Medigap, Advantage, Plan F Premiums in Tennessee? (Knoxville: sales, insurance)

[DaveinMtAiry]

I give up. I have tried since Sunday to get a very basic question answered. Specifically how much does it cost in Tennessee to get additional supplemental medical coverage on top of Medicare. Every site I go to only promises a sales call after completion of the forms. I finally called, pushed the appropriate number when prompted, and I was told "goodbye" because I was not currently enrolled in Medicare. Interesting marketing strategy, what if I was a month from enrolling?

So I've come here for help. Can any retirees give me some sort of idea on how much we can expect to pay for additional insurance that Medicare does not cover? I know there are different plans but I literally don't know if we should expect $150 a month per person or $500 a month/person and this is kind of important info.

Thanks in advance.

[Page2]

You might want to try this site
BCBS of Tennessee Medigap Plans for Tennessee
If you looking for a single place that will give you comparative numbers, I don't know of one. The price varies by county in some cases, so most of the companies require you to do some shopping on their terms, and they want your information to pitch you.
It seems like there would be an easier way, but....

[Serious Conversation]

I would also ask on the retirement forum, which we both frequent. The Tri-Cities forum is a pretty limited audience, and I know there are TN retirees there.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Thanks folks. I am on the retirement board and the costs I saw posted were terrifying, but they were for expensive states and rates vary by state. That's why I thought I'd try here.

[arabus]

According to my research on medicare.gov , a high deductible F has a range of $29-92 a month. If you don't want the high F, then get a G, which runs from $87-215 per month. The G is the same as the regular F except that G does not cover the Part B deductible. If you do the research you will find in most cases that you are better off buying the G and paying the deductible out of pocket. ( The F plan is more expensive, so you end up paying the deductible and more which is hidden in the monthly payments)

An example to illustrate:
plan F =$110
plan G = 100
Deductible = 100

plan F would cost $1320 a year even with no medical visits
plan G would cost $1200 with no visits, and $1300 if you pay the full deductible.



All supplemental plans are regulated and must be the same, so shop for the cheapest.

There are 3 types of plan offerings.
Community Rated
Issue Age Rated
Attained Age Rated

With Community Rated the price is the same for everyone, regardless of age.

With Issue Age Rated the price depends on your age when you sign up and then does not change as you age.(It might vary with inflation, I'm not sure.)

With Attained Age Rated the price goes up as you get older.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Thanks so much arabus. I finally talked to an agent and she told me the same thing, G is a better option than F. $87-$215/ month is a pretty big range. Any idea why? Are those Tennessee rates or is the wide range because that's due to the huge cost differences between the states?

[arabus]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Thanks so much arabus. I finally talked to an agent and she told me the same thing, G is a better option than F. $87-$215/ month is a pretty big range. Any idea why? Are those Tennessee rates or is the wide range because that's due to the huge cost differences between the states?

Those rates are from the Knoxville Area in TN.

I am not sure at this stage. I would guess it varies with your age as well as the insurance company. Also prices would be different depending on the type of plan. I would think that "Issue Rated" would be more expensive initially than "Age Acquired".

Unfortunately, "Community Rated" does not seem to be an option in TN. So, it looks like the choice is between "Age Acquired" which would have a lower starting cost but raises each year as you age, or "Issue Rated" which probably starts out higher but does not increase as you age. Both plans would likely increase due to inflation.

[DaveinMtAiry]

I gotta admit I am totally unfamiliar with those terms but I can certainly learn more as the time approaches. Thanks again for your contribution, I had no idea where to ask this question.