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Old 05-22-2023, 09:40 AM
 
18 posts, read 15,924 times
Reputation: 48

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Hi All,
I have been reading this forum in preparation for enrolling in Medicare Plan B and Medigap. I am still working and have very good employer health insurance. I will be 70 soon and decided to call it a day. After going through the threads here and in other forums, I have decided to go with High deductible G plan. I am in Maryland. Many here suggested United American. According to NAIC 2021 report, they insure only 4750 folks in MD, where as First Care and Carefirst together insure about 53000 folks in MD. I have the following questions,
1. Do I have to consider total number of Medicare customers for an insurance company in the state?. I thought more customers is better, am I wrong?
2. Reviews for both companies are not good, but the reviews include non Medicare customers and mostly those customers have reviewed.
3. I spoke to SHIP person in our county. But he was not helpful in selecting a carrier.
4. Currently we have AETNA and that has worked out great so far. But the employer is great and offers this plan with 100% payable for hearing aids, CPAP, and few other durable medical equipment. For medicare, AETNA may be different.
5. As suggested by all, I am not considering Omaha.
6. Can you please help me pick the company based on the information I have provided?.

Thanks for your help
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Old 05-22-2023, 10:57 AM
 
Location: Bellevue
2,971 posts, read 3,206,974 times
Reputation: 2803
Quote:
Originally Posted by RockvilleDave View Post
Hi All,
I have been reading this forum in preparation for enrolling in Medicare Plan B and Medigap. I am still working and have very good employer health insurance. I will be 70 soon and decided to call it a day. After going through the threads here and in other forums, I have decided to go with High deductible G plan. I am in Maryland. Many here suggested United American. According to NAIC 2021 report, they insure only 4750 folks in MD, where as First Care and Carefirst together insure about 53000 folks in MD. I have the following questions,
1. Do I have to consider total number of Medicare customers for an insurance company in the state?. I thought more customers is better, am I wrong?
2. Reviews for both companies are not good, but the reviews include non Medicare customers and mostly those customers have reviewed.
3. I spoke to SHIP person in our county. But he was not helpful in selecting a carrier.
4. Currently we have AETNA and that has worked out great so far. But the employer is great and offers this plan with 100% payable for hearing aids, CPAP, and few other durable medical equipment. For medicare, AETNA may be different.
5. As suggested by all, I am not considering Omaha.
6. Can you please help me pick the company based on the information I have provided?.

Thanks for your help
You most likely qualify for free Medicare Plan A. You will be applying for Plan B. Then you also need to consider Plan D.

1) Total number of customers does create a larger pool. Hard to assess health of the pool. A large group of smokers not so good.
2) Ratings reviews may not be so accurate. Difficult to know about poor customer service, poor communication, pay high price for what you get.
3) SHIP may be of no use in smaller state. SHIP members may come out of insurance business & don't do much to help consumer.
4) AETNA acquired by CVS. New business model to have clinics in pharmacy stores.
5) Maybe consider Blue Cross, AARP-UHC to have something to compare with.

At 70 the best Medigap plan for you is the best for you. A lot depends on your health & needs for now & into the future.
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Old 05-23-2023, 01:33 PM
 
18 posts, read 15,924 times
Reputation: 48
Thanks GWoodle for your response,

I think FirstCare Medplus is BCBS here in Maryland. AARP UNH offers only Plan G, so not considering. I agree, MediGap plan is best for me and HD plan G has high value as Ariadne22 mentioned in other threads.
My concern is if I go with United American, which has the lowest premium, they may now pay their share as I read in one of the older threads. They said we didn't get the premium payment, so the policy was cancelled, even though it was on auto pay. Only one thread mentioned that. But the price difference in HD G plan is not whole lot.So I was considering FirstCare Medplus, it's a Maryland local company with over 50K medicare customers while United American has only 4.7K. Even Aetna price is not whole lot different than FirstCare, but their customer base in Maryland is low.

Among United, FirstCareMedplus and Aetna, which one to go for HD Plan G, Following table gives 2023 HD plang G premiums in MD

Maryland 2023 High Deductible Plan G
  1. [u]Company[/U] AGE 65 70 75 80 85
  2. Aetna Health Insurance Company $ 60 $ 63 $ 75 $ 88 $103
  3. Bankers Fidelity Assurance Company $ 47 $ 50 $ 59 $ 69 $ 80
  4. Elips Life Insurance Company $ 63 $ 67 $ 80 $ 96 $117
  5. FirstCare, Inc. (d.b.a. CareFirst MedPlus) $ 48 $ 61 $ 74 $ 88 $ 99
  6. Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company $ 34 $ 47 $ 56 $ 67 $ 67
  7. Humana Insurance Company $ 65 $ 79 $ 95 $112 $130
  8. Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company $ 50 $ 56 $ 67 $ 81 $ 97
  9. Philadelphia American Life Insurance $ 39 $ 43 $ 51 $ 63 $ 75
  10. Physicians Life Insurance Company $ 61 $ 67 $ 83 $104 $129
  11. United American Insurance Company $ 39 $ 54 $ 64 $ 77 $ 77
  12. United States Fire Insurance Company $ 57 $ 62 $ 72 $ 83 $ 97
  13. Washington National Insurance Company $ 50 $ 61 $ 74 $ 88 $103
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Old 05-23-2023, 04:46 PM
 
244 posts, read 172,597 times
Reputation: 702
I would consider Globe Life, which is the parent of United American.

As with most HD plans, they have had high price stability. Globe Life has not increased premiums on the G-HD since it was introduced in Maryland and since introducing F-HD in Maryland in 2014, the premium has increased a cumulative 5% (about 0.6% a year).

Last edited by CharlieAllnut; 05-23-2023 at 05:20 PM..
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Old 05-23-2023, 09:28 PM
 
18 posts, read 15,924 times
Reputation: 48
Thanks for the suggestion. Now I am considering United. You suggested Globe life, parent of United American. Is it same as "Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company". That has much lower premiums than United American. Why both Globe Life and United American are offering Plan G and High deductible Plan G. They are competing against each other?. In NAIC report for 2021, only United has been mentioned, not Globe Life. Where did you find the price history for both companies?.

Thanks for taking time to explain.
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Old 05-24-2023, 10:17 AM
 
244 posts, read 172,597 times
Reputation: 702
Sorry, I should have been more explicit - when I wrote Globe Life I meant Globe Life and Accident insurance Company.

They (Global Life and United American) have been offering Plan F-HD by both companies in Maryland since 2014 (by United American since 2005) and offering Plan G-HD by both companies since it was first introduced in 2020.

They are not known for playing the closed pool games (like Mutual of Omaha).

I have given up trying to figure out the product and pricing strategies of corporations - airfare prices, car rental rates, why General Motors used to sell virtually identical car models under the Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile names, etc.). Why both companies are both offering Plan G-HD in Maryland is a question for the strategists at Globe Life and United American.

Interesting point is that in my state, United American (the company I use) has not raised Plan G-HD prices since they started offering it in 2020. No (or small infrequent) increases seem to be the norm for United American high-deductible policies.

However, in Maryland, United American raised the Plan G-HD 6% in March 2021, another 6% in March 2022, and then 9% in March 2023; while Global Life hasn’t raised Plan G-HD rates in Maryland at all since starting to offer Plan G-HD in 2020.

One point worth mentioning is that a lot of people here have Medigap high-deductible plans with United American (with no issues or problems, me included), but I do not recall anyone using Global Life for their high-deductible plan.

Both companies have the same mailing address and probably are using the exact same systems for the processing of their Plan G-HD policies, but is it worth the savings to go with Global Life? I don’t know.

By the way, I use the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s “System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing†(SERFF) to get price history.

It’s a little wonky, but it can be found by searching “SERFF Marylandâ€.

Last edited by CharlieAllnut; 05-24-2023 at 11:29 AM..
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Old 05-25-2023, 07:36 AM
 
18 posts, read 15,924 times
Reputation: 48
Thanks CharlieAllnut for the clarification.

After reading your post, did more research on United and Globe. In Maryland, United has about 5K customers and Globe has 280 only. I spoke to MD SHIP rep. for our county. He was very helpful and answered most of my questions and provided lots of details. He also said HD plan G has best value for those wo don't use doctor's services often. I go to the doctor's office for regular annual checkup and blood work. That's it. Once in 5 years, cardiologist for detailed checkup. So, HD Plan G looks good.

The SHIP rep. also said Maryland passed the Birth Day Law like CA and OR. It's effective Jul. 1st 2023. So, he said changing the company won't be a problem going forward. Globe has the lowest premium and then United. The SHIP person said, Part A and B deductibles also count towards HD deductible. I was not aware of that.

Also, I am planning to through an independent broker. Boomers, Nationwide or Expert Medicare. Need to decide on that. I think all are independent brokers and not tied to any one carrier. Anyone here has any suggestions?.

Thanks for helping me out. Very much appreciated.
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Old 05-25-2023, 08:00 AM
 
244 posts, read 172,597 times
Reputation: 702
Quote:
Originally Posted by RockvilleDave View Post
Thanks CharlieAllnut for the clarification.

After reading your post, did more research on United and Globe. In Maryland, United has about 5K customers and Globe has 280 only. I spoke to MD SHIP rep. for our county. He was very helpful and answered most of my questions and provided lots of details. He also said HD plan G has best value for those wo don't use doctor's services often. I go to the doctor's office for regular annual checkup and blood work. That's it. Once in 5 years, cardiologist for detailed checkup. So, HD Plan G looks good.

The SHIP rep. also said Maryland passed the Birth Day Law like CA and OR. It's effective Jul. 1st 2023. So, he said changing the company won't be a problem going forward. Globe has the lowest premium and then United. The SHIP person said, Part A and B deductibles also count towards HD deductible. I was not aware of that.

Also, I am planning to through an independent broker. Boomers, Nationwide or Expert Medicare. Need to decide on that. I think all are independent brokers and not tied to any one carrier. Anyone here has any suggestions?.

Thanks for helping me out. Very much appreciated.
With the implementation of the Birthday Rule in Maryland, I would be more likely to go with Globe Life. If you end up not being happy with them, you can switch in a year.

United American increasing their Plan G-HD premium by over 20% in the last three years in Maryland is a little worrisome.

By the way, I am a client of Medicare Nationwide and have been very satisfied with them. I have heard good things about Boomer Benefits. Medicare Nationwide is small, Boomer Benefits is big.

I do not remember hearing of anyone who has used Expert Medicare and I know nothing about them.

Last edited by CharlieAllnut; 05-25-2023 at 08:14 AM..
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Old 05-25-2023, 08:47 AM
 
4,297 posts, read 7,160,879 times
Reputation: 3440
Quote:
Originally Posted by RockvilleDave View Post
Thanks CharlieAllnut for the clarification.

After reading your post, did more research on United and Globe. In Maryland, United has about 5K customers and Globe has 280 only. I spoke to MD SHIP rep. for our county. He was very helpful and answered most of my questions and provided lots of details. He also said HD plan G has best value for those wo don't use doctor's services often. I go to the doctor's office for regular annual checkup and blood work. That's it. Once in 5 years, cardiologist for detailed checkup. So, HD Plan G looks good.

The SHIP rep. also said Maryland passed the Birth Day Law like CA and OR. It's effective Jul. 1st 2023. So, he said changing the company won't be a problem going forward. Globe has the lowest premium and then United. The SHIP person said, Part A and B deductibles also count towards HD deductible. I was not aware of that.

Also, I am planning to through an independent broker. Boomers, Nationwide or Expert Medicare. Need to decide on that. I think all are independent brokers and not tied to any one carrier. Anyone here has any suggestions?.

Thanks for helping me out. Very much appreciated.
Just be advised that Medicare does not cover a routine physical exam. Some Advantage plans will cover that, however.

Medicare does cover a "Wellness" visit, but that is basically a question and answer session with your primary care provider. If your provider identifies areas of concern as a result, Medicare may cover necessary blood work or tests.
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Old 05-25-2023, 09:45 AM
 
1,178 posts, read 2,820,629 times
Reputation: 509
We have had Aetna Medigap Plan F for 9 years. Located in Georgia. We are happy with it. Never had any issues. My husband has had among other things cancer and 2 knee replacements and every test available for cognitive. I have had lots of issues also. Aetna has paid 100 % after Medicare with no hassles. Lucky to be grandfathered in to F but I know other plans are good also.
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