Best Medigap supplement if newly diagnosed .

Ben25
Ben25 Member Posts: 3

I was diagnosed with PCa 4 years ago, have been watching and waiting since.

 

I recently had a colonoscopy at the VA and 5 cancerous polyops were found...

 

I decided to sign up for medicare this year in addition to the VA so I am in my Medicare Supplemnt open enrollment period from July 1 2018-Jan 1 2019. I signed up for the cheapest plan N I could find thinking that was most cost effective. Now I'm thinking it might be a good idea to switch to a plan G as there are likely to be some signifigant costs coming up if I want to go outside of the VA.

 

So I'm wondering if anyone has recomendations on any good medigap companies...

Comments

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    Insurances are not there to pay. Choose the one that covers all

    I recommend you to get the best. Treatments for prostate cancer are heavy. Surely consultations, tests and exams should be covered. These will be playing along the many years while you live. Treating cancer is not like tearting a cold. Think about costs rounding the $ 50,000 just for the prostate cancer and add another quantity for the colon issue.

    Good luck for your journey.

    VG

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,339 Member
    Confirm

    Get the best, most inclusive coverage. For me medicare pays 80% and my supplement pays 20%. The name of the supplemental insurance changes by geographic area. I have Blue cross. I can go to any doctor in the United States that medicare and blue cross covers. There is a diffference in medical care, and results depending on coverage.

  • RobLee
    RobLee Member Posts: 269 Member
    Supplemental plan G

    Plan G is the most popular medicare supplemental insurance.  I've never had to pay for anything beyond the ~$180/yr deductable. Prices vary slightly by company but remain competitive so shop around. Pemium rates will vary by your zip code. Choose a good company, like Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare. Generally you will get the best deal by going thru a broker, and they do receive a one time commission but they can give you the best quotes. They CAN refuse to cover pre-existing conditions for a short period but as you have existing coverage thru the VA I do not believe that will be a problem. Be sure to avoid ANYTHING that qualifies as a "plan C" or medicare advantage plan. These are HMO's promoted by insurance companies and are heavily advertised using flashy sounding names but will severely limit your coverage. Traditional A and B plus medigap supplemental is the best route. Most vets do well skipping part D Rx coverage and get their meds thru the VA.

  • Je501
    Je501 Member Posts: 1
    edited March 2018 #5

    Research insurance companies and how your State handles Medicare Supplement insurance. We had Plan G for 8 years and our provider was raising our premiums several times a year. I called another provider for a quote and was informed that the policy of our current provider allowed them to raise premiums 3 times a year. The policy of the one I had called only allowed them to raise rates once a year. While Plan G paid all our claims except the $183 Medical deduction, I was paying for coverage that was not necessary in the State of Ohio. Ohio does not allow "excess charges" to be billed...the difference between what provider charges and what Medicare allows (Plan G pays for this). So we were paying a premium for something the insurance company was not going to have to pay anyway. I switched providers, enrolled in Plan N, and saved $200 a month. Since we switched my husband has been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in December. So far he has had a Primary care office visit, 2 urologist visits, biopsy, CT and bone scans, lab tests....and we have only paid $183 deductible and a $20 office call. The only thing our Plan N does not cover is out of country medical. Check the Medicare rules for your State (I found a comparison chart online on our State Website.)

  • Ben25
    Ben25 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the replies. I

    Thanks for the replies. I have been with USAA since they opened up their membership to Vets I have my auto and home insurance with them and have been very happy with thier hassle free service. They have a plan N avaiable in my state for about the same price as the lowest cost plan G from company's I've been quoted that Im unfamiliar with. I figure after my open enrollment period is up I'm going to be stuck with who ever I choose forever so it might make sense to just switch to USAA and be done with it...

  • RobLee
    RobLee Member Posts: 269 Member
    Coincidentally...

    I live in Ohio and bought my plan G suppemental from Aetna for $130/month.  In Ohio the state website is OSHIP.gov, but every state should have a SHIP website.They have paid for everything... surgeries, chemo, radiation. Also I am a veteran and have USAA for our auto insurance.

  • Ben25
    Ben25 Member Posts: 3
    Aetna

    I decided to check out the Aetna site.... it turns out it is the same site that USAA uses for thier Medigap plans...Surprised funny thing is that I was not able to access any Medigap plans only Advantage plans.

    USAA only offers A, F and N in my state and apparently they are administered by Aetna...kind of gives me confidence to just go with USAA as I was thinking

  • RobLee
    RobLee Member Posts: 269 Member
    Supplemental plans F & G

    As I recall, plan F is the same coverage as plan G except the premium is slightly higher and there is no annual deductable.  As the plan G deductable is around $180/yr (or $15/mo) if the plan F premium is no greater than than $15/mo more than the plan G then go with plan F.

    My medicare advisor informed me that medicare plans to plase out plan F, but once you're in you'd probably be grandfathered in.  The biggest disadvatage with the advantage plans is if you ever need to switch over to a supplemental, say to go out of network to go to a specialty cancer center, then you would be subject to an underwriting premium for any pre-existing conditions.  But once you're in a supplemental plan you are pretty much free to move around and change companies and plans.  I never thought to check USAA for medigap plans.

  • hotstox
    hotstox Member Posts: 4
    Supplement

    I use AARP United Healthcare Plan F

  • Chuckect
    Chuckect Member Posts: 45
    supplemental plans

    i have plan N with united thru aarp in kentucky, and got it after iwas dx.. after 3 months they cover a heck of a lot, sorry i don't have details.. my only problem is that my co-pay for zytiga is $2800, but it cost $10,000 / mo...  also my premium is about $240 /mo

     

  • bassoneman
    bassoneman Member Posts: 58
    Supplemental Plans

    Great subject here ... I will be enrolling in June.. I in MA.. The good news is we have a lot of protections about rates.. If a insurance company raises a rate it must be for all subscribers..  Also there are preexisting condtion protections..  There are only two supplimental plans in MA . Core plan About $110 -130 where you are responsible for Medicare deductibles and Plan 1 which there are no deductables 191-250 depending what a company might add in like Gym , dental or vision.. I have many health issues beside the Prostate cancer so choosing a Suplement over a Advantage plan is a no brainer..