Help me keep my ride going
October 12, 2010 5:17 PM   Subscribe

Help me to not pluck my eyes out in my effort to find suitable Medigap insurance.

Yes, it is me, the wheeled one, and I need extra insurance for one thing and one thing only: To get a new wheelchair. My old wheelchair is okay except for things here and there that cost $100 to replace, at a min. Current insurer (Medicare HMO) won't fix the old wheelchair because they fear that I might be running a black market wheelchair operation on the side (not a joke).

So, I need to go back to original Medicare and get a Medigap plan. This I know. But which one?

I've been stabbing at the internet for hours trying to find some easy to use comparison between Medigap plans, and although I've managed to know that I should be on Plan F. But how do I evaluate companies?

Looking from answers ranging from (here's where you can call) to (rethink the whole eye plucking thing because that never goes well).
posted by angrycat to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)
 
I don't know if insurance brokers also handle Medicap policies, but if they do, a good health insurance broker could probably help you pick a plan. Ask your self-employed and small businessowner friends (basically, anyone who has had to shop for health insurance) if they have a broker they like. And by broker I mean someone who sells policies from several different companies, not someone who is just an agent for a particular company.
posted by Jacqueline at 5:46 PM on October 12, 2010


If your Medicare HMO has a drug plan, you can choose to go back to Original Medicare + a drug plan as of November 15th, during the annual election period.

Not addressed in the question but important info nonetheless.
posted by saveyoursanity at 7:14 PM on October 12, 2010


Best answer: I imagine you've already explored the Medigap Policy Search. This will show which insurers offer Medigap Plan F in your area, but tells you next to nothing about the insurers.

You might want to talk with your medical equipment supplier about which Medigap plans they see working well, and which ones to avoid. You can ask the same question of your primary care physician.

(But don't pluck the eyes out - they'll find some excuse not to cover it.)
posted by Snerd at 8:37 PM on October 12, 2010


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