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Old 10-26-21, 12:47 PM  
bzar
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medicare - on topic!

I have several years before i become eligible, but now that it's open enrollment, i've been seeing a lot of commercials about it. i've also gone to 2 info sessions at work on what to expect. the major take away i got, the message they kept drilling into my head, was when you become eligible, sign up, otherwise you will be monetarily penalized! why? because SOMEONE has to pay that premium.

i also learned that all of the independent medicare representatives have different plans! i always assumed medicare was medicare. not so.

my question is, once you are enrolled, do some of the plans have any fitness benefits (discounts on joining a club or points for staying active, or incentives for keeping up with various health check-ups)?
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Old 10-26-21, 01:17 PM  
Pat58
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I believe it is United Healthcare Medicare that offers Silver Sneakers.

But, I have a doctor with a sign by the receptionist that says "United Healthcare Medicare patients not accepted."

Roll eyes! Once we get there we also have to navigate which doctors will take us undesirables.
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Old 10-26-21, 01:25 PM  
gladgirl
 
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I know that United Health care allows a 1yr Peleton app subscription and it's not for Medicare only...my DD is using it.
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Old 10-26-21, 01:51 PM  
Messe
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pat58 View Post
I believe it is United Healthcare Medicare that offers Silver Sneakers.

But, I have a doctor with a sign by the receptionist that says "United Healthcare Medicare patients not accepted."

Roll eyes! Once we get there we also have to navigate which doctors will take us undesirables.
I don't think it's that we're undesirables as much as it is that some doctors don't want to accept assignment.
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Old 10-26-21, 01:55 PM  
bzar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pat58 View Post
I believe it is United Healthcare Medicare that offers Silver Sneakers.

But, I have a doctor with a sign by the receptionist that says "United Healthcare Medicare patients not accepted."

Roll eyes! Once we get there we also have to navigate which doctors will take us undesirables.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Messe View Post
I don't think it's that we're undesirables as much as it is that some doctors don't want to accept assignment.
"Medicare not accepted" - does that mean if you only have medicare (and nothing else), they are less likely to accept you as a patient?

because i'll have coordinated coverage once i sign up for medicare, meaning i'll have retiree coverage from my employer, and my employer's premium price tags have a special lower cost premium for medicare patients.
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disclosure: in the years 2002-2004 i had a professional relationship with a distributor of fitness videos; see profile.
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Old 10-26-21, 02:50 PM  
Messe
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bzar View Post
"Medicare not accepted" - does that mean if you only have medicare (and nothing else), they are less likely to accept you as a patient?

because i'll have coordinated coverage once i sign up for medicare, meaning i'll have retiree coverage from my employer, and my employer's premium price tags have a special lower cost premium for medicare patients.
About accepting assignment: https://www.medicarefaq.com/faqs/wha...re-assignment/
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Old 10-26-21, 03:46 PM  
Izzy
 
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Location: West of Chicago in the Illinois Corn Belt
Aetna also offers Silver Sneakers. My appointment is next week. I plan to make some changes. This is a perk, you can shop around during open enrollment.

You are right, Medicare is Medicare. It’s the supplements that offer some other features.
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Old 10-26-21, 11:30 PM  
adawn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bzar View Post
I have several years before i become eligible, but now that it's open enrollment, i've been seeing a lot of commercials about it. i've also gone to 2 info sessions at work on what to expect. the major take away i got, the message they kept drilling into my head, was when you become eligible, sign up, otherwise you will be monetarily penalized! why? because SOMEONE has to pay that premium.

i also learned that all of the independent medicare representatives have different plans! i always assumed medicare was medicare. not so.

my question is, once you are enrolled, do some of the plans have any fitness benefits (discounts on joining a club or points for staying active, or incentives for keeping up with various health check-ups)?
If you want someone independent, free and unbiased to help you navigate, pre-covid, you used to be able to get an appointment with a SHIP counselor in your state. They generally tend to meet with you one on one at a local senior center or community center. Depending on the state you live in, you can also visit your state's SHIP website and some of them have really handy tools and/or pdf documents and premium tables. Kind of depends on the state as far as how good their online tools and documents are. FYI, when you get beyond Parts A & B, plans and availability of plans can vary dramatically even from one county to a neighboring county.

Personally, I was able to learn mostly everything my mom needed to know using the online tools on the medicare website plus my state's SHIP website (I went to the SHIP appointment with her and the SHIP counselor didn't really add anything new to to my understanding).

My mom's a big fan of Plan F high deductible for her supplemental by the way. However, I have an uncle that loves his medicare advantage plan, but he doesn't care what doctors he sees and he's willing to go to dentists within their networks in order to get some limited dental coverage.

I'm not sure if any of my mom's doctors take advantage (plus, sometimes advantage copays are high for specialists vs. just paying 20% of the medicare Part B negotiated rate and so depending on how many specialists you see in a month, some advantage copays can really add up). And my mom's dentist does not accept the kind of dental coverage that some advantage plans provide, and a good dentist is hard to find so she's not willing to switch. I could discuss medicare stuff all day but I'll stop here.
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Old 10-27-21, 01:08 AM  
cataddict
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It really depends on where you live since all plans are not offered everywhere. My parents had United Healthcare supplemental insurance and it worked great for them, but in my area no one really takes it. DH chose an advantage plan that offers vision, dental, and prescription coverage along with "rewards" for getting vaccines and regular physicals. The copays (when required) are reasonable and it does offer emergency care when traveling out of network, so no, it's not 100% out of pocket. In our area there really is really only one plan that most doctors take, including the one that my DH has gone to for several years. Fortunately it is a good plan and he's been happy with it and the transition from his employer plan to the Medicare plan has been a seamless experience. I guess what I'm saying is like adawn mentioned, you need to investigate the plans offered in your area--that can really narrow it down and you can get a better idea of the benefits available to you, including the fitness benefit. The benefits can and do change from year to year, however. I believe that many Medicare advantage plans have some sort of fitness benefit, so it's not just Medicare supplements that do. The one in our area reimbursed $350 for fitness classes, memberships, and fitness activities such as fitness streaming subscriptions. Next year it covers Silver Sneakers membership only.

Oh, and yes, you absolutely need to sign up at least for Medicare Part A (hospitalization) by the time you turn 65, regardless of whether you are still covered under an employer health plan or you will be penalized later. You can delay signing up for Part B (doctors) until you leave your employer's plan.

It can be overwhelming to figure it all out, but the Medicare website really has a ton of information. DH didn't find it necessary to talk to an outside consultant (which he was concerned would try to sell him something) after looking at the website and contacting the insurance companies he was looking at to ask specific questions. As JaneP said, you can change it the next year if you aren't happy with the plan.

Some doctors don't want to accept Medicare patients or limit the number of patients they take because the reimbursement is pretty low. However, my DH's employer insurance plan also wasn't accepted at quite a few doctors for the same reason.
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Old 10-27-21, 12:25 PM  
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I'll be 65 in a couple of weeks, so I've recently been through the whole process. I won't repeat anything here because several people have already provided great information.

My best advice is to find an insurance broker. They cost you nothing, and they will help you easily navigate the ins and outs of whatever you choose.

Definitely be careful signing up for Medicare Advantage because even though it's cheaper, your long term, out of pocket costs could be substantial. I have been paying astronomical private insurance premiums for years, with a deductible of $7000+, so the $145/month Medicare payment and $105/month supplement and $17/month prescription fee, and $250/year deductible is like a giant raise for me. Never expected to be so excited to turn 65!
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