It's That Time Again, Are There Changes In Your Medicare Health Plan For The Better Or For Worse?

Discussion in 'Health & Wellness' started by Babs Hunt, Sep 23, 2018.

  1. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    I just received an email updating changes to our Medicare Advantage Plan for the coming New Year and once again I am happy to report the few changes are good ones.

    Now we will pay nothing to see our Primary Doctor and seeing Specialists has gone down by $5 which helps too. And my dental will cover two cleaning a year now instead of the one they decided on last year. We still will have the free health club membership and OTC Pharmacy allowance of $45 each every quarter of the year. And now there is also a virtual physician and counselor we can "see" for nothing too. And that virtual physician can send in a prescription for us is needed. :)

    So far since we have picked this plan from the time we were eligible for Medicare it has been a really good plan for us and has gotten better each year.

    What about your plan? Are you happy with it? And are changes good or not so good?
     
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  2. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    We changed over from Cigna to United Healthcare, and we are very happy with the benefits that come with UHC as compared to Cigna. Cigna allowed $75 per quarter for OTC benefits, and UHC allows $250 per quarter, so that is a whole lot more.
    The dental benefit covers cleanings, and other basic things, plus up to $2500 in any kind of dental work that you need per year. The fitness membership changed from Silver and Fit to Silver Sneakers; but we still go to the same fitness center as we always have, so that part didn’t make any difference.

    Our health insurance agent said that Humana is coming out with a whole new program with Medicare Advantage in October, and from what information he has, he thinks that it will be even better than the UHC.
    He said we should come in and see him next month, and he will review both plans for us, and if the Humana one has better coverage, then he will change us over to that one.
    Once we have talked with him about this, I can tell you whether Humana has a better plan for us or not.
     
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  3. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    The Humana Medicare Advantage Plan is the one we are on Yvonne but there are different plans under Humana and you and Bobby may qualify for a different one than us income wise. When my husband stops working at his part time job we may qualify for a different plan then too. But for now we are very pleased with our plan and how in the 3 years we have been with Humana they have improved each year.
     
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  4. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I just got mine today. My Martin's Point Advantage Plan costs went down from $39 to $29. Most other things stayed the same. I now have no deductible for Tier 2 prescriptions, and lower copays on Tiers 1 and 2. My emergency and urgent care copay was increased from $80 to $90. That's about it.
     
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  5. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    This morning I went on Medicare.gov and checked out all the Medicare Advantage Plans offered in our area...and there is no better one offered than the one we have been on the past 3 years. And what I don't understand is why we have better coverage and pay nothing but our Medicare part B payment to them and the other plans take the part B payment and charge a monthly premium and their coverage is not as good as ours in any area.
     
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  6. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    I have not received anything yet about my advantage plan with Care n Care.BTW, has anyone gotten their new Medicare card yet? I still
    have not received one.
     
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  7. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    We have not received our new Medicare cards yet either but I think I briefly glanced at an article in our AARP newspaper saying something about them coming next year.

    That's strange you haven't heard about any changes in your Medicare Advantage Plan yet Gloria as the time to make any changes if you need to is coming up quickly...I believe it is between Oct. 7th thru Dec.7th but I'm to tired to look the exact dates up right now. You can always go online and check on your Plan's website for information on any changes. At least we can on ours and are notified by email (which I signed up for) of the changes in our Plan.
     
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  8. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    The changes in my plan just came this morning so it should show up soon.
     
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  9. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    One of the really interesting changes that our plan is making for the new year is that they have added virtual Doctors and Counselors to our Plan. There is no copay for using this and I am patiently waiting for our Mail person to bring the information on how exactly this will work. We will be able to go online and contact a Doctor or Counselor on the plan (I'm sure) and the Doctor will even be able to send in a prescription for us if needed...probably the Counselor too.

    Dr. Phil and one of his sons started Doctor on Demand which I'm sure is a lot like this new change will be. Maybe we will never need this new addition to our plan...but it sounds really nice to just be able to go online and talk face to face with a Doctor or Counselor if needed.
     
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  10. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    Today, my visiting nurse came by and did the annual checkup visit. It lasted about a half hour, and she was very friendly. They will be sending me a gift card for having the visit. I think that it is only $15, but that is something, and I am looking forward to that.
    She also told me that they have a new program for people who have heart failure, and said I should call and get signed up. They send me a free tablet and interactive weight scales and then when I weigh, it transmits the information so they can help monitor what my heart is doing.
    I called United Health Care, and they are working on getting me signed up for this program.
    I don’t know what other insurance companies carry this program, but it would not hurt to call your customer service number and ask about the heart failure program if you have this health issue.
     
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  11. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I don't think there's any major changes in my plan...except a name change in January.

    But the manager at Curves was saying that some plans with Silver Sneakers aren't paying full price for a member...so they would have to pay half the dues for going to Curves....think she said AARP and some other ones.

    I'm okay....I think.

    I'd still go though...it's more than just a gym for me.:)
     
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  12. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I don't know if it's the same thing, but someone wanted to come by a year or so for a home health visit of some sort. It wasn't specifically for someone with heart failure because neither my wife or I have a history of that, but they offered a payment for our time. It seemed kind of strange to me and I wouldn't have agreed to it, but my wife thought it might be a good idea, or at least a free $15 or whatever, so I agreed. They called to postpone, and we never did get around to agreeing on a new date.
     
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  13. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I'd love for someone to come to my house....I wouldn't let them leave..I'd go on and on about all my imagined health issues. :)

    On second though...they might commit me :) :(
     
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  14. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I had envisioned that it was an opening for selling me something.
     
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  15. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I think that most of the advantage plans have some kind of a visiting nurse, or at least one that is on call. it is not a sales pitch at all, just a nice visit where they go over your meds, any illnesses you have, and then check BP, pulse, and stuff like that.
    You might call your customer service number, @Chrissy Cross , and ask if your plan has a visiting nurse.
    It should be a once a year visit, and it sounds like they also give you a GC for other things as well. Evelyn said she also got a GC for getting her flu shot.
    We just ordered our next $250 OTC products, and I am really liking that benefit ! Since we both get it, it is actually $500 every 3 months for the both of us. We buy lots of vitamins and supplements, so getting them free is just awesome .
     
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