Medicare & Insurance

How is United Healthcare allowed to raise their rates mid year?  People budget on the number they're given when deciding on plans.  They should not be allowed to raise mid year. How does AARP allow that to go through and not negotiate for it's members?  

My Xarelto prescription is included in the list of drugs which have Medicare's negotiated rates for 2026. The Maximum Fair Price (MFP) rate that I have seen is $197 per month.  My UHC prescription plan charged me $619.73 for 3 months ($206.57 per month). I've been trying to understand where the extra charge comes from. I read that the MFP should include all fees such as dispensing fees. Any clarification would be appreciated. Thanks

I went to the Medicare site and looked for a company that might have a plan to replace my pathetic plan by Emblem. My wife and I looked at which doctors were part of the United Healthcare AARP plan. When we started, my primary care provider was listed so I went ahead and applied. I got a confirmation letter. Since my wife is being treated for lymphoma and has more doctors than I do, we looked up all of the doctors treating her and NOT one was listed as participating. We looked up five and none were listed. What really upsets me is the wait for a representative but more importantly that they transferred me three times and I wound up in sales because the other representatives would not help me as they probably wanted to transfer me to sales.The sales person told me that she would look on the list to see if there was a mistake and I had "misread" the doctors list. I am a retired teacher - an English teacher- and to imply that I could not follow the list was insulting. The representat

Does anyone have any new insight into whether United Healthcare has plans to expand its UHICA business to additional states?  UHICA is just United Healthcare Medigap without the wellness extras (like gym), and it is currently offered in just 14 states: Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

OK, I've been hearing for the last month that the ACA, and it's subsidies are gone. Finished. Kaputt.  But, I have some co-workers that are still getting bills from Blue Shield that their premiums are still zero, but mine has gone up from zero in 2025 to $1280/month in 2026. I contacted my insurance guy, and he said that the subsidies are not gone; they just reset the income cap down to $62,500/year. So, he said, if I can get my taxable income below that number ( through IRA, 401K, or HSA contributions ) I can still get the subsidy.  Is this correct? He was able to tell me what I have to do, and changed my CoveredCA income down to get the subsidy. But I'm afraid that, if he's wrong, I can get hit with having to repay the years worth of insurance subsidies.

Getting ready to sign my spouse up for AARP UHC Medigap/Supplemental plan G in a few months. When entering some personal info for the price quote, it offers a premium discount for Auto/EFT premium payments and also another “multi-insured” discount. (as follows) “You may be eligible for a discounted premium rate based on your answer below. This question will help determine the best discount available to you.At the time your plan would become effective, will two insureds be on one account and each be insured under an eligible AARP-branded supplemental insurance policy from UnitedHealthcare?“ What does this mean by “will two insureds be on one account” ?What “account” ? On the same AARP membership/account ? My spouse IS currently listed as an additional household member on my AARP account. Do I use the My (i.e. our) AARP membership/account number when I fill out the Medigap application inorder to get this discount ?

Two questions: I turned 65 and started on Medicare in March 2025, and purchased a Supplemental Plan G from UHC.  My monthly premium was $148.  I received a notice that it would increase to $173 in March 2026.  I was also told that UHC might raise premiums again in June 2026.  Is there a limit on how many times or how often UHC can raise premiums in a year? I currently receive a discount because my wife is also an AARP member.  She turns 65 later this year.  If she chooses a UHC supplement plan, I believe I would get a larger discount - anyone know how much that discount would be? 

’Im an AARP member and enrolled in Medicare through UnitedHealthcare and dental through Delta Dental via AARP. When I changed plans, canceling both was unnecessarily difficult — and both continued billing me into January. UnitedHealthcare took hours to reach the right person, and I was told I’d get a refund but given no timeline or confirmation beyond “watch your bank account.” Delta Dental was worse: you can’t cancel online, only by calling a general number and fighting through prompts to reach an agent. Even after canceling, I was charged for two months of coverage I didn’t need or use. AARP markets these products heavily and benefits financially from promoting them. If that’s the case, AARP should also provide clear “how to cancel” guidance when members change plans, including direct cancellation phone numbers — and ensure those lines are properly staffed for AARP members. Right now, the experience feels designed to keep billing going. Based on this experience, I won’

I did a search online and on here and was not able to find my answer.AARP offers a couple of VSP plans for vision insurance. Does anyone know if these plans are accepted by Costco's optical department and can be directly billed to the insurance company?

I am writing to share my concerns and feedback regarding my experience with AARP member discounts. As a senior living alone, I do not feel that many of the advertised discounts are fair or truly beneficial. Most restaurant offers require the purchase of a second meal in order to receive a discount or a complimentary item. For someone who dines alone, this does not represent real savings and often encourages spending more rather than less. Additionally, the auto insurance offerings associated with AARP have not resulted in lower or competitive rates for me. Based on my comparisons, the insurance options provided through AARP are not more affordable than other insurers available to the general public, which is disappointing given that seniors often join AARP expecting meaningful financial relief. I joined AARP with the expectation of practical, everyday savings that would support seniors especially those on fixed incomes or living independently. Unfortunately, I do not see

I have been going exclusively to the VA. What should I sign up for? Do I really need the alphabet of medicare? Will parts of the medicare packages effect my VA coverage? I am a disabled veteran for hearing and have been receiving 100% of my medical services through the VA. What won't the VA cover if I do not sign up for medicare other than part A?Thank you,John

OK, I've been hearing for the last month that the ACA, and it's subsidies are gone. Finished. Kaputt.  But, I have some co-workers that are still getting bills from Blue Shield that their premiums are still zero, but mine has gone up from zero in 2025 to $1280/month in 2026. I contacted my insurance guy, and he said that the subsidies are not gone; they just reset the income cap down to $62,500/year. So, he said, if I can get my taxable income below that number ( through IRA, 401K, or HSA contributions ) I can still get the subsidy.  Is this correct? He was able to tell me what I have to do, and changed my CoveredCA income down to get the subsidy. But I'm afraid that, if he's wrong, I can get hit with having to repay the years worth of insurance subsidies.

 KFF.org - 01/26/2026-Sick of Fighting Insurers, Hospitals Offer Their Own Medicare Advantage Plans Seems like a normal course of change - rather restrictive in some cases but it seems like it should work pretty well.  Several already do this -  I would imagine most are HMO type but there could be some PPO types too. Wonder if beneficiaries would trust this type of MA plans any better than those from  MA insurers. What do you think?  Anybody have one - I guess Kaiser could be one and is a good model but what about other hospitals in your area - are they going this way and would you consider them as your MAPD insurer?Are they all HMO type plans ?  What about offering other benefits like dental, vision, hearing?     

I read in many places that Entresto (among other drugs) must be included in the formularies of Medicare Part D providers, that there is a negotiated maximum out of pocket cost for Entresto, and that there is a cap of $2100 for out of pocket expenses for Part D covered drugs in 2026. No plans that I can find in northeast Florida include Entresto in their formulariesI have no idea what Entresto is going to costIf I use some kind of drug discount plan I have no sure way of knowing how much Entresto will cost, or if that cost will be included in the $2100 limit. Where can I get answers to these questions?

After enduring years of significant cost increases with AARP /UHC PDP, I am inclined to change to an alternative carrier for a significant cost savings. Reviewing the formulary of the new carrier prior to switching reveals the need for “Prior Authorization” before filling a tier 3 prescription. While this is not unexpected having experienced initial rejection and eventual approval at AARP /UHC, I am concerned that the “Authorization” criteria is likely to vary between carriers regardless of any published consensus guidelines. Should the prescription not gain Authorization then the out-of-pocket expenses would dwarf the potential savings. I am curious whether others have experienced failed Authorization for a medication previously Authorized by a former carrier? Without access to my medical record and prescribing physician, is there any way to verify Authorization before making the carrier switch?

Are You Willing To Pay Higher Medigap Premiums for . . . . Are You Willing To Pay Higher Medigap Premiums . . . .To Get Expanded Access to Changing Your Plan sometimes during the year(like the Birthday rule )or to Offer wider coverage to those less than 65 Years oldBoth without Underwriting ?How much more ?  

I live in Ohio and will be eligible for Medicare in a few months, so I'm trying to choose a good Medigap supplement.  I will likely not be able to pass underwriting in the future, so I have to choose a policy that I will be stuck with for the next 40 years unless I move to another state that does not require underwriting.  One of my options is UnitedHealthcare.  UnitedHealthcare currently has two separate open books of business for their Medigap supplements:  1) UHIC *with* extra wellness benefits and 2) UHICA *without* any wellness benefits.  Of course, you're going to pay extra for those "extra" benefits!    UHICA stands for UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of America, and it operates under the UnitedHealthcare umbrella. UHICA was newly introduced in 2022 to a select group of agents, and it is not available in all states.  An agent cautioned me that the UHICA offering is being removed from some states/counties, and his agency does n

CURRENTLY, disabled individuals everywhere on Medicare already get a do over at age 65 - IOW, they get to apply for a (any) Medigap plan based on GI rights based on AGE at 65.  But this law covers them BEFORE the age of 65 -  The Chris Larkin ALS Act Texas.gov HHS Senate Research Analysis of HB 2516 05/12/2025  How much will rates increase because of this special consideration - IDK ??????  But I will guess a good bit - it became effective on Sept 01, 2025 so I’m guessing that we should know the effect of it pretty soon.   The Act mandates that premiums for Plan A, B and D must match those offered to beneficiaries 65 and older, and for other Medigap plans, rates for those UNDER 65 may not exceed 200% of the rates charged to those over 65. Where it save the state money is in MEDICAID cost - it will not save those which have Medigap plans from paying higher premiums as a result of this change. How much will be the question cause that

Delta Dental PPO Protect” policy appears like a great policy to have.  I cancelled my Blue Shield PPO after 20 years and bought the above policy.  An AARP representative, Judith, spent a lot of time with me explaining the better benefits of Delta Dental over Blue Shield..and told me I could call her anytime.  The policy has a higher monthly premium of $83/mo but because of the apparent broader cover & I am willing to pay more. This special Aarp policy allows the dentist to charge a higher amount than Blue Shield and more than Delta Dental’s HMO non AARP policy for various procedures like crowns. Certainly dentists are more likely to want to take this insurance as it gives them .  At my request  my Dentist priced both plans for me.  It was significantly less for me to use the HMO policy.  This issue was not a topic of conversation with Judith.  I tried to call Judith back on the phone number she gave me.  Turns out its an AARP number. &nb

KFF Healthnews -1/15/2026 - Kaiser Permanente To Pay $556 Million in Record Medicare Advantage Fraud Settlement  Something seems to be paying off -CMS.gov - 05/21/2025 - CMS Rolls Out Aggressive Strategy to Enhance and Accelerate Medicare Advantage Audits   

Please bear with me because I have Parkinson's and write, text slowly. I have lived all over the United States and have found there IS a big Disservice affecting people on Medicare which should BE FIXED ASAP. People who live in or near BIG CITIES - HAVE MANY OPTIONS in Health Insurance plans to choose from. While those living  in Rural or Remote areas HAVE FEW- IF ANY. IF everything else IS THE SAME with recipients, They SHOULD NOT BE PENALIZED or LEFT OUT just because they LIVE in a Remote or Rural Area. Thank you. James D. Hodges

  Hello;   CNA is again raising premium prices on my LTC policy;  this after major premium increases not that long ago,  If you have a CNA LTC policy and are similarly concerned, I'd appreciate if you would communicate with me about it. Thanks;C Steve Minor  

 In my state of New Hampshire 3 Medical insurance companies with Medicare contracts have  pulled up stakes, two are completely leaving the state and two are dropping part D plan.  None of the three including one that you seem to constantly recommend or at least highlight are no offering Medicare advantage plans in my area.  It's my understanding, correct me if I'm wrong, that AARP receives some compensation for companies or products it recommends.  If I am correct and given not only what is happening now but the fact that the special rates for members through AARP evaporate rather quickly in a year or two, it feels like a conflict of interest for AARP to suggest in anyway that one private provider should be considered over another.  

AARP sent me a letter saying my Dentegra Propel plan was renewing 1 Dec 2025 into the 2nd year . That did not mean I was actually IN MY SECOND YEAR as of 1 Dec 2025, where prices decrease for dental services.  "Renewal" meant that ALL services renew on 1 Jan or the next year (1 Jan 2026), called "Calendar year". This point was NOT mentioned in the AARP letter, nor in the Cert. of Coverage that Dentegra provides the Enrollee. Due to these omissions, I did not earn the benefits promised in the 2nd year of membership in Dentegra. Requesting clarification of terms does no good thru Dentegra customer service. Dentegra sends you more LEGAL gobbelygook, via email. The NYT recommends negotiation with dentists b/c ALL dental plans are VERY costly and cover little. Dental Ins. plans are NOT like other types of medical insurance.Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/well/live/dental-insurance-problems.html?searchResultPosition=4

UHC Advantage Falsely Charging $22/mo for a $0 Premium UHC Advantage is Charging me $22/mo for a $0 premium.  I've called in to UHC and they say they will take care of this immediately and "its just a website glitch".  2 weeks later - bill still there on my account on the website. My previous plan, WA-0002 was $0 plan.  My new 2026 plan WA-0014 prem. is also $0.  I guess they're hoping people paythese fraudulent premium bills or are they simply incompetent and this is just a "glitch"? Anyone else having these billing issues?