My Supplemental Insurance Just Went Up

My annual notice of change from Excellus BCBS said my current monthly premium would drop $9.00 next year.

I’m seriously thinking of going back to the zero monthly premium next year. It seems that no matter which advantage plan I choose the annual out of pocket is about the same.

This year I also signed up for a free NYS sponsored supplement called EPIC to help with increased drug charges when I hit the Medicare donut hole.

All we can do is take some time each year to select the plan that best suits us for the coming year.
 
I don't like surprises, especially of the medical type.
I've got a zero monthly advantage plan with Blue Cross, and think I'll just continue to stick with it next year. It has worked out okay so far.
 
Don M. said:
Health insurance premium increases will be yet another "side effect" of this virus. As more and more people continue to get sick, insurance companies will certainly be raising their premiums. Our plans should be releasing the 2022 rates in mid-Oct., and I'm anticipating a rise in costs.
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I suppose COVID deniers will be screaming about the idea that all of this "hype" about the virus has been a conspiracy perpetrated by the insurance companies so that they can raise their rates. :(
 
Supplements fall in to three pricing structures .

The simplest rating system is community-rated, which means the same monthly premium is charged to everyone who has the same Medigap policy. This means your premium will not be based on your age but could go up because of inflation.

Issue-age-rated has a premium structure in which your monthly premium is based on the age you are when you buy the Medicare Supplement plan. In this case, premiums will be lower for people who buy at a younger age. For example, if you bought a Medigap policy at age 65, your premium could be $200, but if you bought the same plan at 80, that policy might cost $300.

The final pricing structure is attained-age-rated, in which the monthly premium is based on your current age every year. In other words, your premium will renew every year and increase as you continue to get older. For example, you may have started paying $150 per month for your Medigap policy at age 65, but by the time you are 75, you could be paying $175 per month.

As you can see, differences in pricing structure can vastly change the amount you will pay for Medigap coverage during your lifetime. It is for this reason that comparing the same letter plan across multiple companies is vital .

however which plan or plans are available in your state can be set by your state
 
there can be a big difference in treatment paths allowed between govt medicare and a for profit insurer .

the insurer knows they have you over a barrel ... while they are supposed to cover what medicare does , the fact is you dont have govt medicare .

you can never say in your individual case what medicare would have done and the insurers know that . so they get to say yes or no to treatment paths
 
mathjak107 said:
if it works for you great .

as long as I can afford govt medicare and medigap I would never have an advantage plan and a for profit insurer as my gate keeper
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Ditto, Mthjak. I've always refused HMO's and that's what Advantage plans are.

I got AARP Medigap when I turned 65. It was the least expensive by far and I have their most expensive plan. It goes up a couple of dollars a month every year.
 
i didnt mind the hmo structure when i was young and working and rarely saw a doctor . but as a senior it can be a whole other world .

i have seen first hand with advantage plans not only how exposed you can be financially if things do not go according to your plan , but i have seen them deny treatment l procedures that govt medicare always approves . yet they were denied by the gate keepers and there is no way to prove what medicare would have done in your specific case since you dont have govt medicare
 
mathjak107 said:
i didnt mind the hmo structure when i was young and working and rarely saw a doctor . but as a senior it can be a whole other world .

i have seen first hand with advantage plans not only how exposed you can be financially if things do not go according to your plan , but i have seen them deny treatment l procedures that govt medicare always approves . yet they were denied by the gate keepers and there is no way to prove what medicare would have done in your specific case since you dont have govt medicare
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Yup! I'm in charge of my medical care. I go to whatever doctors I want, whatever labs I want, whatever hospitals I want; and I just go straight to specialists unless it's the specialist who requires a referral as, for instance, most neurologists in my area do. If that's the case, I just call my internist and ask him to send whatever's necessary. Then, again, my internist knows that I know what I'm talking about.
 
That's why Advantage plans are called "managed care"...they are managing your care, not medicare. Our insurance agent won't write an advantage care policy even though his commission is many times higher than for a regular medigap policy, They almost killed his mother.
 
My plan is not a HMO. I have many many doctors to choose from. My family doctor and the 2 specialists I see are on the plan. I am amazed at the number of doctors I have to choose from. My plan works for me. I just spent the weekend in the ER from an accident at home and all i had to pay was a $90.00 copay.
 
terry123 said:
My plan is not a HMO. I have many many doctors to choose from. My family doctor and the 2 specialists I see are on the plan. I am amazed at the number of doctors I have to choose from. My plan works for me. I just spent the weekend in the ER from an accident at home and all i had to pay was a $90.00 copay.
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What Humana plan do you have, Terry? If you're on Medicare, from what I can see, all they have is Advantage and stand-alone dental and drug plans. Besides, to my understanding, Medicare has only "Original Medicare" and "Part C -- Advantage Plans." Advantage plans are HMO's. You have to use the doctors on the list and, generally (if not always), you need referrals from a primary care physician to see specialists. Where have I gone wrong about this?
 
I'm satisfied with my Highmark Medicare plan. My monthly premium is dropping $10. Will cost me $25. No co-pay for a primary care visit. $25 for a specialist. I pay mostly zero dollars for prescriptions, except for one which is $7 per month. Also have eye, dental & hearing coverage.
 
Regardless of how a company rates its Medigap plans (issue-aged, community, or attained-age), they all have rate increases every year. This is typically based on the anniversary of your policy, not based on the calendar year. So each year you can expect a rate increase letter to arrive about 30-45 days prior to your anniversary. You have absolutely nothing to lose by applying with a different company to try to lower your rate (You will have to answer medical questions, so at least you'll know if you have a shot or before you submit an application). Also, I highly suggest you look at Medicare Plan N, it has great coverage and lower premiums than Plan G and especially Plan F. And it has far lower rate increases each year.
 
mathjak107 said:
Our Humana high deductible f plan in ny has not gone up in 5 years all that has gone up is the deductible as the Medicare deductibles go up.

however our part d is going down 20 a month
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That's fantastic! HDF and HDG are definitely the exceptions, even they often have small increases. Claims are so low on those that they remain stable. Great plans!
 
Oh, yeah , we pay 91 a month and it includes silver sneakers so half that is covering our gym .

while we have a high deductible F- plan , my wife and I both were hospitalized for two weeks with covid …
Our bills were 250k , but all copays and deductibles were absorbed by Humana if covid related .

we were non icu too
 
I have Kaiser-Permanente. It costs me nothing. Want more coverage? It costs a few dollars with very little change in out-of-pocket costs.
 


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