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The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

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Shut up, hissy kitty!

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

In after Baud. Damn.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

You are here: Home / Anderson On Health Insurance / Choose your MEDICARE plan by tonight

Choose your MEDICARE plan by tonight

by | 46 Comments

This post is in: 

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) ends tonight at midnight.

If you want changes to your Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plans those changes have be completed by tonight.

ACA Open Enrollment for coverage that starts on January 1, 2023 has a hard(ish) deadline of December 15.  Get moving on that.

IF you need help, drop a question in comments….

Reader Interactions

46Comments

  1. 1.

    Steeplejack

    Possibly stupid question: I already have a Medicare Advantage plan. Does it automatically get renewed for next year or do I have to explicitly do something? I haven’t seen any “must act now” notice from my provider. But I might have missed it in the torrent of “pick us!” mail from everyone else.

    ETA: Haven’t called my provider because their automated phone system is like entering a portal to the underworld.

  2. 2.

    Layer8Problem

    I’m in a Bronze plan in New York State with a nice big high deductable, but with general good health inshalllah a Silver plan doesn’t make financial sense.  I do have to get off my rear and start evaluating to see if any new plans with free ponies are available, or just stick with what I’ve got.  But yeah, must execute by the 15th.  My partner in Medicare Land is biting the fingernails because I haven’t yet.

  3. 3.

    Scout211

    @Steeplejack:

    If you stay with the same plan and the plan is still active, you are automatically re-enrolled.  You would have been notified if your plan was dropped, in plenty of time to choose another plan.

    Medicare Advantage plans (Part C)
    Medicare Advantage plans also renew automatically each year unless Medicare cancels its contract with the plan or your insurance company stops offering the plan. If the plan doesn’t renew, you may qualify for a Special Election Period.

  4. 4.

    Sure Lurkalot

    I finished up this week. My new D plan is $10/month cheaper and my one script is cheapest with that carrier. Also new Part G plan…had been with the same company for 3 years and the premium had increased 35%. New premium is less than original price back in 2020. Major carrier too.

  6. 6.

    MFA

    My partner turns 65 in Feb. and is trying to navigate the info available to make a reasonable choice for Medicare in PA. She tells me her experience is that 95% of sources are for-profit, and most of the independent sites seem to be of little help. So:

    Any definitive/highly recommended sites for assisting PA seekers of the best Medicare choice guidance? All pointers welcome.

  9. 9.

    geg6

    I dread this when I become eligible (in November!!!!!).  But I’ll still be employed with employer health care.  I am, however, told I have to sign up for Medicare or there is some kind of penalty.  Ugh.  Not looking forward to figuring this all out.

  12. 12.

    Ohio Mom

    @MFA: from google:

    “For help choosing a Medicare plan or for other Medicare-related questions, you can contact the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. From the website, you can search for your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) for one-on-one insurance counseling and help with Medicare.”

    That’s close to what we did, called our local Council on Aging which matched us up with a volunteer counselor. We met him at the library and he gave us an orientation without any sales pitches.

    Here is what he taught us: there are two overall choices: an Advantage plan and traditional Medicare.

    There are usually a number Advantage plans to choose among in any geographical location. They are networks run/owned by private insurance companies (they are paid by the Feds, it’s a privatization effort that naturally provides private companies with opportunities to skim. But I digress) .

    Advantage plans usually have lots of bells and whistles, in that they provide services that Traditional Medicare does not: for example, dental, vision and hearing, and they include drugs. But because they are networks, you may be limited in the doctors you can see.

    Traditional Medicare is somewhat akin to old-fashioned fee-for-service insurance in that you are not limited to a specific network of doctors. This could be useful if you acquire a strange medical condition and want to see a specialist in another city.

    But the catch here is, there is no ceiling on your 20% copay. Not a big deal if your share is $20 out of $100 but if you rack up a bill of a gazillion dollars, that 20% will be astronomical.

    For this reason, you will need to purchase a Gap plan to help pay for your copays. And a Part D plan to cover your drugs, because Traditional Medicare does not cover drugs. You may think this sounds more expensive than an Advantage plan but Traditional Medicare tends to be front-loaded and Advantage plans back-loaded as far as costs you pay for.

    Does all this give you a headache? Are you thinking, Why is this so complicated, how am I supposed to compare these apples and oranges? These questions proves you are well on your way to understanding this maze!

  14. 14.

    Ohio Mom

    @MFA: P. S., please note that your partner has a six month window to sign up for whatever version of Medicare she chooses: three months before her birthday and three months after.

    If she is late in signing up, she can be penalized with higher fees for the rest of her life.

  15. 15.

    Ohio Mom

    @geg6: I can’t tell you about the details of signing up when you are employed and covered by your employer because that did not apply to me or Ohio Dad. But you are correct that you must sign up during that six-month window.

    The counselor from the PA Department of Aging will know because turning 65 while still employed and covered is a fairly common set of circumstances.

    Good luck!

  16. 16.

    Scout211

    @MFA: SHIP is the free Medicare navigator program.  Each state has one but may be called something different in each state. (In California it’s called HICAP).

    Ohio Mom has great information in her comment for you.

    Here is the contact information for the Pennsylvania SHIP program.

    CONTACT YOUR SHIP

    PA MEDI – Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight

    Call
    1-800-783-7067

    Website
    http://www.aging.pa.gov

    Call today!

  18. 18.

    Scout211

    @geg6: First, check with your HR at your job. My husband didn’t retire until he was 71 but once he turned 65, the university required him to sign up for Medicare and our coverage through the university (for him) switched to Blue Cross as a secondary insurance. It was still primary for me.

    There are certain circumstances in which you don’t have to enroll in Medicare if you have a plan with your employment but there are strict requirements for coverage that is equal or better than what you would get with Medicare. In this private market, that is few and far between.

    Probably the best and easiest option is to sign up with regular Medicare at 65 to avoid the higher premiums that signing up later would cause. Your current insurance coverage could be your secondary.  That worked well for my husband until he retired.  

    But first, check with your HR insurance person to get an idea what your employer’s policies are.

    And if you have more questions, call your state SHIP program and they can guide you.

  21. 21.

    Ohio Mom

    @raven: That’s in chapter two of my Medicare presentation. I am very biased against the whole idea of Advantage plans but understand why someone on a tight budget might be enticed.

  24. 24.

    lee

    My daughter aged off our plan. Now she has to sign up for Obamacare and is having a tough time figuring it all out.

    Aren’t there ‘sherpas’ that help with this sort of thing? She is located in the Austin Texas area.

    Thanks!

  25. 25.

    RandyG

    @Ohio Mom: A Medicare Advantage PPO plan (if available, as opposed to an HMO) will have a wider network of local providers, and will provide some coverage out of network, including out-of-state. For starters, check to see whether your current providers, including specialists, are covered in the available plans.

  26. 26.

    Ohio Mom

    @raven: I started watching that video — it is excellent (at least the first ten minutes). Really shows how expensive and limiting Advantage plans can be.

  30. 30.

    raven

    @Ohio Mom: Yep, we are Plan G all the way! My wife just became eligible and gets the same stipend from my former employee so we’re happy a hogs rootin in manure!!

  31. 31.

    wmd

    I’m on a COBRA plan – checked ACA pricing and the COBRA was clearly the winner
    PPO, $1500 deductible, $2000 OOP max, $700/month, 61 year old single male.
    cheapest ACA on Covered California had much higher deductible and OOP max and was over $900.

    I do have a question:
    I will be overseas for about half of 2023 in Italy getting dual citizenship (birthright citizenship – jure sanguinis). I’ll be using private health insurance in Italy until I qualify for national healthcare. I’ll be returning to the US and would want to continue on COBRA until I have employer sponsored insurance again.

    Do I need to eat the cost of premiums during the period when I will not be able to use the US healthcare system? Or is there a way to suspend COBRA while retaining the ability to start it up again?

  32. 32.

    Ohio Mom

    @wmd: If David Anderson doesn’t come back to this thread, I would email him your question. You’ll have to look around the menu for the front pagers’ contact info.

  34. 34.

    frosty

    @MFA: We’re in York County. We have Medigap plans from Capital (Harrisburg) Blue Shield. All our providers are in Maryland and I couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone on whether they would be covered under Medicare Advantage. Those seem to be strictly state plans.

    Medigap has worked well since we travel a lot. Both of us have needed treatment in various places across the country and it’s been no hassle.

    @geg6: We went to a Medicare seminar which was good at explaining the basics and the choices to be made. Like I said above, our choice was based on the Mason-Dixon line.

    I signed up for Medicare at 65 IIRC and got the card, while I was still working. Neither of us used it while I had employer insurance. It was only when retirement was looming that we had to navigate the whole mess.

    Don’t get me started on coverage for my 25-year old. After diving into Obamacare I found out he was eligible for Medicaid and that’s what he’s got while he finishes college.

  35. 35.

    wmd

    @Ohio Mom:

    Thanks.

    It may be moot, just had a very good call with a recruiter for a start up that has no problem with me being remote in Europe, so I may have employer sponsored insurance. I expect to hear from hiring manager within a week, the work is a very good fit.

  37. 37.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @MFA: @Ohio Mom covers a lot. The only thing I would add is that if you go with traditional Medicare with a gap plan you don’t have to go through underwriting. If you go with Medicare advantage initially  and then decide you want to go with traditional Medicare down the road you have to go through underwriting for the gap plan. You could try reaching out to a social worker at a senior center in your area. Just an FYI I read an article either in Kaiser News or Stat News that agents make more money off selling Medicare advantage plans than Gap plans so keep that in mind if you feel somebody is pushing Medicare advantage plans.

  39. 39.

    geg6

    @Ohio Mom:

    What six-month window?  Should I be doing this now rather than waiting until I am actually 65?  Almost a year from now?  I thought I had a year to figure this out.

  40. 40.

    Steeplejack

    I am fine with my Medicare Advantage plan through Kaiser Permanente. All of the docs are employees, and the facilities are company-owned. I am in generally good health (knock on wood) and don’t feel the need to pick and choose specific doctors for everything that happens.

  41. 41.

    sab

    @geg6: You can start the application process 3 months before you turn 65, and you have until 3 months after to complete the process ion time. My experience from a couple of years ago was that it took a couple of months just to get an appointment to talk to Medicare people.

  42. 42.

    BretH

    Anyone have advice on HSA plans? I have been advised to start  one – retired and changed to an eligible insurance plan in July but the rules for contributions are not totally clear to me. Plus catch-up contribution as I’m over 60

  46. 46.

    Ohio Mom

    @geg6: You can sign up three months before your birthday or three months after.

    Lets say your birthday is April 1, 2023. That means your window is between January 1 to July 1, 2023.

    You can’t sign up before January 1 (though you can certainly research your options before then); if you sign up after July 1, you may have higher fees for the rest of your life.

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