Medicare, Medigap & RX, and Advantage

[Owen Densmore]

The Medicare enrollment period is approaching and I wanted to ask some old farts about how they are handling medical insurance. Young farts can delete!

Two years ago I got dis-enrolled from Medicare indirectly because due to travel, I missed a Medigap payment, thus rendering Medicare less useful and more dangerous due to the reduced coverage.  Medigap providers could (and did) refuse me coverage due to back problems.

So I enrolled in Presby's Medicare Advantage PPO plan last year.  It was less expensive in terms of monthly payments, but much more expensive in terms of drug and procedure copays.

So I'm looking into returning to "Original Medicare" plus Medigap plus an RX plan (Medicare++) as I originally had.  Note: I was told before that I could not return, but this year's Medicare & You booklet tells me I can, by simply buying a RX plan, which automatically causes me to be dropped from Advantage and returns me to Original Medicare.

BUT a lot has changed lately, especially with Medicare and the Obama health plan.  I'm not sure if I'd be better off with Medicare++ or stick with my Presby/Medicare Advantage.

So I'm interested in your approach.  Do you use Medicare?  With Medigap/RX plans? Or do you prefer Advantage? Do you see changes we need to be aware of?

    -- Owen



============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

[Nick Thompson]

I am probably going to stick with the evil thieves at United Health Care.
(Vanilla Medicare plus a drug plan.)   But my thinking is strange:  I don't
know the value of any of these plans, but I do know the value of my own time
and I am damned if I am going to spend it playing their stupid shadow-work
games.  

But if anybody knows anything different they should probably come and put
their arm around my shoulders if only for Penny's sake.

Time to pull down the icons and get the damn money lenders out of the
temple.

And it is only going to get worse.

Nick



-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf
Of Owen Densmore
Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 12:24 PM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
Subject: [FRIAM] Medicare, Medigap & RX, and Advantage

The Medicare enrollment period is approaching and I wanted to ask some old
farts about how they are handling medical insurance. Young farts can delete!

Two years ago I got dis-enrolled from Medicare indirectly because due to
travel, I missed a Medigap payment, thus rendering Medicare less useful and
more dangerous due to the reduced coverage.  Medigap providers could (and
did) refuse me coverage due to back problems.

So I enrolled in Presby's Medicare Advantage PPO plan last year.  It was
less expensive in terms of monthly payments, but much more expensive in
terms of drug and procedure copays.

So I'm looking into returning to "Original Medicare" plus Medigap plus an RX
plan (Medicare++) as I originally had.  Note: I was told before that I could
not return, but this year's Medicare & You booklet tells me I can, by simply
buying a RX plan, which automatically causes me to be dropped from Advantage
and returns me to Original Medicare.

BUT a lot has changed lately, especially with Medicare and the Obama health
plan.  I'm not sure if I'd be better off with Medicare++ or stick with my
Presby/Medicare Advantage.

So I'm interested in your approach.  Do you use Medicare?  With Medigap/RX
plans? Or do you prefer Advantage? Do you see changes we need to be aware
of?

    -- Owen



============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives,
unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org


============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org