Posted 11/24/2023 4:31 PM (GMT 0)
Songlady, good to see your post. Like you, I have been on regular Medicare & with the same supplemental plan as you. I was put on disability back in 2004, result of crohns disease. When my husband turned 65 we went the same route with him. I am in Tx & we pay $573 a month for the two of us with UHC. AARP also offers a variety of perks discounts at vision centers as an example.
In all of our years combined we have never had 1 claim denied & both of us have had a tremendous amount of medical expenses, never had to look for new drs that takes Medicare & never had to wait to get referrals. We see the top specialists in a large metroplex. What I do see is signs in drs offices stating they will not accept certain Advantage plan patients. My drs office has told me for years they would much rather deal with Medicare over an Advantage plan, much less red tape to get medical approved or get payment for services.
On the other hand, you will find other people that like the Advantage plans. You have to be very careful & read the fine print. Some plans only cover medical expenses in their state only. Switching back & forth between the two plans is extremely difficult, I think you get a one time option, double check me on that.
I do not need a referral to see a specialist unless the specialist insists on one from my pcp. I don't have to worry about looking for a new dr every year or find new specialists that I have been seeing long term.
I am grandfathered in on Plan F, once I turned 65 it pays my 2 deductibles. Plan G seems to be a good choice from what I have seen.
Take an inventory of your health when making this decision. I suggest ignoring all of the commercials on tv, that's just a marketing tool.