Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have FEHB (BCBS) as a secondary with Medicare A and B too, and fortunately have had no problems here in the senior/retiree ( or G-d's waiting room if you will) capital of the world-Florida. But I just wanted to mention that you should not have to worry about whether or not a provider takes your Blue Cross. As long as your Medicare is your primary insurance, Medicare should send the information for each claim to the BC ( their Coordination of Benefits department does this) for the BC's share of payment, making it unnecessary for you to find a provider who takes both, and uncecessary for the provider to file with BC for services they provide to you. As long as your provider takes traditional Medicare, it really doesn't matter if the provider is in the network or is a preferred provider for BC, BC will pay their share of the claim ( ie, copays, deducibles) as long as the provider files claim with Medicare and provides the information for the secondary insurance with the claimnas well.
At least this is what our Medicare/BC does,, and I'm sure it's supposed to work that way for all policyholders with Medicare and the federal employees BC/BS. You might check with their website to see the details.
That has been our experience as well with BCBS Basic and FEHB. There are no co-pays, except for Rx. Mr. Dokie has had two hip replacements and paid nothing out of pocket for either.
We have FEHB (BCBS) as a secondary with Medicare A and B too, and fortunately have had no problems here in the senior/retiree ( or G-d's waiting room if you will) capital of the world-Florida. But I just wanted to mention that you should not have to worry about whether or not a provider takes your Blue Cross. As long as your Medicare is your primary insurance, Medicare should send the information for each claim to the BC ( their Coordination of Benefits department does this) for the BC's share of payment, making it unnecessary for you to find a provider who takes both, and uncecessary for the provider to file with BC for services they provide to you. As long as your provider takes traditional Medicare, it really doesn't matter if the provider is in the network or is a preferred provider for BC, BC will pay their share of the claim ( ie, copays, deducibles) as long as the provider files claim with Medicare and provides the information for the secondary insurance with the claimnas well.
At least this is what our Medicare/BC does,, and I'm sure it's supposed to work that way for all policyholders with Medicare and the federal employees BC/BS. You might check with their website to see the details.
In follow up appointments, the doc had my blood pressure taken and one time it was off the charts, high. When I mentioned it, he literally said, "I don't care. I'm a surgeon," and proceeded to look at his handiwork, which he treated as separate from "me" as a whole person.
I wish I had said, "then why bother taking blood pressure?"
He had zero interest in me as a human being - I just had an interesting part that he "fixed."
We have FEHB (BCBS) as a secondary with Medicare A and B too, and fortunately have had no problems here in the senior/retiree ( or G-d's waiting room if you will) capital of the world-Florida. But I just wanted to mention that you should not have to worry about whether or not a provider takes your Blue Cross. As long as your Medicare is your primary insurance, Medicare should send the information for each claim to the BC ( their Coordination of Benefits department does this) for the BC's share of payment, making it unnecessary for you to find a provider who takes both, and uncecessary for the provider to file with BC for services they provide to you. As long as your provider takes traditional Medicare, it really doesn't matter if the provider is in the network or is a preferred provider for BC, BC will pay their share of the claim ( ie, copays, deducibles) as long as the provider files claim with Medicare and provides the information for the secondary insurance with the claimnas well.
At least this is what our Medicare/BC does,, and I'm sure it's supposed to work that way for all policyholders with Medicare and the federal employees BC/BS. You might check with their website to see the details.
That's how it works for my DH. He has Medicare A, B, and D, and BCBS as a secondary paid by his pre-retirement employer. He hands the doctor's office both cards and never sees a bill. He often has no co-pay at all too. We've never encountered any doctor/lab/clinic or PT place that wasn't perfectly happy with this. Different plans by the same insurer could have different coverage, of course, but most docs are happy to see BCBS and it's almost universally accepted wherever we've lived. Employer paid secondary is usually much better coverage than ACA BCBS unless you have a platinum level plan.
In fact we had a recent "refund" check for $98 and change sent to us by one of his docs. We can't figure it out because he's never paid that doctor a cent.
I am beginning to think, reading these posts and also from my own personal experience, that going to a doctor of any kind of "just checking" physical is a complete waste of time! I wonder how many older people who don't have a trusted doctor they have had for years would agree with that?
The insurance I have is as good as I can get -- I have heard too many horror stories of people being wiped out financially due to medical bills -- but that is in case I ever need some kind of emergency surgery or treatment. I wonder if I will ever again see a doctor just to check on how things are going with me physically. Again, reading these posts, I think it would be a waste of time -- so if I am ever in any kind of major "9 or 10" pain or can't breathe or have a fever of over 104, I will go to the ER.
I am very sorry for all of us who cannot rely on good quality medical care in our older years.
Unfortunately, those of us on any kind of maintenance medication are required to go in periodically, at least once a year, for prescription renewals. If not for that, I'd never go.
I am beginning to think, reading these posts and also from my own personal experience, that going to a doctor of any kind of "just checking" physical is a complete waste of time! I wonder how many older people who don't have a trusted doctor they have had for years would agree with that?
The insurance I have is as good as I can get -- I have heard too many horror stories of people being wiped out financially due to medical bills -- but that is in case I ever need some kind of emergency surgery or treatment. I wonder if I will ever again see a doctor just to check on how things are going with me physically. Again, reading these posts, I think it would be a waste of time -- so if I am ever in any kind of major "9 or 10" pain or can't breathe or have a fever of over 104, I will go to the ER.
I am very sorry for all of us who cannot rely on good quality medical care in our older years.
I have only gone to my endocrinologist for years now, ever since I had the weird thyroid disease. I take levothyroxine, and occasionally I get ultrasounds and biopsies on the nodules in my neck. He does the bloodwork, and that's pretty much all I do. I always had good health insurance, so it wasn't that.
Now I'm on Medicare, and it says I have until next June to get a Welcome to Medicare visit. I am toying with the idea, but I know when I go I'll be sent off to all sorts of tests and whatnot. I also considered going into Mount Sinai in NYC for an allover checkup a few years ago that is available to me through the WTC Health Registry, but just when I was thinking about going (at the urging of my escape-mate, who always has some kind of health issue going on that I don't think are necessarily related to the attacks), the pandemic came along and that was the end of that.
When my mom was 81, her old doctor retired, and she went to see the new one who took his place. The doc chirped "Oh, I see you've never had a colonoscopy, we'll get that scheduled", and Mom said, "Uh no, I don't think so. I've never had any problems in that area, there's no history of it in my family, and I think you doctors do too many invasive tests anyway." The doctor just looked at her and said, "OK". She lived another ten years, never having had a colonoscopy. Or cancer.
So, there's the Medicare thing and the WTC Health Registry thing. I'll think about it. I do go to the dentist and eye doctor regularly.
I refuse all so-called preventative and screening tests except an annual blood panel, and my doctor doesn't seem to have a problem with it. It's my body.
I am beginning to think, reading these posts and also from my own personal experience, that going to a doctor of any kind of "just checking" physical is a complete waste of time! I wonder how many older people who don't have a trusted doctor they have had for years would agree with that?
I do. I've never had a doctor and other than during pregnancy, have never had physical checkups. If something looks or feels wrong or hurts, then it's probably time to seek medical attention. While it's certainly possible I'm a ticking time bomb of some serious malady, more than likely I'm in pretty good health because I take care of my body.
If you have an older car that's running fine without any noticeable problems, do you take it to a mechanic once a year to get checked out, just for fun? I don't.
My mother complained that she didn't get sick until she started going to the doctor. She died of cancer.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
