Ques for you guys on Medicare re the supplement.

[Sistema1927]

I am curious to know what anyone that has it thinks of Tricare for Life...that's what my future holds in a few more years.

My Mom and Dad had Tricare for Life. Mom died 7 years ago in the hospital at age 82 after battling cancer. Zero out of pocket expenses.

Dad died this past June at home on hospice at age 90 after battling cancer. Zero out of pocket expenses.

Both received excellent care.

Sounds like your future with medical care will be OK.

 

[SweetMK]

The wife and I have the United Healthcare "Advantage" plan,,
(that is in addition to Medicare)

We do not pay a NICKEL for that program.

I know everyone is different, as to your medical needs.

Between the wife and I, we have been on this for 25 total years.

We are VERY happy with it,,
I just talked my best friend out of paying for the additional coverage, last year,,
(he lives in a different state, Pennsylvania)

He is happy!!.

 

[Huskerguy]

I am curious to know what anyone that has it thinks of Tricare for Life...that's what my future holds in a few more years.

My father, just passed away on August 5th at age 92. He was retired military and had Tricare for Life. I had to understand it as I was his DPOA. I am also on Medicare. Tricare is very good. They did start charging for medications and he had to use Express Scripts. Once I got that all straightened out, things were great.

Edit: I would add that I did find a couple small snags with Tricare, one that I recall well was when my father started to get bad enough he couldn't remember which meds to take. There are pharmacies that can package meds morning and night so it makes it easier. The place I talked to did not work with Tricare.

 

[Huskerguy]

I am not certain I fully understand the question. There are two supplementals - Part B doctors and commonly called medicare supplemental and Part D prescriptions.

When comparing plans, a plan F in Nebraska is the same as a plan F in Georgia. That is by Federal law. So when someone says the Blue Cross Blue Shield pays better, they are mistaken. I have and advisor who really does the leg work and sits down and explains everything to me and I am the kind of person that wants to know.

Some states have different options as far as plans. They can change from year to year as well but a good advisor will keep up on that. Had some friends who swore by BCBS and when I got ready to retire I used an agent who compared all plans and what I found was BCBS had a much smaller group and thus were higher. After several years of big increases our friends ended up with an Aetna plan just like we have.

Now the Part D prescription plan can vary a great deal. As someone already stated, they will type in your meds and then compare companies. My wife and I each pay around $10 a month, hardly nothing for our plans through WellCare. One year I had to take a very expensive antibiotic for a lung disease. I found out in November and called my insurance guy and he ran my policy and found the best deal for that expensive stuff. It went way up in premium price but it paid better for the drug. After I got off that stuff, I went back to WellCare and my premiums are hardly anything. This is another area where a good agent will do some comparison shopping for you.

Hope this helps. Yes, it is way too confusion along with Social Security. I can't tell you how many people I have counseled about all of this. Then there are Advantage Plans which do not work in my rural area. As I understand Ad Plans, you are essentially opting out of medicare and into a private insurance plan. Getting outside the network can be a hassle and our local hospital opted to not deal with Ad Plans and everyone who had them was stuck.

 

[Old&Retired]

I am curious to know what anyone that has it thinks of Tricare for Life...that's what my future holds in a few more years.

Been on Tricare for Life for over 10 years now. Have never had a "Patient Pays" bill in all that time other than my long term prescriptions (thru Express Scripts). Wife can't wait to hit 65 so she can participate also.

As to the previous poster commenting on the Fed govt paying for all the Medicare commercials...please read the disclaimers! The are NOT associated with the Government at all. They are PRIVATE insurance companies trying to get your business in their HMO type insurance plan. This includes the commercial done by Joe Namath.

 

[dockmurgw]

Thanks to all for the Tricare for Life comments. Its comforting to hear that real life experience with it is positive.

 

[Sistema1927]

As to the previous poster commenting on the Fed govt paying for all the Medicare commercials...please read the disclaimers! The are NOT associated with the Government at all. They are PRIVATE insurance companies trying to get your business in their HMO type insurance plan. This includes the commercial done by Joe Namath.

If that was directed to me, note that I did not say that the Feds were paying for the commercials (even though, indirectly, they, and we, are). Instead, I said that there was a ton of money being funneled into the PROGRAM (Medicare) by the feds.

The amount of advertising, paid for by the providers, leads me to believe that these programs are structured to be so profitable that there must be something wrong. In other words, follow the money. It appears that there is a big fat pot of it, and these companies are falling all over themselves to get some of it.

And yes, the feds, and us, are paying for it. As in anything with the government, there are always those looking to profit. The Medicare program appears to be structured in such a way to line lots of pockets.

 

[CalifEd]

Thanks to all for the Tricare for Life comments. Its comforting to hear that real life experience with it is positive.

I have been on TCL for a number of years and the only problem is that one laboratory, LabCorp, seems to 'loose' my TCL number on a regular basis, so they send me a bill.
After calling to give them my number, all is taken care of.
I suspect they have to accept TCL payment and write off some of the bill so 'losing' the info and have me pay is a better deal for them.

 

[K-22]

Aetna

I'm using Mutual of Omaha as my supplement but they're raising their rates. It's a good policy but, do any of you know of a company with similar coverage at a better price? What's your experience in all of this?



thnx

We have Aetna, we pay zero premium, and the coverage is excellent.
I am allowed $1500 a year for dental, and $4000 per year for hearing aids.
And so far when I call, I have gotten agents whose first language was English.
(Not sure about the gal from Alabama )
Best,
Gary

 

[Targets Guy]

Medicare and Tricare. Our pharmacy doesn't accept Tricare anymore but my meds are generic and the cost is about $20 a quarter. If the cost goes up I'll have to find a participating pharmacy.

 

[DWalt]

We have Aetna, we pay zero premium, and the coverage is excellent.
I am allowed $1500 a year for dental, and $4000 per year for hearing aids.
And so far when I call, I have gotten agents whose first language was English.
(Not sure about the gal from Alabama )
Best,
Gary

My Aetna plan includes many extra benefits other plans do not, such as hearing aids, full coverage for many OTC medications and devices, and some dental procedures. And for less than my former Cigna plan. I noticed today that my local supermarket chain (H-E-B) has a sign in their Pharmacy area saying they will assist you in choosing a Medicare supplement plan during the open season, which is now.

 

[Retired LTC USAR]

Why I'm glad that I have Tricare For Life as my secondary payee plus my drugs through them.

 

[sceva]

My wife and I are lucky in that as she is a Retired employee of the state we get a very nice Advantage plan with a very low deductible and an out of pocket max that's lower than most deductibles. It is an Aetna PPO plan and we can go to any physician anywhere that accepts medicare, don't have to designate a primary care physician and don't have to see if a provider is In Network.

 

[Onomea]

Here's a good article from the NYT today discussing the pros and cons of traditional Medicare vs Medicare Advantage:

Medicare Enrollment Guide: 2024 Edition - The New York Times