Looking for one good Medicare Supplement or Advantage Plan?

Bob, I just turned 65 this month. It took me about three months to get Medicare and other medical insurance understood sort of.

I went with a medicare supplement plan G that covers everything that medicare doesn't except the $149 part B deductible. Plan F policies pay that but you'll pay more than $149 for that service.

I talked to my friends. I asked a couple of questions here. One gentleman on YA suggested I talk to an "independent" insurance agent--not one connected to a company. It turned out to be the smart thing to do. My agent saved me a bunch of money over what I was looking at buying on my own. Selecting a plan really is about finding one that suits your situation. My agent reviews her clients every year so that she can help them switch plans if another would work better.

One thing to keep in mind is that insurance companies that sell medicare supplement plans have to cover the same things. The only difference is the premium and it can be huge.

Good luck.

Before I signed anything, I called around to make sure that hospitals I was likely to use would take my prospective insurance--they do.

Go to the Medicare weblink below and look up the supplemental plans in your location that you can buy when you have Original Medicare. Your health doesnt matter when getting Medigap policy. The Medigap plans pay the 20% or so that Medicare does not pay. The cost is normally $125 to $250 a month depending on several factors.

If you choose an Advantage plan you dont have to buy supplemental insurance or a Part D plan since that is part of the Advantage plan. The Medicare and You book has ratings of customer satisfaction for the Advantage plans. These plans are not the same everywhere because insurance companies are not the same in every state.

The best thing you can do is what you're doing now. Check with your senior friends and acquaintances and ask them detailed questions. If they have a good supplemental plan, I'm sure they'll discuss it with you. If your cash flow is a problem, you may have to go with something less than you'd like. Health care insurance is a crap shoot just now with all the major players trying to get the upper hand when the Affordable Healthcare Act goes into effect in 2014. Don't overlook BC/BS. I'm with them but I'm with a large group and get a better rate than an individual would. I seldom pay anything out other than the premiums and I have major health problems. Thank God that the new AHA will remove any caps. Be sure you learn how the new AHA affects Medicare. Don't listen to the scare tactics you hear, get the facts. In reality it has very little effect on Medicare itself. Good luck.

I couldn't be more pleased with my Medicare Advantage Plan with Health Spring. Actually, my Doctor knew I was still struggling with horriffic medical bills from a near fatal hemhorrhagic stroke and recommended the change. He recommended Health Springs. Back then they just covered Texas and Illinois, but have since added Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

It is an HMO and they require referrals for all specialists visits. The drugs are included in the plan and the price is the same a regular Medicare. The hospital deductible is roughly 1/3 that due under Medicare, co-pays are very reasonable. I have my prescriptions filled with generics and sometimes at no cost to me. They are very prevention oriented. Charges for annual checkups are covered 100% and they have a program called "Silver Sneakers" that totally covers visits to gyms and physical fitness centers. They also pay promptly. Their phones are answered by "real live" people who are curteous and very helpful.

I just can't say enough good things about Health Spring!

Sorry, I don't have any info for you but I find this question interesting and will check back to see the answers you get.

My husband is also turning 65 in a couple of months and our son said that a medicare card just arrived in the US for him with a ton of info included in the package.

i asked him to forward it to us to read up on the info.

We no longer live in the US so have to go into the US embassy in a couple of weeks to tell them we don't want to take part in the medicare program for my husband.

We can not use it overseas where we now live and don't want to be charged every month for a service we can't use.

He already has coverage here in Hungary, the coverage is the same for everyone unless you want to pay extra for private doctors. The coverage only costs $30. a month.

Great news for me,as his spouse and a legal resident that has lived here over one year with my own private insurance, I now have the coverage as every citizen here has. Just went into the office today, in less then one hours time I had the national health card in my hand, same price for me, $30. a month.

I have not had health coverage in over 15 years when I worked in the US, it was terrible coverage as well.

The national coverage here even covers heart transplants, although it is not an everyday operation over here.No fears though, any doctor that is qualified to do that sort of surgery here is going to be the best they have.

I wonder why we can't have affordable coverage like this in the US, we have so many more people to support such a system. Employers pay for the coverage but as we don't work we pay out of pocket for the insurance.$60. a month for 2 people is really about all we can afford to pay on just one small ss check coming in.

Seems so ultra complicated in the US, I will come back to this question and see what others recommend, we may want to move home someday and would like to know if we can afford to come home ever or not.

So far, medicare advantage with United Health care through AARP has worked well for me, no additional premiums and my needs have all been authorized. It is an HMO, but the providers in the plan are excellent. My friend's children pay for a supplemental policy for her, and in comparing notes, it seems to cost her more in co pays, the only advantage I see, which has not been an issue for me is she can choose any provider she wants, and doesn't have to have a referral to see a specialist. When I needed a referral, there has been no problem.

Bob, you are an intelligent smart person and I would think you've already clicked on to <medicare.gov>. I remember receiving a Medicare book that provided names of health care supplements by state.

Humana has been pretty good for us, but the premium keeps soaring. It might go out of reach next year.

I have a great one and it's FREE......U.S. MILITARY TRICARE FOR LIFE. I pay $240 a year for my wife ($19+ change a month comes out of my retirement).

But I guess it's too late for you to try to get that.

I have my company's health insurance, medicare, and tricare for life.

And people make fun of us career military personnel!