I must be nearing 65, I have tons of Ins. spam

[Ozz]

Every day another three or four ad's come in wanting me to sign up for supplemental insurance.
Blue Cross sent another rate hike notice.
Should I cancel the Blue Cross?
What type of supplemental policy should I get?
(I am a vet, and have V.A. coverage)
Getting older is no fun....
Thanks, Ozz

[nailbender]

I turned 65 last month and sure glad it only happens once. It was very confusing which plan to choose. I ended up changing my Blue Cross to a supplemental plan. Good luck in choosing.

[sgtpp214]

I hate to further spoil your day Ozz, but this will occur every year between Nov 15 and Dec 31 when you can change your supplemental insurance. I get about 3 mailings everyday, but haven't recieved any spam yet.

[Waynem]

Jim,
I believe that the VA is only good in a VA facility.
Are you eligible for medicare?
Have you looked into the AARP Supplemental plan?

I (we) also receive those multiple advertisements that I can just toss in the garbage. I'm one of the fortunate ones covered by Tri-care for life, medicare, and VA.

Good luck.

[ARJ]

quote:Originally posted by Ozz

Every day another three or four ad's come in wanting me to sign up for supplemental insurance.
Blue Cross sent another rate hike notice.
Should I cancel the Blue Cross?
What type of supplemental policy should I get?
(I am a vet, and have V.A. coverage)
Getting older is no fun....
Thanks, Ozz

Go to www.medicare.gov. It lists the plans available in your state. In so much that all plans are the same, the cheapest one may be the best choice.

We have high deductable "F" which is kinda like gambling that out of pocket costs will not exceed the difference in premiums between a regular policy and one with high deductable in any given year.

You can also call your state insurance commission for information.

[stiles watson]

Ozz,

As you may have noticed, all the companies offer the same plans, i.e., Plan A.......Plan J, etc. That is because the supplemental plans are mandated. Unless you are planning to stay in one place, you will want an "open" plan, meaning you are not limited to particular doctors or facilities. AARP and Good Sam both have such a plan. AARP is through United Health Care and Good Sam's plan is through Transamerica Ins.

We have had good success with the AARP plan since 2005, However, we just changed to the Good Sam plan for a savings of about $120 per month for the 2 of us. We opted for Plan J because it has some preventative medicine and foreign travel included. The foreign travel was particularly important to us when Dianna broke her leg in Canada.

If you are on medications, you will want to consider Medicare Part D, which is the Rx coverage. This is independent of the Medicare Supplement policy.

In my opinion, if you plan to travel, you do not want a managed care or a PPO plan. While they appear to save money, they will have restrictions on them you may not want.

[Ozz]

Great information folks, I will check the Gov. site and maybe it will add information as well.
Sue is just a Pup, her ins. premium increased as well, so she is looking at various new plans.
I think my VA will be good for all the meds... ??

[TLightning]

Don't count on the VA. Unless you have a service connected disability, their treatment is based on income and, if you qualify, you have to use one of their facilties.

[ole dude]

If it is a supplemental for medicare, pick the plan you want, A thru J and shop the best price, looking for an A plus rated company. Basically all plans are alike. Read the fine print.

[sailer]

Just think Ozz you are only approaching 65 ,, wait you will get older and the aches and pain get worse ,, our big plan for the week is which doctor are we going to and what time till we have to be at the next appt 20 miles away sailer

[Ozz]

Tom, I am getting my meds for $7.00 per. I am on a disability (small) for a hearing loss from 'Nam.
Too much gunfire too close. I was able to document my hearing upon service entry and service exit.
I don't know if that is a qualifier for the meds or not.
ole dude, I will read them, by the way, the small print is always a pitfall, isn't it?
Thanks.

[Waynem]

Jim,
That qualifies you for the meds. Since you were in 'Nam you were exposed to Agent Orange. You are automatically qualified for a lot of other ailments that may come up. I get all my meds from VA. Talk to your representative, DAV, AMLegion, etc., and see what you may qualify for. Your meds may be free if you qualify.

[Ozz]

I think my net worth dis-qualifies me for free meds, but at $7.00 each for a 60 ? day supply, won't send me to the poor house...

[richfaa]

These supplementals require some homework and much depends on the health insurance you now have, if any. As retired Federal Employees we had the Blue Cross /Blue Shield standard plan that we were able to carry over into retirement. At 65 Medicare became primary and BC/BS became the secondary or in effect the supplemental. My portion of the BC/BS Federal plan cost me @125.0 per month and will increase somewhat in 2009. I consider that a very reasonable cost. We have been retired since 1999 and with that combination have never paid a dollar in medical cost.

[Waynem]

If it is service connected, it should be free.