Medicare Supplement

[dylan33]

I live in Michigan and have part a and b medicare coverage but still need more coverage as I am still needing to pay many bills not covered. Could someone please advise what plans would be best for this situation. Thanks

[elleng]

1. I'm not an expert,

have Medicare and Federal Employees Health Care Blue Cross which appear to cover everything, but a friend has Medicare + Kaiser Permanente, which seems to be serving him well. There are others.

[montanacowboy]

2. I have Medicare

and federal program BC/BS supplemental which works pretty well

[SheilaT]

3. Call or go to your local Social Security office.

They can give or mail to you information. You can also go on to the internet and see what is available to you where you live.

I live in a different part of the country. I signed up for an Advantage plan that includes drug coverage, eye exams, and some dental. What you have available to you is probably different, but check it all out. if possible, talk to people already on Medicare who are in a similar situation. That's what I did, which helped me decide what plan to sign up for.

[Roselma]

4. Here is the link to the federal

government Medicare website (further linked to the beginning of a search page for Medigap plans). http://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/medigap-home.aspx My hubby just started Medicare in November. He has had a number of health problems necessitating very frequent blood tests, imaging, and specialist visits. He has been and will likely be hospitalized, so he got the most comprehensive of the available plans which is "F". He pays a premium, and nothing more for Medicare approved services at providers that accept Medicare "assignment". He had a rough December with visits to a hematologist and endocrinologist with multiple blood tests and some imaging. Since he was in the first month ever of Medicare, he was supposed to pay a deductible. His "F" program covered that deductible and all the other charges for him. We got a statement from his supplement provider. They paid out $700 for just the month of December alone. There are lesser coverage levels in these medigap plans that don't cover deductibles for A or B but cover all copays. They cost less. The "F" plan that my husband got costs $164/month. Oh....and he also selected a part D plan from that same Medicare website I linked. His medication costs are very high ($26K last year), but he was able to find a Part D plan through that website that had a premium of $48/month and 4 tiers of formulary. Only one of his prescriptions is at the highest copay. So he pays $48/month and $130/month (approximate) for his medications. He will hit the donut hole in July/August, but will then receive "catastrophic" Part D coverage in September. Oh...and his "F" plan will cover providers that accept Medicare but do not accept Medicare assignment. That could be a big deal if he needs medical care in a hospital where he won't be able to turn away a doctor.

[KauaiK]

5. You don't state your age, but

I believe what you want is Plan F. If you are 55 or older AARP has a good selection.

[COLGATE4]

6. You might want to look on AARP's (American Association

of Retired Persons) website. I believe they have recommendations for Medicare supplement insurance.