We have a Humana Medicare Advantage plan. It does not actually give you money back, but it does give us things that it would take money to purchase. We have the OTC allowance, which used to be $100 monthly; but is now only $175 quarterly (Biden ? ) and we can use this for vitamins medical equipment, and even health accessories like a Fitbit or Garmin fitness tracker. We have a grocery card that gives each of us a $35 allowance that can be spent for groceries. It is only good at a few places, like Walmart or Walgreens, but still it comes in very handy each month. There is also our Silver Sneakers benefit that pays for the fitness membership for both of us. We also have the Go365 program, and this gives us points whenever we see the doctor for a special exam, attend one of their health clinics, and even for walking over 500 steps each day. The points can amount to several hundred dollars in a year’s time, depending on how many of the point-building activities you participate in, and they can be cashed in for gift cards at a lot of different places. How does the one in Maine work, @Al Amoling , that actually gives a person real money back ?
I signed up with it today(last day it could be done)my old plan had coupons(elite foods) that were uselessness one has nothing. Old plan had 100 quarterly OTC benefit by pre-approved stuff at Walmart. New plan has 70 monthly giveback..
I avoid Advantage, one has to go to their docs, here in CA anyway...I like to choose my own doc and don't worry about getting money back....
Apparently anyone who is signed up for a Medicare plan like Advantage automatically pays one hundred seventy dollars every month for it, even if they don't want it, need it or use it. It is automatically deducted from ssa every month unless they opted out.
I'm the same way. I once had a job whose health care benefit was through a HMO. I didn't like it. When I first signed up for Medicare, I went to a "council on aging" place that offered free advice on these things, and I walked through an explanation of the programs and my options face-to-face with someone who was not trying too sell me something. I've had no reason to change any of those plans, and I sure wouldn't trust what a stranger over the phone told me (even if Joe Namath did recommend them.)
Five years ago, before 12-12-2017, I signed up for Advantage Plan with Care n Care . Told the guy on the phone I need something takes care of catastrophic issues , not worried about common cold problems. December 12-2017 had CHF along with other things, almost died. Care n Care took care of 99.9 percent of all. Since that time, with all the doctor visits, test, x-rays, Cat -scans etc. I have paid almost nothing, least compared to the charges. However, dental is horrible, literally. Do not think my plan has long term either. I am considering switching plans come this year -because of bad dental coverage and problems with that service and, because i have waited 7 mos. to get a billing error corrected, to which has not been corrected as of today. My question is - Whom do you use, and why ? Does yours have a better dental program? How do you pick your plan?
We have Aetna Advantage, simply because it's negotiated by the corporation we both retired from and it's good coverage for a reasonable cost. I had over a quarter of a million $$ in medical bills last year and our out-of-pocket was $3,000. We have dental and eye coverage but neither of them are good for much; we get an eye exam and one pair of glasses annually. Dental is only about $1200 or so but it does cover a couple of cleanings per year. Dental and eye coverage are not part of the advantage plan; those are separate companies.
I would search for a separate dental plan if that is what concerns you. It sounds like you are fairly happy with the medical side of things, but it doesn't cover dental well. Either search for a separate dental plan or see if dental can be added to your current coverage. So fart, we haven't been too concerned with dental, and have found that when we DID have good dental coverage, the dentists did a lot more work than necessary since they were paid well for it. I no longer carry dental coverage but it is available from my current plan should I change my mind.
I have a dental plan and it covers the basic stuff plus maybe one major cost item (root canal, etc) per year. Once I left the corporate world, I was shocked at how few dental (and vision) insurance options there are for individuals. If you have a specific expensive procedure that is causing you to make this change, be advised that most of the dental plans I've seen that cover anything but the basics understandably have a waiting period before they'll cover the high-dollar stuff. The higher level of benefits I've seen with plans that are available in Virginia kicks in staring at the second year. You might see if there are non-profit groups or government agencies around you that advise seniors on things like this. They would have broader experience in your region than most of us here...and these thing can be region-specific. When I signed up for my Medicare supplement program, I asked the insurance agent about dental & vision. I was told they are not licensed to sell those products in Virginia.