Loading ...My first surprise was that I would still have to pay premiums on my Medicare part B (Medical). That is slightly less than the Obummercare premiums I now pay… even with my ‘low income’ tax credit.
I was all over the United Healthcare website following the AARP endorsement, and a friend in Honolulu also recommended them. She has a United ‘Medicare advantage’ plan (Part C) that covers everything including drugs.
So in researching the United Healthcare website, I find that for my zipcode out here in the boondocks of a distant county, United Health DOES NOT OFFER a ‘Medicare Advantage’ plan that it DOES offer in Honolulu, some 250 miles and four islands distant. What I have available are eight variations of Supplemental patchwork insurance to pay excess Part B and various other things like skilled nursing facility stays.
And the Drug plan (Part D) is a separate offering and premium payment.
What really pissed me off is the inequality of the offerings based on geographic grounds (or waters, in our case!)
In order to get full part B “medigap” coverage of everything (the last 20% of part B)… they want a premium that is as large as I am paying for the base part B to Medicare. And that STILL does not cover prescriptions.
Part D prescription offering that would work for me (not a heavy drug user) will cost a third again as much as the above premium.
So If I roll up the whole mess… I wind up paying TWICE as much as I now pay for Obummercare. And living on social security alone, that’s wayyyy too expensive.
For that reason I may just go with Part D prescription coverage only, plus paying my Medicare premiums on Part B…. and telling the rest of the insurance scammers “F/U”. I think risking the payment of the 20% not covered by Part B is the cheapest alternative. I’m healthy and proactive about my health. I guess the best revenge is to live well and stay healthy. And if I see health problems developing in the future, every year during open enrollment I can get supplemental insurance if I think I will need it.
So it’s not that I didn’t research it all. It’s the fact that the Effing insurance companies don’t offer S#!T to us po’ folk out in the boondocks…. unless we pay a lot MORE money.