Medicare Options

UncleBuddy
UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

My brother will be eligible for medicare on December 1st. I was told he should add part D and get a supplemental plan to help with the cost of chemo and all the other issues with cancer. He lives in Dutchess Count NY. Do any of you have any suggestions on good plans for part D and good supplemental plans? He is only 49, so he is not eligible for AARP. I am helping him with all of this and thought it best to ask all of you since you're probably dealing with this yourself. Looking at all the different options has my head spinning. Thank you in advance for your help.

Comments

  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #2
    Medicare

    While my plans are assoicated with AARP, you might be able to check with UnitedHealthCare Insurance Co. which is the actual insurer.

    There are several different levels of supplemental plans you can get depending on how extensive the coverage you want.  I got the Plan F which covers the Medicare A & B deductibles and the 20% co-pay.  In effect, for an Medicare covered service or supplies, I pay nothing...except for the monthly premium for Medicare and the supplemental.

    As far as the Part D is concerned, that is a tough one.  You really need a list of the meds and then interview the insurers about which plan to get.  They have a "formulary" with tiers which dictates how much is paid for each med.  I also have mine thru the same company.

    See if you can get the Medicare & You 2014 book for his area.  Mine came recently and lists in the back the providers available and their satisfaction ratings, premiums, etc.  for both supplemental and drug.

    Hope this helps,

    Marie who loves kitties

  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #3
    HI

    Confusing is right!  I just signed up for the first time and my coverage started October 1st.  I was so confused reading through all the information it  made my head spin and I ended up throwing it in a pile.  Very hard to figure some of the stuff out.  In the end I went with Blue Cross/Blue Shield Preferred (which is their Advantage program but they call it Preferred).  There are four levels of that depending on what you want.  I went with Signature.  It seems to cover just about everything I may need.  I checked with a few friends and they also went with the Blue Cross program and they are very satisfied.  I may have some out of pocket but it is something I can handle.  The Blue Cross web site for Medicare supplements is easy to read and understand.  Hope this helps.

    Tina

  • UncleBuddy
    UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
    #4
    geotina said:

    HI

    Confusing is right!  I just signed up for the first time and my coverage started October 1st.  I was so confused reading through all the information it  made my head spin and I ended up throwing it in a pile.  Very hard to figure some of the stuff out.  In the end I went with Blue Cross/Blue Shield Preferred (which is their Advantage program but they call it Preferred).  There are four levels of that depending on what you want.  I went with Signature.  It seems to cover just about everything I may need.  I checked with a few friends and they also went with the Blue Cross program and they are very satisfied.  I may have some out of pocket but it is something I can handle.  The Blue Cross web site for Medicare supplements is easy to read and understand.  Hope this helps.

    Tina

    Thanks!

    After several phone calls and sifting through all the plans, we went with the supplemental part f with Aetna and part d for drugs. He has regular medicare. There were only 2 drug plans to choose from and the supplemental plan I wanted to make sure had all his doctors included. I think it should work out for him. I called his oncologist's office and asked one of the nurses who I've gotten very close to. She told me that this should be a good plan for him. Keep your fingers crossed. Thanks for all your help! :)

  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #5
    UncleBuddy said:

    Thanks!

    After several phone calls and sifting through all the plans, we went with the supplemental part f with Aetna and part d for drugs. He has regular medicare. There were only 2 drug plans to choose from and the supplemental plan I wanted to make sure had all his doctors included. I think it should work out for him. I called his oncologist's office and asked one of the nurses who I've gotten very close to. She told me that this should be a good plan for him. Keep your fingers crossed. Thanks for all your help! :)

    Glad you found help

    Just an FYI in case you need to add any doctors in the future, any doctor who takes medicare will also take the supplemental plan...they go hand in hand.

    I have to order ostomy supplies quarterly and have also had a few reg. doc visits thru the year, and I find it very comforting to be able to do so and know there will be no additional bills to pay. 

    Best wishes to yu and your brother.  He is very lucky to have you watching out for him

    Marie who loves kitties

  • UncleBuddy
    UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
    #6
    Lovekitties said:

    Glad you found help

    Just an FYI in case you need to add any doctors in the future, any doctor who takes medicare will also take the supplemental plan...they go hand in hand.

    I have to order ostomy supplies quarterly and have also had a few reg. doc visits thru the year, and I find it very comforting to be able to do so and know there will be no additional bills to pay. 

    Best wishes to yu and your brother.  He is very lucky to have you watching out for him

    Marie who loves kitties

    Thank you Marie!

    I'm glad we finally made a decision. I found it all so grueling to sift through all the information. My brother is intellectually disabled, so there is no way he could do this alone. Thank you for your kindness, but my brother is my hero. He has a smile on his face through all of this. He is a fighter and I know he will continue the fight until he can't anymore. His group of doctors have been so supportive. His medicare kicks in in a couple of months, but for the past few months he has been on temporary insurance that I got for him. I guess I didn't do a very good job researching it because the insurance he has now covers very little (although he is paying through the nose). His medical group has worked with the hospital to get him chemo as a charity case and his group is not charging him fees until he gets better insurance. He had surgery to put in the port and we were told don't worry about it, we will figure this out. let's just get his chemo started and we can figure it out later. I am impressed by the kindness and caring of his doctors. 

    My brother had had a temporary ostomy for several months after his anterior resection. he had so many problems with it because he was unable to care for it on his own. he remained in the hospital until it was reversed. It was such a blessing that he was able to have it reversed because I think if it remained in, we would have had to do something for him because he couldn't deal with it on his own. I'm glad that your insurance is not a hassle. I think it will make it easier for all of us not having to worry about deductibles and co-payments.

    Again, thanks for your help. I can take a deep breath until all the paperwork gets here. :)

    Lin

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