Medicare & Insurance

Hi All, My wife and I have had the AARP UHC Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) for about 4 years now. We have been relatively happy with the service and coverage. The dental plan has caused a few problems which we have overcome. I had some minor surgery that was initially denied. But the reason for the denial suggested some miscommunication. The doctor's office resubmitted the claim and I never heard anymore about it. But most (if not all) I hear about MAPs is horror stories about poor service and denied claims. Are there no good experiences, are there no successes, are there no benefits, are there no good reasons to choose a MAP? Is it all that bad? Just asking. 

I have  a general question about how AARP UHC’s Community-rated Medicare Supplements actually work, with regard to premiums. I’ll ask by example. For purposes of this question, assume that any enrollments I refer to are under guaranteed issue rights OR that the enrollee fully meets underwriting requirements for acceptance at “regular” pricing. 65-year-old Carol and 70-year-old Laura are both female non-smokers that live in single-member households in the same zip code. They both enroll in the same AARP UHC Medicare supplement in October 2024. I know that they will have the same BASE premium, and that differences in their net premiums will be due completely to differences in discounts (especially the age-based discounts). My question: If Laura instead enrolled in that same plan in October 2019, when she was 65, would her BASE premium in October 2024 still be the same as Carol’s? I guess what I’m really asking is, are people who enrolled in different years considered

I have been trying to get UHC to provide me my Medicare Supplement rate for 2024. I have called customer service to see if there is any document outlining the rates for 2024 but it is like pulling teeth. The people in the UHC customer service center are very hard to understand and I have had no luck getting any info from them or an email with the details. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. 

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! Medicare Open Enrollment: Everything You Need to Know. When it starts and ends, how to choose a Part D or Medicare Advantage plan and why it’s important to compare your options this year. By Dena Bunis and Kimberly Lankford, AARP. Published September 22, 2022.Updated September 18, 2024. Every October, Medicare gives its more than 67 million beneficiaries a chance to review coverage and make changes for the coming year. While experts say too many enrollees overlook this opportunity, evaluating your options this year is especially important because of big changes coming to Medicare in 2025. https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2022/open-enrollment.html

Hello, this is been an on going issues with me now for several months. I am over 65, not on Medicare, and I had insurance through my employer. When my work was discontinued, I signed up for COBRA to continue my existing insurance for the last 3 months of 2023. Even though the statement from COBRA and Cigna both state this is the same insurance I had when I was employed, Cigna is only paying as secondary and not covering me as the primary. They are saying that I am "eligible" for Medicare so they will only pay as the secondary even though they know I do not have Medicare. I only continued the insurance for 3 months to continue the year with same insurance until I signed up for Medicare in 2024. How can I get help with this because nowhere in any of the documents was it stated that the purchaced COBRA insurnace thru Cigna would be Secondary. I am being giving the run around by Cigna and no one is helping (not my previous employer nor COBRA). I am at the mercy is Cigna and they are not bu

Will be turning 65 this Nov and I need help in choosing the plan...united/,humana?? I am still active healthy, playing tennis, pickleball, fishing, gardening, outdoors....don't drink or smokeI need vision and dental--as usual- had cataract surgery 2 yrs ago and might need to go for a check upI heard about the Healthy choice program-- free $$$ for food and etc Any info will be helpful. Thanks

For those who just want to stay informed - kind of dry reading but informative. CMS.gov 04/01/2024 - Final CY 2025 Part D Redesign Program Instructions Fact Sheet The above is kind of technical. CMS.gov Part D Improvements The above gives added details on the changes to Part D plans for 2025 CMS.gov - 04/04/2024 - Contract Year 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Final Rule (CMS-4205-F) Tells more about changes happening in the Medicare Advantage part of Medicare and Part D plans whether a MAPD (Medicare Advantage with included Prescription Drug plan) or PDP (free standing prescription drug plans)   

 Hello,  If I keep Plan G Medigap insurance but change companies, would that require underwriting?  Just learned about underwriting and not sure if it applies to Plan letter changes or if it applies to any kind of change such as changing to another company offering Plan G.  I have UHC Plan G and unhappy with their mid-year rate increases for two years now.   Thank you.

Just curious what others pay for Medicare Part D.My wife and I have AARP Medicare RX Preferred from United Health Care.Our policy went from $58/mo in 2023 to $108/mo  this year and now going up to $180 for 2025.Thats more than tripled in 2 yrs 9 2023 to 2025). I hate to change but this is getting out of hand . Any thoughts most appreciated. Tnx

We received the letter from UnitedHealthcare. It is announced that the rate for our AARP UHC Supplemental Insurance plan N will increase 12.4% for the year 2024. The inflation rate in June was 3%, in July 2023 3.3%. How can the medical insurance get the rate increase 4 times higher than  the inflation rate?  Who profits from such a business decision?  Who cares about retirees with a fixed income?What does AARP do to protect American retired persons from greedy insurers? Or the AARP activity is advertisement only?   

 A friend of mine said her Plan D with Bakers has not had any mid-year increases since she has had it since 2021 like my UHC Plan G.   Wondering if mid-year is only specific to Plan G UHC?  Anyone have UHC Plan D mid-year increases?   My Plan G with UHC had a mid-year premium increase of 12% and another 4% starting Jan 1, 2025.   I am thinking of changing to a Plan D not necessarily with UHC.  Will I have an issue switching?  I don't understand what underwriting means and if it will affect me. Thank you.

  FYI   TELOS Actuarial - Medicare Supplement Rate Actions – 2024 Q2 Update These are open booked plans not closed booked. 

So many insurance companies offering Medigap (Medicare Supplement) insurance plans routinely close their plans to new enrollees (known as "closed books" or "closed blocks of business") after about 5 years of business.The reason for this is as claims come in, they have to start raising rates to cover costs; once their rates are no longer competitive, they "close" the plan and open another under a different name under a shell company.  Their initial rates may be really cheap compared to other plans, to sucker newcomers into their plan.  But as they raise rates, and then close the plan to new enrollees, the rates really skyrocket since there are no new healthy people signing up.  Those who cannot pass underwriting are stuck in that plan along with its jaw-dropping rates.So my question is, does AARP's branding agreement with UHC for Medigap plans preclude UHC from closing books and playing the plan shell game?  It seems if AARP is looking out for their members' int

 Hi, Rather new to Medigap and have United HealthCare's Medigap Plan G.  This is the second year I got  the increase letter for mid-year and another increase in Jan 2025..  Do other Medigap insurance companies also do Mid-year increases?  Thank you.

  I'm (69) on premium free medicare  part A (not part B) and my husband's work insurance. My husband was let go and will need to get insurance soon. He is 62. Can we get an ACA plan that covers us both (and not get Part B for me)?.  What happens when he applies for Social security later? I assume we lose the ACA insurance, right? Thanks!Karen

There are some big changes happening in Medicare in the upcoming year. Changes are being made to make Medicare plans focus more on the policy holder. Read more about these changes on the "Upcoming Changes to Medicare in 2025" Article written by the Medicare agency, Medicare Advocates.

  Want to see how much Medicare Part B premiums have increased in the last (10) years or more - interesting.   FYI - thru 2023    The Balance - Current & Historical Medicare Part B Premiums  Wonder where we will be in the next (10 ) years?  Currently at $ 174.70 as the standard amount in 2024. And this is only for those standard premiums - people with higher incomes pay a higher Part B premium based on their income amount known as the Medicare IRMAA surcharge. (Income Related Monthly Adjusted Amount) And if a beneficiary is considered low income by a specific limit, their respective state pays the premium for them under some of the various Medicare Savings Programs .So I guess that comes from our state taxes.  

Can you switch from a plan G with Wellness to a plan G without wellness (or vice versa) without triggering underwriting?

I came back to update my previous posts about my efforts to change carriers from my Medigap Plan F from AARP/UHC to another company, but the posts are nowhere to be found. First question is, is AARP too afraid to let criticism appear?   To recap, for those who never saw it, I was replying to other posts (in my case) about using Maryland's new Birthday Rule to change carriers and/or plan levels. My DOB is Aug 10th, and my wife's is Aug 28th, which fell into the 30 period after mine, so we waited until then to attempt the switch.  That turned out to be a mistake. More on that toward the end. I made an appointment to talk to the S.H.I.P. people in my county to discuss the Birthday Rule.  They had never had an issue with anyone using it, even if their AARP/UHC Medigap plan had started before 7/1/2023, which someone at AARP had said made me ineligible.  Eventually I did get a correction and an apology from someone higher up at AARP. After settling on

AARP should be ASHAMED for promoting and participating with this so-called health insurance company! We are currently dealing with medical issues and need assistance with coverage questions. I called the "patient assistance" number on the insurance card and spent 45 minutes discussing the issue. I was given a reference number and was told they would contact the medical facility and get back to me. NEVER HAPPENED! When I called back the next day a new rep told me there was NO RECORD of the call, the issue and the reference number (which I confirmed on that call) did not exist!After another long call, put on hold etc., etc. I was led to believe they had the medical facility on the line and then I was magically disconnected.Even if that was true, which I doubt, they had my phone number and didn't bother trying to call me back. The medical facility had no record of hearing from them. I am sure these "reps" are not even in the US. A scam!SHAME ON AARP for allowing this.I just renewed my AAR

AARP / United Healthcare refused to accept and honor a claim I filed after AARP / United Healthcare Advantage recouped a $407.90 charge 16 MONTHS after they paid the claim submitted by my service provider. This happened during the time I was changing coverage from a United Healthcare Medicare Advantage Plan to a United Healthcare Supplemental Plan. I was never informed that my coverage had changed before the service was provided, continuing to believe at the time that I was still covered under my Medicare Advantage plan. United Healthcare steadfastly held that since the refiled claim and appeal was made more than 12 months later, the claim was denied, regardless of responsibility. I do not know whether Medicare Advantage deliberately or unintentionally waited 16 months to recoup the charge so that any subsequent claim would be denied. Either way the results are the same and I was stuck with the consequences of Medicare Advantage's two failures (1) to validate my coverage in the first i

A couple months ago I went through AARP to get a quote for long term care insurance.  I was directed to Agua Fria Financial Group that offers a New York Life package.  It all sounded fine until I was told that in order to go through the application and review process I would have to pay for the first month of coverage.  I could live with that, but then I was told by the rep that "All I need to be able to email you your application is your routing and account number you want the initial premium to come out of for you Long Term Care application."  They would take no other form of payment. It may be a perfectly reputable firm, but I find it odd that in these days of so many seniors being defrauded by giving out their bank accounts that an AARP recommended company would require that.  Does AARP know that Agua Fria is requiring bank account info up front, and that there is no guarantee that I would pass the review process, potentially losing the cost of a month

  Do you know the answer?   Can a person get Medicare benefits WITHOUT being eligible for any of the programs covered by Social Security - Retirement, Disability or Survivors Benefits?  

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE!!! 7 Medicare Changes You’ll See in 2025. Expensive medications? You’ll save thousands. Dementia or mental health care? More options. By Kimberly Lankford, AARP. Published August 26, 2024. You can thank the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for some of the biggest Medicare changes in the past few years — including a welcome reprieve from the high costs of prescription drugs. https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2024/medicare-changes-coming-in-2025.html

Recently I came upon an 86 year old beneficiary that was paying over $ 800 a month for her MediGAP plan.  The beneficiary had had this plan since 1st signing up for this coverage along with Medicare Part A & B.  Unreal, right - yes, but it could have been taken care of many years ago IF only the beneficiary was aware of the problem and the solution. This beneficiary was still on one of the MediGAP plans that had been discontinued from new sales many years ago.  So needless to say, those remaining in this plan were now older, most likely sicker and fewer in number.  So, that is part 1 of the higher premiums. The state where she lived had also passed some laws during past years concerning coverage under MediGAP plans - the state expanded the choices of MediGAP plans to those less than 65 years old and Medicare eligible because of a disability - this makes premiums higher in every plan affected because it is adding more risk to the insurer.  So that’