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Came in the mail today, our United Healthcare plan "F" premium (married couple) goes from $ 354 to $ 386 by September 2019. A 9% increase.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariadne22
Therefore, call UHC and ask to switch to their Plan G. Many here have already done that. Premiums usually are attractively lower. You would each be responsible for the annual $185 (2019) Part B deductible, but thereafter the plan functions exactly as an F.
The rates in the UHC link do not include the 5% household discount and $2/month EFT discount so subtract those from the rates shown.
On October 1, UHC changed their internal rule that allowed Plan F enrollees to downgrade to Plan G anytime without underwriting but call to see if you qualify.
If you do not qualify, CA has a "Birthday Rule" where you can downgrade to Plan G without underwriting near your birthday. You should take advantage of this rule each year to enroll in the lowest cost Medigap plan. I reviewed the rates in your area and UHC has the lowest cost Plan G.
There is no guarantee that the deductible for Medicare that you pay with Plan G, will not go way up. And when it does, you won't be able to go back to Plan F. So think this through carefully.
There is no guarantee that the deductible for Medicare that you pay with Plan G, will not go way up. And when it does, you won't be able to go back to Plan F. So think this through carefully.
Plan F does not "insure" you against increases in the Part B deductible - it only pays the deductible amount that exists at the time of the claim. Further, because Plan F will no longer be available to those first eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, the insureds within that plan will be getting older and sicker, which naturally will cause higher percentage premium increases.
Premiums for Plan G will always be lower because of the cost-sharing. Insurers love cost-sharing.
Plan F premiums will be adjusted annualy to compensate for the Part B deductible increases. There is no free lunch. Some companies already charge double the cost of the actual Part B deductible for that option - and have varying premiums for the feature depending on age. The premium for Part B deductible coverage is definitely not fixed when you buy a Plan F.
There is no guarantee that the deductible for Medicare that you pay with Plan G, will not go way up. And when it does, you won't be able to go back to Plan F. So think this through carefully.
When the Part B deductible increases, the Plan F premium increases by a similar amount to cover the deductible. Either way, you are paying the deductible.
For those "in the know", aka SCGamecock or Ariadne22, can you tell if AARP/UHC is going to be bringing out a G plan in Delaware soon? Have you heard anything? I looked on the Medicare.gov site to see what the price differential was and the site didn't even list AARP G as an option in Delaware for 2019! I would kind of assume that they would before 2020, but now I'm not so sure. You know what it means to ass-u-me! I tried to do a search and didn't come up with anything other than G plans from other companies. Unfortunately we both have pre-existing conditions, so we could never pass medical underwriting for a reasonable price with another company. I would like to stay with AARP/UHC if possible, since we are happy with them, but am concerned that the premiums will skyrocket after the F is no longer available to new clients.
I know I shouldn't panic as we still have over a year....but...….. Thanks for any help!
For those "in the know", aka SCGamecock or Ariadne22, can you tell if AARP/UHC is going to be bringing out a G plan in Delaware soon? Have you heard anything? I looked on the Medicare.gov site to see what the price differential was and the site didn't even list AARP G as an option in Delaware for 2019!
Use the UHC link at the bottom of this post. Medicare.gov is great for Parts C/D but their supplement information is lacking at best.
I entered Dover, DE zip code 19901 and desired supplement start date of 11/2018. It gave a Plan G preferred rate in large font and a level 2 rate for unhealthy persons in tiny font. If you have been with UHC for awhile, you may be on an old pricing schedule so the actual Plan G rate may a little different but close.
Note that effective October 1, UHC terminated their internal rule allowing changes from Plan F to G without underwriting. Moving to Plan G now requires underwriting, however, they have lenient requirements to get the preferred rate. There is no harm in trying. They cannot take away your current plan. For now, you can still move from F to N without underwriting and keep the preferred rate status. Good luck!
Rothbear, Plan N is good alternative to G if UHC won't give you the preferred rate. Under Plan N, you do pay $20 for each dr. visit and $50 for ER admission but otherwise, if you don't need limiting/excess charge coverage for nonparticipating Medicare providers like Mayo Clinic, N is a good choice.
When researched medigap for my 2018 coverage, I went with Mutual of Omaha Plan G because they were the cheaper than AARP and others. I don't know how they compare now in today's market.
When researched medigap for my 2018 coverage, I went with Mutual of Omaha Plan G because they were the cheaper than AARP and others. I don't know how they compare now in today's market.
AARP is higher because it is a community-rated policy, with a cap on age-based rate increases at age 77. Mutual of Omaha is an attained-age policy, and can raise its rates due to age until age 85.
One should avoid purchasing a Medigap based on what is "cheapest" at the time. You want to look at overall pricing long-term.
We had a thread on MOO a while back, here - please read carefully - lots of good comments:
An attained-age policy can quickly become very pricey. Example: My sister bought an attained-age policy from Aetna at age 66 for $142. Today, three years later, her premium is $205, whereas Aetna will sell a new policy to a 69 y/o for $167. Whatever rate you were told you would have at age 70, 75, etc. applies ONLY to purchasers that age - not you - because your book of business/risk pool will have closed and rates will be higher. SCGamecock has a good post on the above-link on that issue.
While your health is still good and you are young, consider switching to either an issue-age policy or AARP UHC community-rated - especially if you expect to live to your 80's and 90's.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 11-20-2018 at 12:28 AM..
Use the UHC link at the bottom of this post. Medicare.gov is great for Parts C/D but their supplement information is lacking at best.
I entered Dover, DE zip code 19901 and desired supplement start date of 11/2018. It gave a Plan G preferred rate in large font and a level 2 rate for unhealthy persons in tiny font. If you have been with UHC for awhile, you may be on an old pricing schedule so the actual Plan G rate may a little different but close.
Note that effective October 1, UHC terminated their internal rule allowing changes from Plan F to G without underwriting. Moving to Plan G now requires underwriting, however, they have lenient requirements to get the preferred rate. There is no harm in trying. They cannot take away your current plan. For now, you can still move from F to N without underwriting and keep the preferred rate status. Good luck!
That is definitely NOT good news for those of us without pensions, huge IRAs ,and big SS checks. We have been with them since we started but if that is the Tier 2 rate, it is much higher than we are already paying for F. And if F goes up like that starting 2020 we aren't going to be able to afford it. Unfortunately I have not had a good 12 months healthwise. Had major surgery for diverticulitis 11/17 and then reversal 5/18 including all the hospital time, medical supplies and follow up visits. Although that is hopefully behind me now, I'm sure they are going to hold that against me since they had to pay a lot for all of it. Plus DH has sleep apnea (controlled with unit) which insurance companies don't like at all. Would have been nice if UHC had told us that before they did it. One more thing to worry about. We can try, though. I assume that if it isn't on the Medicare.gov site we would have to go directly to UHC to do this. Not sure why I didn't see your post earlier, but at least we still have until 12/7. Thanks!
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