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Whoa, $10,000/year for a couple is way more than I remember other posters saying they pay. The Insurance board doesn't really have the topic, maybe I should start a new thread.
No need to start a new thread. Read this thread - from a NY'er posted last week - should provide the information you need.
Mathjak has an hd-F which is the same as a Medigap F, except with a $2,180 deductible and a substantially lower premium. Depending on where you live, since total exposure under an hd-F is $2,180 plus premium, or generally $3,000 a year, paying a premium in excess of $3k/year for a Medigap makes no sense whatsoever. I laugh at some of the outrageous rates in certain areas of NY.
So do a cost-benefit analysis - hd-F v. regular Medigap F/G - before jumping into a costly Medigap. Only difference between G and F is G doesn't pay the $166 Part B Deductible, F does. However, some companies charge $240 a year just to pay the $166 deductible, so buying an F doesn't make any sense there, either.
Generally, as MJ says, with a Medigap, most people are looking at:
$121 - Medicare Part B
$x50 - Medicare Part D
$250 - Medigap F/G
$421 - Total per person/$840 per couple ($10,080/yr).
and that's not counting drug copays...
Or, they purchase an hd-F, or find a good Medicare Medical Savings Account Advantage plan with no networks/no drug coverage, zero premium (not offered in NY, I don't think), or join a regular Advantage plan.
Lastly, NY is a guaranteed issue state. So, if you decide to change coverage, your health won't impact acceptance or rates for any other plan you might decide to buy going forward. That is also covered on the thread linked above.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 04-17-2016 at 02:39 PM..
in ny every age gets the same price but we start off higher . md is 214 at 65 for a f-plan , we are about 300 but stay the same price age wise regardless .
My current retiree's health insurance covers for my husband's medigap. For the current insurance, we chose the high deductible plan at the cost of $170 for my husband (he has Medicare A, B and D).
We will both have to switch to medigap plans when I turns 65. Out of my curiosity, I searched for the cost F-plan in NY and found this webpage
It is interesting to see that the costs vary with both providers and locations. The differences can be quite significant.
In the Mid-Hudson region where we live, the cheapest F-plan is $193 with CDPHP and the most expensive is $449.76 with Bankers Conseco.
Aetna's fee for Buffalo is $275.61 for Buffalo and $422.9 for Long Island. So a couple can pay $10K or more per year just for Medigap part F alone based on what type of plan and where they live.
Aetna's fee for Buffalo is $275.61 for Buffalo and $422.9 for Long Island. So a couple can pay $10K or more per year just for Medigap part F alone based on what type of plan and where they live.
If they're silly enough to choose an F. In Long Island, an hd-F ranges in price from $62-$93/mo., or a worst-case scenario annual cost of:
$1,116 - hd-F Premium
$2,180 - Deductible
$3,296 - Total Annual Cost v. $5,314.80 for a Medigap F ($442.90x12).
A difference of $2,019 more for the regular Medigap F for NO additional benefit. There isn't one Medigap F in Long Island that makes any cost-effective financial sense for anyone. In Buffalo, the AARP Medigap F @ $187.75/mo. could be the better choice - if one anticipates their 20% share of Medicare expenses ($11,265) will be in excess of $2,253. You've gotta rack up a some big expenses to reach that. Hip replacements might be one. Last I saw, Medicare paid over $12k for that.
when you think about how much you need in uncovered medicare expenses based on medicare rates , trying to cover the difference between a high deduct f and regular f in nyc it is insane .
a 2000 buck mri might cost medicare 500 bucks , they pay 80% so out of that whole thing you would pay 100 bucks for an mri .
i don't expect our supplement to pay a thing for quite a while but since you never know we have it in place .
All that said, TN should definitely be cheaper than NY. Some of the southern states have Medigap F premiums in the $120-$140 range.
Generally, with Part B and a good Medigap F/G, your medical costs are limited to your premiums. There should be no major surprises - unless a service isn't covered by Medicare at all.
when you think about how much you need in uncovered medicare expenses based on medicare rates , trying to cover the difference between a high deduct f and regular f in nyc it is insane .
a 2000 buck mri might cost medicare 500 bucks , they pay 80% so out of that whole thing you would pay 100 bucks for an mri .
This is exactly right. For the most part, the hd-F is just cya insurance worst case. You know anything over $2,180, you're home free. The two years I had my hd-F, it paid nothing. In that time, I paid out-of-pocket in copays/deductible maybe $500, plus the premiums of course.
I now have a Medicare Medical Savings Account Advantage plan (no networks, no drug coverage) - not offered in every state. Zero premium, deductible $5,000, Medicare deposits $2,000 into MSA account with Mellon Bank. I pay first dollar Medicare expenses (no Medicare cost-sharing) up to $5k - but I've got the $2k to use first. Thereafter, Medicare pays 100%. Net exposure $3k/yr. So, for me, this is better than paying $900/yr for an hd-F plan which pays nothing. I still have complete provider flexibility, which is a biggee.
I just used my MSA plan for minor laser eye surgery. Medicare allowed charge per eye (hosp&doc) $737x2 = $1,474 - covered by the $2k in the MSA account. What isn't used one year, carries over to the next. Monies can also be used for any qualified IRS medical expense. This year, I expect between dentist and chiropractor, I'll pretty much zero out what remains in that account. Two MSA's are offered in WI - both by in-state health systems - Marshfield Clinic (Security) and Medical College/Froedtert (Network Health dba Network Prime). 2016 is only the second year these plans have been offered in WI.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 04-17-2016 at 05:45 PM..
I think Medicare has too many surprises and potential gotchas.
Something is wrong when seniors have to play the what if? game. I fully expect to be having some serious online discussions with our Medicare expert - Ariadne22 - in the latter part of this year.
And depending on who is elected, probably the following year as well. Ugh
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