Advice on Choosing Affordable Health Plan

[jcam222]

the brokers can help sort out a plan that will cover your meds, your doctor is in network etc. you can do all this yourself, but its a PITA. brokers are free and the complete the enrollment for you-to me that is a huge benefit. Colorado uses their own marketplace website and it seem to a nightmare.

I dont run any of my meds through my insurance. I use the Kroger health saving plan (i think thats the name) $36 a year and everything is real cheap and they cover all my meds. My ins wont cover one of mine at all and its a spendy one. removing the medication piece makes it much easier to pic a plan. its pretty much down to providers/provider networks, deductibles, cost and such.

I'll have to look into that Kroger. Some of my meds will be cheaper through GoodRX as well. Insurance is the most painful part of early retirement. Nothing will be as good as what I had for years until Medicare

 

[sandyut]

I'll have to look into that Kroger. Some of my meds will be cheaper through GoodRX as well. Insurance is the most painful part of early retirement. Nothing will be as good as what I had for years until Medicare

The Kroger plan is great! I have to remind them to use on annual renewals as Ins is the default. then im good for another year. the website lets you look up without being a member, so you run some quick math on the savings.

https://www.krogerhealthsavings.com/

my wife is on Medicare, it hurts to see how she gets for nearly nothing...like everything I get bent over on.

 

[babydocsmoke]

I pretty much found the plan I wanted and told him. He will give suggestions but mine always wants me to go with a high deductible plan with $0 premium. I was just using the agent to make sure everything was done correctly. The hard part is keeping income down and finding a doctor that will take you and the plan.

This is likely the best option assuming you don't use your insurance that often. Like others have said, watch the drug costs.

Assuming you don't take a lot of routine medication (again, you don't use your insurance that often) then the lower premiums tend to result in lower overall cost. But you have to include the cost of medications, because a "really good plan" on paper might have horrible drug coverage and not tell you that outright.

I don't live in the adult medicine world, but I can tell you that physicians are just as frustrated with insurance companies as their patients are. Probably more. Typically payment from the insurance company or what docs call "reimbursement for service" increases every couple of years to match increased cost and the rate of inflation. Your increase cost of insurance every year or two would match that.

Well that hasn't happened for about 18 or so years now. Payment to your doctors clinic has been the same. So now your doctor and the business guys that run the clinic are out of sorts because the overall value of the service provided has continually gone down. Numbers might be the same, but we're constantly making less and less money. Docs are often seen as people with deep pockets, but just remember I had to put off a lot of stuff and take out a lot of money on credit to be where I am. I love my job and I'd do it all again, but my student loans are more than double my mortgage. Over the last few years inflation as gone sky high and so have all kinds of other costs. (I'm paying almost double for the gals that help me in my clinic compared to pay 10-12 years ago).

Think that stagnant payment has resulted in lower premiums for patients? Hardly.

Insurance companies and the shmuck middle men have been growing fat while grilling patients and suffocating doctors. Plus there is so much corruption. Don't get me started on corruption....

Here is a taste in case you're interested --$50 billion in fraudulent billing to Medicare from insurance companies for things no doctor ever diagnosed or treated --

https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/medicare-health-insurance-diagnosis-payments-b4d99a5d

 

[jcam222]

The Kroger plan is great! I have to remind them to use on annual renewals as Ins is the default. then im good for another year. the website lets you look up without being a member, so you run some quick math on the savings.

https://www.krogerhealthsavings.com/

my wife is on Medicare, it hurts to see how she gets for nearly nothing...like everything I get bent over on.

Man thanks for posting this! I have 5 meds. For the Kroger 1 is free, 3 are $4 a month and the last is $35 a month. I'll probably join, get the 4 cheap ones there instead of the $15' cost from the insurance plan. The more expensive one I'll run through insurance for $15.

 

[Fueling Around]

Once you go on Medicare you have the option of an add on medication plan (mine is 0$ as I am not on any big pharma meds) or part of an advantage plan. A Medicare Supplement plan usually does not have a medication plan so you need the add on. Thing that sucks is a med plan is supposedly option, but if you don't enroll in the 3 months grace period, you are penalized for late enrollment. That tells me which lobbyists have helped create our Medicare coverage for seniors.
Sure wish we had the same medical retirement plan as our politicians. Never paid into it, never a retirement premium, and free meds and dental for life. WE need to put them on ACA and Medicare

 

[jcam222]

Once you go on Medicare you have the option of an add on medication plan (mine is 0$ as I am not on any big pharma meds) or part of an advantage plan. A Medicare Supplement plan usually does not have a medication plan so you need the add on. Thing that sucks is a med plan is supposedly option, but if you don't enroll in the 3 months grace period, you are penalized for late enrollment. That tells me which lobbyists have helped create our Medicare coverage for seniors.
Sure wish we had the same medical retirement plan as our politicians. Never paid into it, never a retirement premium, and free meds and dental for life. WE need to put them on ACA and Medicare

100%agree

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

watch the drug costs.

So far with this plan my meds dont cost anything.

 

[BigW.]

If you have a traditional Medicare Plan, you need to get a supplement to pay the 20% Medicare does not pay. Plan G is the most comprehensive. Then add a Part D plan for drugs. It is not that hard to find the best plan once you straighten out the alphabet soup of plan types.