Social Security Deluge
March 5, 2016 9:28 PM Subscribe
My wife is turning 65 in a couple of months,, and is receiving a deluge of offers and advertisements for private companies offering drug plans, part D coverage, supplemental coverage, part B coverage, etc, etc, etc, etc. On a daily basis.
It's overwhelming. How in the hell is anyone supposed to make sense of this shit and make an informed decision?
I meant to say the counseling is free. My above phrasing is a little awkward.
posted by cairnoflore at 12:15 AM on March 6, 2016
posted by cairnoflore at 12:15 AM on March 6, 2016
I went through something similar. I read up on the basics but was overwhelmed by the choices. So I just got a good broker to help me decide what to select. (I asked professional colleagues for broker recommendations.) I'd recommend my broker, except I'm in California and you're not.
Signing up for Medicare Part A and the optional Part B was easy, but my broker helped me pick a Part D plan for prescription medicines and a Medigap plan. (You may or may not want those coverages.) What she recommended made a lot of sense to me, and she even filled out the forms for me while we were on the phone. I just had to email back a signature page to her.
posted by jeri at 3:11 AM on March 6, 2016
Signing up for Medicare Part A and the optional Part B was easy, but my broker helped me pick a Part D plan for prescription medicines and a Medigap plan. (You may or may not want those coverages.) What she recommended made a lot of sense to me, and she even filled out the forms for me while we were on the phone. I just had to email back a signature page to her.
posted by jeri at 3:11 AM on March 6, 2016
IIRC the Medicare & You booklet was actually pretty handy when I was helping a relative sign up a couple of years ago. On specific topics you can search AARP.org and they often have fairly thorough articles.
posted by Sockpuppet Liberation Front at 3:31 AM on March 6, 2016
posted by Sockpuppet Liberation Front at 3:31 AM on March 6, 2016
It's junk mail. Advertising. I trashed it unopened. You'll get more every year during open season.
Do your own research from, and with, sources that aren't trying to sell you insurance.
I signed up for Part A and Part B. I kept my existing health coverage -- what had been primary -- as my secondary.
posted by justcorbly at 4:06 AM on March 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
Do your own research from, and with, sources that aren't trying to sell you insurance.
I signed up for Part A and Part B. I kept my existing health coverage -- what had been primary -- as my secondary.
posted by justcorbly at 4:06 AM on March 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
You can also call Medicare and they'll hold your hand through the whole process. They went prescription by prescription to tell me what Rx plan was best. They'll do it with Drs too. It's great.
posted by crankyrogalsky at 5:09 AM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by crankyrogalsky at 5:09 AM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is what I did last year:
-First I narrowed it down to the Medicare Health Plans that included a free membership to the gym/pool that I was already using, which save me $65/month. (Silver Sneakers is the name of that benefit here.)
-Then I looked at the 5 plans left to see which ones included my primary care physician, her hospital, and the couple of specialists she's had me see.
-I was down to two and chose one based on recommendations from friends.
I pay $47./month on top of the 121+/month Medicare cost. It's been way better than what I was getting at work as the employee of an adjacent state. I did keep the dental coverage from work.
On the other hand, a good friend my age who, unlike me, has some chronic health issues and considerably more assets chose a Medicare Supplement plan that covers all sorts of stuff above and beyond what I hope to need in the next few years. I think she pays a total of around 400/mth, which is still a good deal.
posted by mareli at 6:44 AM on March 6, 2016
-First I narrowed it down to the Medicare Health Plans that included a free membership to the gym/pool that I was already using, which save me $65/month. (Silver Sneakers is the name of that benefit here.)
-Then I looked at the 5 plans left to see which ones included my primary care physician, her hospital, and the couple of specialists she's had me see.
-I was down to two and chose one based on recommendations from friends.
I pay $47./month on top of the 121+/month Medicare cost. It's been way better than what I was getting at work as the employee of an adjacent state. I did keep the dental coverage from work.
On the other hand, a good friend my age who, unlike me, has some chronic health issues and considerably more assets chose a Medicare Supplement plan that covers all sorts of stuff above and beyond what I hope to need in the next few years. I think she pays a total of around 400/mth, which is still a good deal.
posted by mareli at 6:44 AM on March 6, 2016
Medicare's website has a personalized plan search where you plug in your info and get info about different plans in your area, what costs would be based on what meds you're taking, etc.
posted by taupe at 8:00 AM on March 6, 2016
posted by taupe at 8:00 AM on March 6, 2016
All states have the free Medicare counseling cairnoflore mentions - in California where I am, it's call HICAP. Here's a list of the contact information for the program in each state. I'd probably start there
posted by insectosaurus at 8:43 AM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by insectosaurus at 8:43 AM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
The book, Medicare for Dummies, by Patricia Barry, is a comprehensive outline of the intricacies of the various Medicare parts. It won't necessarily help you pick the right plan, however. But it's somewhere to start so you'll know what all the various options are, and what the requirements are.
The good news is, if you make a bad pick, you can change your mind a year later at the next open enrollment period (every Fall.)
The only really important thing to not screw up is to make sure you sign up for some kind of Part D plan for prescription coverage. If you don't sign up for this within the 3 month time limit, you will be forever screwed with higher costs when you do sign up later on.
posted by qurlyjoe at 2:29 PM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
The good news is, if you make a bad pick, you can change your mind a year later at the next open enrollment period (every Fall.)
The only really important thing to not screw up is to make sure you sign up for some kind of Part D plan for prescription coverage. If you don't sign up for this within the 3 month time limit, you will be forever screwed with higher costs when you do sign up later on.
posted by qurlyjoe at 2:29 PM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
It is very overwhelming even for people who are usually pretty savvy. I highly recommend the counseling service.
posted by cairnoflore at 11:40 PM on March 5, 2016