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Medicare plan D changes time is coming up . . .

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Posted 9/25/2014 5:12 PM (GMT 0)
I noticed in one of our current threads that there are a lot of people unhappy with their current pharmaceutical plans. We have from 10/15/2014--12/07/2014 to make changes. This is also an excellent time to change your coverage, get a supplemental, and generally spruce up your plan if needed . . . Q
Posted 9/25/2014 5:21 PM (GMT 0)
If you receive Extra Help, you can change your Medicare Prescription Part D Plan at any time. All others must be changed as quincy17 has stated above.
Posted 9/25/2014 8:58 PM (GMT 0)
Also folks folks look into an advantage p plan. If you have Extra care it covers the premiums and copay! Be sure to check out your options to m make sure all your Dr's are on the plan. I have Humana and didn't have to change one Dr. It comes with a nutrition program as well as a g gym membership at no cost. When my pt ran out I chose a gym with a heated pool and continued hydrotherapy plus they they jab have a low impact water aerobics class that's pretty good!
Posted 9/25/2014 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for bringing up those extra programs Vickie and Merrida,
I know that the Extra Care package saves me a bundle. We both live off our SS benefits, under $1,900 per month, and this makes the difference between making it or not. . . . Q
Posted 9/26/2014 9:18 AM (GMT 0)
Vickie, you find all the cool toys!


M.
Posted 9/26/2014 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
Aaaagh! I just got my Medicare and You booklet (govt publication) and my plan is not in it anymore! Now I'm going to have to choose another one. I had a great High Deductible plan (HD) that has been good for people who use no services (hubby) or use an awful lot (me).

I have doctors I like and would rather change insurance than them. There are some companies they don't accept. I've talked to my doctors about what plans they prefer, i.e., the ones that pay them promptly without hassles, as part of my decision making.

Now I'm going to have to go to those boring meetings all over again to get the details of each plan that covers what I need. I recommend using the government website too. You put in what you need and it gives you a list of the plans available in your area and the cost of each for you individually.
Posted 9/26/2014 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Alcie,
Was it your supplemental plan that wasn't in the booklet? Which one was it? I'm hoping that it's not BC BS as that's my plan.Its on a siding scale the really helps us out . . . Q
Posted 9/26/2014 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Your state SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) can help you with Medicare. I have put links below that should help in the different states.

Find a State SHIP-
/shipnpr.shiptalk.org/shipprofile.aspx

Find a Counselor-
/shipnpr.shiptalk.org/findcounselor.aspx
Posted 9/27/2014 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
q, MG

I have (soon to had) a BC/BS product from Highmark in PA. It's a high deductible Medicare Advantage plan, Freedom Blue HD, and has been good for me since I get past the deductible within a month or so. (too many doctors for too many conditions) Very low premium. This year the out-of-pocket (OOP) went way up, but previously I was getting my second half of the year pretty much without paying. I could still hit the $6700 for this year.

The online medicare.gov site is NOT updated yet, so don't bother to go there. Everyone on Medicare should be getting the booklet soon.

I'm not eligible for any sort of aid or assistance because my hubby is still working. He won't give up our money pit, although he grumbles about how much work I hire out.

I won't go with an HMO because you have to get a referral for every specialist you see. That would double my office visits, and I expect I would have to wait at least a week for insurance to OK like they are doing for "prior auths" to get MRIs. (How come you have to have a prior auth for lumbar or cervical MRI but not thoracic?)
Posted 9/27/2014 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Abiline,
I love our state's NM Medical Insurance Pool, NMMIP. It's run by BC BS and is available for us New Mexicans that have been turned down for pre-existing conditions. I think that it is only fair that it is subsidized in part by every Health Insurance Company, HIC, that wants to do business in this state. The premiums are on a sliding scale so at our SS income of less than $1,900 per month we pay only $215 on a $500 deductible which is gone on the first trip to the pharmacy. We use their Medicare carve-out policy that covers 99.9 % of what Medicare leaves out. I know that we would be bankrupt without it as my Rx bill is around $15,000 a month . . . Q
Posted 9/27/2014 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Some info wasn't updated when they went to print. But what is below may help someone.

Medicare & You 2015-
www.medicare.gov/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf
Posted 9/27/2014 3:51 PM (GMT 0)
The booklet on the site is only the general stuff. The plans that are available to each of us as individuals in our specific counties is not available there.

The medicare.gov website still has 2014 plans - which of course are useful for those who are signing up for the little bit left of the year. But the 2015 plans are not yet available online.
Posted 9/27/2014 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
I looked at the 2015 plan online at the site M&G provided, it was still a bit incomplete as they warned. Some pages were blank like the page in the index for Ps as in prostate cancer. Unless you have a specific need that you are in a hurry to have answered, I'd wait a bit till they fill it out. . . . Q
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