Need thoughts on Health Insurance

[MossRoad]

Does your company offer a higher deductible plan? We are fortunate enough to be able to afford a very high deductible and it saves considerably on the monthly costs. As I recall, if no one got sick for about the first two years and we banked the savings, that would be enough to build up our deductible fund.

 

[Western]

Not at her Co. Moss, they offer only 2 plans now and this is the best one out of the 2, a little more $ monthly but better on the high end coverages.

 

[coffeeman]

The Blues have open enrollment once a year in my area. It only comes around in Jan or Feb, though. I understand rates are ok at with this offer. Somtime there are state plans that are reasonable if you meet income limits. Of course this depends on your state.

I have a friend that had a state plan for about $90 a month. Much of the plan was funded by tobacco settlement with state. He got a triple bypass. Lost circulation in feet and toes. He had doctored for a year and finally they cut off 3 toes on one foot and two on another. He was dropped from state plan as he was not working. One of rules is you must work to take advantage of state plan. State put him on medicade. Now a year and a half later he is ready to work, but his old job is not there. So, he files for unemployment and gets $220 a week. Now state says he makes too much money to get medicade. So a guy who worked all his life and owns a small modest house is now left out in the cold.

It's the average working people who want to work that are treated like crap. He would have been better of going on drugs and blaming his mom for his dirty deeds. The world would keep him, rent a house for him, give him spending money, buy him a car, send him to school and get him some tools to start a job.

Cheers.....Coffeeman

 

[Western]

Checked with BC/BS $1569 per month!!! Guess my our deal through my wife's job really isn't that bad.

I guess it is like grampa said, "we work to afford to die"

 

[jonyyuma]

Bird, thanks for the breakdown on medicaide...> I must admit sticker shock at it, after all you are retired? Looks like I need to keep my job for as long as possible.Plus that situation really is not what I desire..

 

[ronjhall]

There was a time when I was foolish enough to think our health care insurance would be less when we got on Medicare. Well, we're there so now we pay:
]
$96.40 for wife's Part B (deducted from her social security)
$115.40 for my Part B (it's more expensive if not deducted from social security
$321.82 for Medicare Supplement for both
$327.32 for Medicare Part D (prescription medicines)
$48.75 for both for Dental
$10.29 for both for Vision

All of it except Part B is through the city and with United HealthCare. If Medicare covers something, then the Supplement pays the deductible and co-pay, but if Medicare turns it down, then the insurance also pays nothing and we pay it all. There's always a co-pay for prescriptions; up to $100 for a 90 day supply. On most dental claims, United HealthCare can find a way to reject each claim, or at least pay much less than the Dentists expected them to pay.

Our insurance cost for both of us is less here in Michigan.

Part B is same as your wife.

$242 for Medicare Supplement for both, No doctor fees, no deductible or co-pay BCBS Legacy plan.

$30 for Medicare Part D (prescription medicines) for both of us. Humana Walmart Plan. $361 per person deductible each year. Low or no copay. This plan is good for me since I take no medications yet.

$76 Dental. No problems with what is payed. Dentist checks price and advises us on cost before each procedure. Many of our friends that visit the RGV are using dentist in Mexico with good results and cost. We are considering this option. Cost for most services would be less than our current copay.

The company that I retired from gives me a medical saving plan to pay for the insurance and medical cost. It covers all but $100 of each months bill.

Company I retired from also offers insurance at almost double the above plan prices. Plus deductible and copays.

I choose to go out on my own and shop for Insurance. Many people that retire are forced to use the insurance plan that is offered by company they retire from. They resell their insurance plans to retired persons at inflated prices.

 

[Bird]

Yeah, Ron, it's a gamble no matter which way you go. I could drop the insurance we have through the city and go out on our own, as you've done, but if city retirees ever leave the city insurance, they can never get back on it. At least one insurance salesman (here on TBN) said it appears that the city is either subsidizing or getting a discount on MY part of the AARP supplement but not my wife's. As for the Part D (prescriptions), for the last 3 years, mine have cost no more than a couple of hundred a year, but until this year, my wife's cost enough (according to the insurance company) that they paid out more than the premiums we paid.

 

[dmccarty]

I track our health care expenses in a spread sheet because we have so many bills I need to compare the EOB statements with the bills to minimize mistakes. Usually mine. The spread sheet keeps a running total including mileage costs.

I try NOT to read the running total of our health care expenses other wise I might add to our expenses.

For as much money as I pay, it is has been worth every danged cent. Without the expensive health care my family has gotten I do not think I would have a family.

We have had some real numb nuts for doctors. One almost killed our baby. But the OTHER doctors have more than made up for the idiot doctors. We have had billing issues which have mostly, if not all, been due to twits in the billing office not doing their jobs.

We just made a short trip to where my grandmother was born and raised. While there, we visited the family grave site. My great grandfather died at a very young age compared to today. He caught one of the killer flu's back in the 20/30's and never really recovered. Family lore is that eventually he died from what the flu had done to him. My wife's great grandfather also died young, about the same time, and for the same reasons. Kinda weird.

Later,
Dan

 

[300UGUY]

I track our health care expenses in a spread sheet because we have so many bills I need to compare the EOB statements with the bills to minimize mistakes. Usually mine. The spread sheet keeps a running total including mileage costs.

I try NOT to read the running total of our health care expenses other wise I might add to our expenses.

For as much money as I pay, it is has been worth every danged cent. Without the expensive health care my family has gotten I do not think I would have a family.

We have had some real numb nuts for doctors. One almost killed our baby. But the OTHER doctors have more than made up for the idiot doctors. We have had billing issues which have mostly, if not all, been due to twits in the billing office not doing their jobs.

We just made a short trip to where my grandmother was born and raised. While there, we visited the family grave site. My great grandfather died at a very young age compared to today. He caught one of the killer flu's back in the 20/30's and never really recovered. Family lore is that eventually he died from what the flu had done to him. My wife's great grandfather also died young, about the same time, and for the same reasons. Kinda weird.

Later,
Dan

My mother's father lost both of his parents in the flu epidemic of 1918? Just took out some folks, left others.

 

[ronjhall]

Yeah, Ron, it's a gamble no matter which way you go. I could drop the insurance we have through the city and go out on our own, as you've done, but if city retirees ever leave the city insurance, they can never get back on it. At least one insurance salesman (here on TBN) said it appears that the city is either subsidizing or getting a discount on MY part of the AARP supplement but not my wife's. As for the Part D (prescriptions), for the last 3 years, mine have cost no more than a couple of hundred a year, but until this year, my wife's cost enough (according to the insurance company) that they paid out more than the premiums we paid.

I forgot to mention that when I left the company insurance I could not go back. The HR person that handled my retirment was the one that recommended that I shop for better insurance for cost and benefits. Took me 3 years to get my act together and do this. It has saved us over $6000 a year in premiums alone.
My 92 year old mother is the one who got me pointed in the right direction for the plan we are on.
In Michigan it is best to stay away from a Advantage plan for Medicare. The key word is Supplemental. Calling on any Medicare Insurance plan here in Michigan will always send you to a agent selling Advantage plans.