Medicare & Insurance

From the mouth of those that have them - different plans / different states -Read the link and the posters that are chiming in on this subject. Reddit - Medicare - Plan G Price Increase as of July 1 - What Other Beneficiaries Are Saying  Heck, paying less than $ 300 a month sounds like a real deal from what others are saying. There are usually options -depends on your state and your investigation skills or perhaps help that you find or experts that you connect with for help - you can always check with your Dept of Aging, SHIP in your state  (State Health Insurance Program Assistance), or even an independent Medicare Medigap agent or broker to find out any options you might have.   NO, this is not a movement to get people on a MAPD plan - but it is a very good persuasion for considering taking on more of the risk in Original Medicare with your Supplemental plan. MAPD everywhere will never be an option for the program of Medicare - mainly because t

Once a senior sees that the total annual cost of Plan HD-G premiums  (around $495) plus the annual deductible (this year $2950) in my case exceeds the annual cost of Plan G's premiums (my actual announced $3270) plus the $283 annual Part B deductible and sees that in either the best case or worst case scenario, the HD-G plan would save the senior money, the only reason I can imagine for not choosing the HD-G plan is the seniior's lack of wealth or cash flow to support the irregular cash flows (but lower expense) of the HD-G plan.Some have said that they fear being on HD-G in a future that they ima gine will bring higher medical expenses. That is simply illogical because the HD-G pays the same as G once the annual deductible is met. (And the deductibles actually paid are already included in the worst (or best) case scenarios described above.Some have mentioned perceived fear of not meeting medical underwriting to get back to either G or N. To that I ask, "Why you ever want to retur

Do they have an online messaging system that gives patients rapid access to test results?  Can appointments be made online?  (I dislike having phone conversations.) Do their PCPs like to pass the buck to specialists?  Do they offer covid and other shots at their facility or pass the buck to CVS and Walgreens?  Do they prescribe opioids or pass the buck to pain clinics?

 KFF.org-04/08/2026 - Medicare Advantage Insurers Will See Higher Payments as CMS Backs Off a Key Payment Update  It is still gonna get done - albeit a bit slower.  We do not need any more of them baling out because many beneficiaries with this MAPD coverage is all that they can afford -   

Can someone please explain the difference?  Two different Medigap plans show in the Medicare Plan Finder, and this appears to be 2 different companies with different "standard" rates.  I heard that "of America" was some sort of a new variation with lower rates.  Nothing shows on the websites.  Search the two different names and the same uhc,com website comes up.  How can there be two different standard rates?  As a SHIP counselor, I'm trying to explain to folks I talk with.

I I just received a notice that my AARP Medicare Supplemental Plan G with United Health Care in Kentucky is increasing by nearly 19% in October! What is AARP doing to help control the increasing costs of this supplemental plan G? An increase of 19% seems excessive to me. 

 Definitely worth the read if only to add to your knowledge of Medigap plans.AARP/UHC Medigap plans or Medicare Supplemental plans are not the only ones going higher with their premiums.   KFF Health News 04/23/2026 - Medigap Premiums Leap, and Consumers Have Few Alternatives  from the link:In the supplemental market, following big increases last year, rates appear to be rising again. In early 2026 filings with state insurance commissioners from Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, Mutual of Omaha, and UnitedHealthcare, rate increases for Plan G policies — the most commonly purchased supplement type — ranged from just over 12% to more than 26% in the first quarter, according to Nebraska-based consulting firm Telos Actuarial. . . . . . Agents and policy experts blame a range of factors for rising premiums: an increase in the use of medical services by beneficiaries; the aging of the population; increases in labor and medical costs; rules

Here are as much details as I have on it at the present.  I am sure that more will be forthcoming in the next couple of months. CMS.gov - BALANCE (Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive hEalth) Model  CMS.gov - GLP-1 BRIDGE Program FAQ  Edited to add a bit more news - KFF.org 04/23/2026 - CMS Extends Medicare’s Short-Term Bridge Program for GLP-1 Obesity Drug Coverage      

 I literally started my AARP Extended Basic Medicare Supplemental Plan RW on 1 APR 2026.  On Apr 19th I got a letter notifying me of a 20% cost increase beginning  APR 2027.  Seems like a real bait and switch program.  It is like, put a lower rate and get you to sign up for their supplemental and then UHC tacks on 20% the first year.  

AARP has had an affiliation with UHC for as long as I can remember. I have a plan with them and went to my dentist on Monday, paid what the gal at the desk said I would owe for a filling, $75. A day later I get a letter saying UHC was not keeping my Dentist in network going back two weeks. The letter was generated a week after that date, and I didn't get it for another week. The person I talked to in some call center, probably southeast asia, said she could provide me a list of covered dentists, I said start a formal complaint. If AARP wants the kickback from UHC they better start to demand better business practices from them, postdating termination of coverage is crap.

The UHC phone app has an option to verify that an item qualifies by scanning the barcode.Unfortunately, Walmart store systems are not synced with this, and so when I shop at my local Walmart to spend my quarterly Over The Counter money using my UCard, the Walmart checkout says most items do NOT qualify. I have contacted UHC and Walmart, and they both blame each other. AARP should hold these corporations responsible for getting in sync, since their name is on the title of the plan.

I'm a Medicare/medicaid person since 2022 after spinal surgery. I start a new job paying $80,000 a year and I'm 66 years old. Do I just call about my new health insurance plan at work?

As soon as I became a member with United Healthcare, I began to receive phone calls from a third party company affiliated with United Healthcare known as BeneLynk.  The callers from BeneLynk seemed to know certain pieces of critical information I had given to United Healthcare, but they didn't seem to have my home address, income, or date of birth.   The calls from BeneLynk didn't seem to be very professional, and they were very aggressive in their attempts to get me to sign up for additional services, so I asked one of the rep's from BeneLynk to send me an email outlining their pitch to me.  However, when I got the email things didn't look right, so I tried to call United Healthcare to report the issue. I called the number listed on the back of my card, and then I had to wait an extended period of time before finally speaking to someone in a call center in South Asia, and my call actually got disconnected once or twice during the process.    Whe

Just a question - opinion Do you like the new way that the Medicare Prescription Drug Program has been designed from the Build Back Better Act?   Do you have need to participate in the financing of your out of pocket cost by your insurer?  If so, does this work out well for you?  Is the maximum out of pocket cost - (2026) $ 2100 - which includes all payers - a reasonable amount - do you reach it early in the year?  

To add a bit more to my post on Medigap premiums increasing -Think about this:If you have a Plan G and your premiums for that Plan G rose to $ 500 a month but Congress passes legislation that caps your out of pocket cost in Medicare (A & B) to $ 5000 per year -   There would be NO need for the Medigap plan.   

I have been on medicare with UHC medigap plan G for less than 2 years.  66 years old male, Ohio.  Low insurance usage, dont even go over the deductible.   My premiums started out at $119, then $143, and now going to $195 starting in October 2026.  These seem to be astronomical increases.  Oddly, my same address household partner, same UHC plan, who is female 71 years old has experienced acceptable premium increases of roughly about $10 for the same period.  Her premium in October will be $187 (compared to my $195).  Note she is 5 years older than I.  Could someone explain these premium increases and different rates per person? I looked forward to Medicare hoping for some price stability, but this is anything but stable.   I never thought I would consider shopping around for other insurance companies, is it wise to switch companies (same plan G)?  Do most people shop around, or just stay with UHC? 

Has anyone enrolled in Plan N ever been charged the 15% medicare excess charge?

My husband went to the lab for his bloodwork before his appointment with the doctor next week. He was told at the lab that Medicare won't cover it stating Medicare will cover one blood work up a year and that September is the only month. I never received notification of this change so I researched on this and found nothing relating to that. Anyone know anything about this? I live in PA

I enrolled in UHC's Plan G here in North Carolina in January 2021; monthly premiums began at $154. In October 2025 I went to the UHC website and discovered that my Plan G — with monthly premiums now $249 — had morphed into Plan G+ and included wellness perks I'd never use. Speaking to a UHC agent for another round of medical underwriting, I downgraded my plan from Plan G+ back to Plan G, monthly premiums decreasing by $75. The agent casually mentioned that Plan G+ had been offered for about a year.I never received any notice from UHC that my Plan G had morphed to G+, never received the option to forego those extra wellness perks, never consented to the higher monthly premiums funding those extra perks. The insurance coverage and benefits for my 2021 Plan G — which later morphed without my knowledge or consent into Plan G+ — are exactly the same as the insurance coverage and benefits for my 2025 Plan G. In 2021, the Plan G wellness perks were called "Wellness Extras" and now in 202

  I've been using AARP/UHC Medicare Supplement Plan F for 12 years with no problems. This year we switched to Plan G, but that's not why I'm writing this. I've been paying for both my wife and I for several years now, since my wife joined up, and that's been working fine. However, since AARP/UHC switched their billing to separate accounts for my wife and I things have really fallen apart. Since May, when the separate accounts were started, I've been paying my premiums every month, faithfully, and on time. Every month, AARP/UHC has been shuffling a random part of the premium that I pay over to my wife's account. So I've never been in a position where I owe $0 and show $0 due for the next month. Which is what should be happening every month. Right at the moment, they have me a $0 for August (that was a battle, took several phone calls), and owing $168 for September after I made my full September premium payment. I keep calling AARP/UHC customer service to get this corrected, an

Hi! My brother has(will be had) WellAbe for his supplement G. He has had knee surgery a bout 3-4 years ago. He went to the doctor to check why he doesn't have full use of his leg. He limps. He also went to get his hearing checked. He knows he needs a hearing aid,and the ones he's tried, to put it bluntly, suck. He received his bills, and this WellAbe won't honor any payments. They tell him now that they don't cover these type of medical issues. Are there any companies that cover this? Any recommendation for a supplement G insurer? Any and all responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

HelloI currently am enrolled in AARP UHC Supplement (was in G and switched to N) and I love the benefits. I have no issues at all (except maybe the premiums are getting somewhat out of reach).  I have awful mail service in my area and have subsequently moved all items of importance (pension statements, utility bills etc...) to paperless. My mail was frequently not arriving or getting delivered to the wrong home and I never see it again. I have complaints to USPS - no help there.  Anyway I made sure I changed anything to do with my AARP UHC covererage...billing, EOBs etc...to paperless - I did not want my personal information being lost somewhere in the wrong hands. Unfortunately, I keep getting these useless (to me anyway) monthly personal statements - they are stamped "OPEN IMMEDIATELY" and  all it states is premium paid and what I owe and since I pay before premiums are due, the balance owed is always zero.  It has important personal HIPAA info on i

Has anyone used this to purchase eligible items on Walmart.com or in store at Walmart, CVS etc? I have $75 to spend on my Ucard which is this years version of 'healthy benefits' which worked great a couple of years ago once they got the wrinkles ironed out.  I go to Walmart.com and choose some refresh eye drops (which are also sold through the UHC catalog at a higher price and Nature's Bounty B vitamins both of which are sold and shipped by Walmart.com Both of these items are eligible items however neither of them triggers the $75 OTC credits either because Walmart doesn't see them as eligible (this is unlikely) or because UHC is not showing them that the card has $75 in OTC credits. My account shows the $75 in OTC credits but under 'details' and OTC it also shows I have zero available OTC credits because I have already spent $75.  This was on the very first day.  I haven't purchased a thing. The only thing I haven't tried and maybe I should

FROM THE ARTICLE. Original Medicare Tests CoveragePreapprovals With an AI Twist. Millions of beneficiaries in 6 states need artificial intelligence’s OK for 13 devices and procedures. By Tony Pugh, AARP. Published February 19, 2026. ➡️[*** Key takeaways! (1) 6.4 million people on Medicare are part of pilot program. (2) 13 services in 6 states now have to pass an AI test. (3) AARP opposes the preapprovals. Murky procedures prompt it. (4) Medicare Advantage struggles with prior authorization. (5) Some favor more accountability in original Medicare. An estimated 6.4 million beneficiaries in six states now need approval before original Medicare will pay for certain equipment, services and supplies that their doctors recommend. AARP and other groups are concerned that beneficiaries’ care could be delayed, denied or unduly influenced by technology-assisted coverage decisions in a pilot program that applies to nearly 1 in 5 original Medic

UPDATE: When I first posted this, I had mistakenly mentioned 'Aetna' instead of 'Cigna'. The post below is the same, I have just corrected the company name. I have also fixed the 'Subject' accordingly.-------I enrolled in Medicare 2 years ago in March and have a supplemental plan-G with UHC. I have not had any issues with coverage. However, the mid-year premium jump last year seemed a bit steeper than expected, and they have removed some of the "premium" wellness perks which they had offered. Given the CA birthday rule, I am considering switching to 'American Retirement Life Insurance Company' (Cigna) which also has community pricing. Their premiums are about $161 compared to $190 for UHC. The Cigna plan does not include any gym benefits, but the basic ones can be added for $25 through 'Silver & Fit', which brings it almost in line with the UHC's premium. However, I don't know what the UHC premiums will be come Apr/May. I will be sticking with plan-G, but wanted to ask if