff surgery. Even my 4 maintenance prescriptions are completely covered, nothing out of pocket.
     
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    Last edited: May 31, 2023
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  5. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I have a Medicare Advantage Plan through Martins Point. It pays for pretty much everything. There are some copays but they tend to be minor.
     
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  6. Joy Martin

    Joy Martin Veteran Member
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    I took no supplemental 19 yrs ago and have been counting on my supplements to keep me free of cancers and more. Back in 1995, at a lecture on Grape Seed Ex,, t he panel of docs and researchers said "May prevent cancers"....that was music to my ears. And I jumped on Grape Seed Ex...

    I don't care what anyone says, getting on the appropiate supplement regiment can make a major difference in health.

    But one must have that mindset and I have since the 1980's....
     
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    Last edited: May 31, 2023
  7. Joy Martin

    Joy Martin Veteran Member
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    I've been lectured by insurance guys on Medicare Advantage, but I like my Integrative Doctors and the I.M.s are not in the advantage. I've been fortunate.
     
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  8. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    We loose out here in Kansas for supplement...at least for now. So we only have a Rx it is $25 a month for the two of us. Medicare only. However the hospital here gives additional 20 percent off the bill if paid within 30 days. Come Oct will check for any new insurance offers.
     
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  9. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    Since you have moved, you should be able to change over to a Kansas insurance plan without waiting for this fall, @Hedi Mitchell . From what i can see, you should have both Humana and United Health Care in Kansas, and those are the two best ones we have had with our advantage plans.
    If you can find an insurance agent that is an independent agent, and can sell from any insurance company, that is what my best suggestion would be.
    We have had a great agent for about 6-7 years now, and each year, he reviews the new plans coming out and lets us know which one gives us the best benefits.
    I have had Humana for several years, and also UHC before that, and so has Bobby. They both have good supplemental benefits as well as the basic medicare benefits.
     
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  10. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I don't know if you'll find a plan that pays 100% for integrative medicine, but my plan would pay a portion of the cost for acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, naturopathy, and nutrition counseling if I chose to use these, and it pays $25 monthly for supplements, including over-the-counter, which I do use.
     
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  11. Joy Martin

    Joy Martin Veteran Member
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    Integrative MD's are getting fewer and fewer and I started looking into them in the early 90's...I'd venture CA has the most and maybe FL behind them. They are aging and retiring and many people just can't afford to see them. The MD I see, once a year, didn't take Medicare for many yrs and then all of a sudden she started and I was able to
    go to her. She's in semi retirement and tomorrow we have a telemed at 3PM for 15 minutes and she can bill medicare for that 15 minutes...
     
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  12. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    Maybe the IM docs are being hassled in California, @Joy Martin. We only had one in this area for years, but he moved full time to Hawaii (He used to spend part of the year in #49 and part in #50). He was replaced by three newer docs. The old guy is how my wife got a handle on her digestive issues.
     
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  13. Joy Martin

    Joy Martin Veteran Member
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    As I see it on the IM's so many would so much like to go to them, but IM's didn't take health insurance, they primarily catered to those with more bucks. And they first went to alternatives before they went to a drug. Many out there do not want to take drugs, believe it or not. My early IM and I worked to avoid BP drugs. I had to finally break down and get on a couple, but they are of the old class and cost much less.

    Another great old doc in my life starting in my 30's was a D.O. He didn't need labs to know what his patients needed. He gave it all up in his mid 90's....people loved him.,no nonesense, no fancy doctor.
     
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  14. Thomas Windom

    Thomas Windom Very Well-Known Member
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    We have a few docs around here that are Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). They might be closer to the Integrative MDs” you reference.
    https://osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/what-is-a-do/
     
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  15. Tony Nathanson

    Tony Nathanson Very Well-Known Member
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    Even though her doctors say it's lifesaving:
     
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