Medicare Advantage Plans

Yvonne Smith

Yvonne Smith

Greeter
Staff member
We have had Devoted Health for the last couple of years, but were going to change back to Humana this year, because the vision benefit for glasses was better with Humana in 2026.
However, we ended up staying with Devoted because the requirements were different for the Humana plan.

Overall, we really like everything about Devoted.
You can call or text them anytime and get an answer right away, and the people are regular Americans (not Hindee) and they know the answers , or will get them for you.

Since they are still fairly new here in Alabama, some doctors do not take Devoted insurance yet, and we have tried several doctors, but are not satisfied with any we have tried, and getting downtown for appointments is always a pain.
Anyway, this year Devoted has a new thing where you can use their Virtual Primary Care, so Bobby and I just signed up for that and have an appointment for this Friday.

We seldom get sick, so mostly we just go every 3-6 months and have lab work done, anyway.
I asked about that, and they do it as needed, they just send you to a local place, like LabCorp, and do the labs, just about like the regular doctors here did. They do them according to each patient, so some people might have labs more often than other people, just depending on their health and medical needs.

If we did get really sick, then we can just go to urgent care, if that is warranted, but unless we are so sick we have to go to the hospital, we probably won’t be going there, either.
Everything will be done from home, so no driving anywhere, which means we don’t have to worry about traffic, bad weather, or any of that stuff, and no sitting in the waiting room for an hour , waiting for the doctor.

This is a new thing for us, but I think that it should work out good. If not, we can always change back over and find a doctor here again.
 
Yvonne Smith said:
We have had Devoted Health for the last couple of years, but were going to change back to Humana this year, because the vision benefit for glasses was better with Humana in 2026.
However, we ended up staying with Devoted because the requirements were different for the Humana plan.

Overall, we really like everything about Devoted.
You can call or text them anytime and get an answer right away, and the people are regular Americans (not Hindee) and they know the answers , or will get them for you.

Since they are still fairly new here in Alabama, some doctors do not take Devoted insurance yet, and we have tried several doctors, but are not satisfied with any we have tried, and getting downtown for appointments is always a pain.
Anyway, this year Devoted has a new thing where you can use their Virtual Primary Care, so Bobby and I just signed up for that and have an appointment for this Friday.

We seldom get sick, so mostly we just go every 3-6 months and have lab work done, anyway.
I asked about that, and they do it as needed, they just send you to a local place, like LabCorp, and do the labs, just about like the regular doctors here did. They do them according to each patient, so some people might have labs more often than other people, just depending on their health and medical needs.

If we did get really sick, then we can just go to urgent care, if that is warranted, but unless we are so sick we have to go to the hospital, we probably won’t be going there, either.
Everything will be done from home, so no driving anywhere, which means we don’t have to worry about traffic, bad weather, or any of that stuff, and no sitting in the waiting room for an hour , waiting for the doctor.

This is a new thing for us, but I think that it should work out good. If not, we can always change back over and find a doctor here again.
Click to expand...
I am glad you are happy with your plan @Yvonne Smith.
 
This morning Bobby had his initial visit with the Devoted Health doctor to finish setting up for their primary care , and I listened in. (Mine is re-scheduled for next Friday).
I am really impressed, and so is Bobby !

This lady nurse practitioner was very thorough with the questions, and listened to all of Bobby’s answers. She is adjusting his BP meds to one that should work better for him, so he is happy about that, and trying the new medication.
Because Bobby smokes cigarettes, they are scheduling him for a lung exam, which is a good thing.

Overall, it seems like Devoted Health really cares about the people who use this insurance, and you can message them anytime and get a real human to message you back , or you can call if you prefer that, and they will find the answer to your question.

Everytime we went to see our PCP, it would cost at least $200, just to have him schedule our lab tests. By using the Devoted doctors, it also saves the insurance company that money, because they just pay their own doctors; but we get a much longer doctor visit, and one that is focused on what needs we have at that time.
We even get a gift card that can be used for fuel or groceries for using the devoted PCP, and can do the visit right from home.
 
Medicare Advantage plans are not available where I live. The only plans we have, take advantage of our ruralness and anti big city ways. My cost for my Medicare secondary for B, goes up every year and has doubled since I first got it at 66. Part D plans are worthless for anyone that spends less than $5000 out of pocket. I go for the free one, since the last one I had cost $85 a month and didn't kick in until I had spent $5000. I bought my few drugs on a store discount card and got them about 1/3 the cost.
 
Axel Slingerland said:
When that lady at the SSA office said that she thinks that Advantage Plans are a scam, I have steered clear of them. Maybe it's just part of the Horrible things I always hear about living in California, but I don't need them.
Click to expand...
I hear that sometimes, too, that an advantage plan is a scam.
It is always from someone who has never even had an advantage plan, let alone been scammed by one. The people who actually have an advantage plan will almost always write and say how much they love their advantage plan.

I really like it because it offers so much more than just plain Medicare offered me.
With my plan, I have a free fitness membership, I get gift cards for basic medical screening tests, like bone density, cancer screening, and stuff like that.
Medicare covers eye exams for glaucoma or other eye diseases, but the advantage plan also gives me an annual allowance for vision, hearing, and dental that will cover getting new glasses if I need them.

We also have a fitness health benefit of $150 annually from Devoted that can be used for any kind of a health fitness item or device. This is how I got my Vibration Plate for no charge. You can also get things like a fitness tracker watch, or other exercise equipment, or even take a class and it is paid for up to the $150 limit.

Because I have a-fib and heart failure (from that bad car accident many years ago, and my heart is trashed), I have had several heart operations for ablations, and re-starting my heart, and then a pacemaker. None of that is cheap, and ALL of it has been covered with my advantage plan, along with the expensive heart medications that go along with it.

So, while an advantage plan might not work for everyone’s needs, it has worked for me, and much better than when I just had the basic Medicare.
 
Faye Fox said:
Medicare Advantage plans are not available where I live. The only plans we have, take advantage of our ruralness and anti big city ways. My cost for my Medicare secondary for B, goes up every year and has doubled since I first got it at 66. Part D plans are worthless for anyone that spends less than $5000 out of pocket. I go for the free one, since the last one I had cost $85 a month and didn't kick in until I had spent $5000. I bought my few drugs on a store discount card and got them about 1/3 the cost.
Click to expand...
Devoted health IS available in some counties in Oregon, @Faye Fox. It is in these counties, as follows: Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, and Washington Counties.
So if you are in one of those counties, you should be able to have a plan with Devoted. I think that all states have advantage plans, but you have to check to see which plans are available in each county. Even if it is not in your county yet, it will probably expand to more counties before long.

An advantage plan like ours would be helpful to a lot of people who don’t live close to a doctor, or just have trouble making the trip to get to a doctor’s office.
I remember our insurance agent said that people have to ask about an advantage plan before they are allowed to talk about one, so maybe that is true in Oregon as well, and you just need to ask about it or look online to see what plans are available with what companies in your area.
 
Axel Slingerland said:
Ok, ya got me there. I never had one, and thus have never been scammed by you. I was just considering the source. But I still don't need one. 🙂
Click to expand...
I don't know how but advantage plans are paid for by the government and you can get them with no monthly fees. Hubby is with Humana. But you need a good agent to explain what each of the programs offer. A lot of confusion with changes last year. The TV commercials about free everything look like scams to me to get you to call. Hubby wanted dental included but then they took away the drug coverage offering with that.
But after his two and a half month daily experience I thought we would be in financial trouble. With the Advantage plan there is a maximum out of pocket and it is not too bad.
Google advantage plans. Don't get sold one. Sign up for what you want with a good local agent. Shop around. I found one in small print in the phone book.
 
Mary Stetler said:
I don't know how but advantage plans are paid for by the government and you can get them with no monthly fees. Hubby is with Humana. But you need a good agent to explain what each of the programs offer. A lot of confusion with changes last year. The TV commercials about free everything look like scams to me to get you to call. Hubby wanted dental included but then they took away the drug coverage offering with that.
But after his two and a half month daily experience I thought we would be in financial trouble. With the Advantage plan there is a maximum out of pocket and it is not too bad.
Google advantage plans. Don't get sold one. Sign up for what you want with a good local agent. Shop around. I found one in small print in the phone book.
Click to expand...
I agree about having a good agent. We have had the same agent for over 10 years, and he goes over plans with us each fall. The Medicare insurance companies always have information online about their plans, so it is pretty easy to check out plans yourself also.
We have used Humana, UHC, and Devoted, and they all have pretty similar plans for us.

When you go to the website, for example, Humana, then they ask for your location, and then information about your health to see what plans you qualify for. If you have a chronic illness like diabetes, heart failure, or something similar, they have special needs plans, as well as plans for people who also have Medicaid along with Medicare.

Once they know what plans you qualify for, you can read through those plans and see what they offer. Usually, I do this and then Bobby and I talk it over and see which company has the plans that works best for us.
That way, when we speak with Jassen, we already have an idea which plan we want, but he can give us more information if there is something I missed when checking plans online.

I think that March is the last month that you can change your advantage plan for this year, unless you move or have health changes.
 
Last edited:
I think the Advantage plans and associated costs go by state, area and zip code. I think the "free" Advantage plans are determined by zip code and income. Here they mostly work in the cities as @faye found out. I would try them if I had to do so, but I am happy with what I have, and we have no co-pay when associated with Medicare A & B. I am pretty much covered by the VA, and have no co-pay with them either if they can figure out how to bill insurance.
 
Mary Stetler said:
I don't know how but advantage plans are paid for by the government and you can get them with no monthly fees.
Click to expand...
Google says:

Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) are primarily funded by the federal government through Medicare. However, if you are "dual eligible" (qualify for both), Medicaid acts as a secondary payer, covering premiums, copays, and deductibles that the Advantage plan does not cover."
Click to expand...
And if that is correct, I am "dual eligible", as I have no copays for anything except for part of Medicare Part D drugs. Some OTC stuff is covered here, but was not in Eureka. For all of my meds, I pay about $150 a year. I also have no Part A Deductible, for Procedures and Hospital Stays.
 
Given that I am taking only Levothyroxine and usually go through the year with only the annual doctor visit and blood tests, I could probably get by fine without an Advantage Plan, but it doesn't cost me anything, and I don't have any copays. Plus, it's nice to have when I do have other things going on. My wife is taking a few medications, and she sees the doctor every time she breaks a nail (exaggeration alert), so she probably gets more from her Advantage Plan than I do. For the last couple of years, we have each received a debit card linked to our Advantage Plan that can be used for OTC drugs, groceries, and other items. Last year, it was $80/month, although it dropped to $70/month this year.
 
I thought that Advantage plans were sort of like HMOs in that they have their own doctors, so your choices may be more limited that a regular supplemental plan. But that might just be Virginia...or even just my region. Or maybe there are fewer doctors who accept them.

A broker told me that if you are on a regular supplemental program and have a chronic condition, another supplemental insurance company will not take you as a customer because of the preexisting condition (meaning you are stuck with the insurance company you have), but you can go to an Advantage Plan.
 
John Brunner said:
I thought that Advantage plans were sort of like HMOs in that they have their own doctors, so your choices may be more limited that a regular supplemental plan. But that might just be Virginia...or even just my region. Or maybe there are fewer doctors who accept them.
Click to expand...
Theoretically, a medical facility has to accept the Advantage Plan, so not every medical provider will be on the plan. I don't know if it's different in other places but here, I've never come across a provider who wasn't on whatever Advantage Plan I had. There may be some lesser-known or smaller Advantage plans that aren't widely accepted, though.
 
Ken Anderson said:
Theoretically, a medical facility has to accept the Advantage Plan, so not every medical provider will be on the plan. I don't know if it's different in other places but here, I've never come across a provider who wasn't on whatever Advantage Plan I had. There may be some lesser-known or smaller Advantage plans that aren't widely accepted, though.
Click to expand...

I've only spoken with a broker once to re-shop supplemental plans, and that was maybe 3 years ago. (He's the one who told me that you can't change supplemental plans if you have a chronic condition.) He made that comment about Advantage Plans, and followed it up with "But I don't know of any doctors around here who won't accept them."

I had no real motive to change my existing carrier other than to make sure I had a plan that wasn't out of line with what's available.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top