Medicare supplement experts here?

[Eliot Rosewater]

If I have a supplement with any company, it will auto renew each year with of course a higher premium, correct?

What if from the time I started Medicare and a supplement to next week when I am shopping supplement prices (not advantage, I wont do that crap) I have a new diagnosis, for instance CKD-Kidney disease. Let's say I have that now and didnt when I started and I have had the same company/supplement from the beginning:

1. can my current carrier make any changes at all affecting my coverage based on this new diagnosis (answer has to be no but I will ask)

2. if I were to change to a new carrier's supplement, and they ask if I have CKD and I think they do, then what happens when I say yes?

thanks

[NewHendoLib]

1. looks like all parts of Medicare (B, supplement, and D) auto renew

as long as you keep making the payments

https://www.medicareallies.com/senior-insurance-blog/do-you-have-to-renew-your-medicare-supplement-every-year

[Eliot Rosewater]

6. Thanks

[snowybirdie]

2. A few years ago

Hubby was refused new carrier coverage with a similar new diagnosis. So he's had to stay with his original carrier despite high rising premiums every year. I believe CDK is the one disease they can they can refuse for new clients. Sorry, but check with an expert.

[Eliot Rosewater]

7. Thanks

[SheltieLover]

3. My supplement auto renewed

With a rise in premium, of course.

Good luck.

Please let us know what you find out?

[Eliot Rosewater]

8. Thanks

[SheltieLover]

10. Another idea

Call your local Council on Aging!

They can even give you prices for various plans.

I've found them to be invaluable!

Good luck!

[Eliot Rosewater]

12. Thanks, I am able to price all the plans online, and yet get this, I got the email from Medicare

that I can look for new plans ahead of the open enrollment of Oct 15...

So I clicked on the link for AARP united healthcare, and I put in the specific information to get a specific quote and it gave me a price of $131 for my wife for plan G. This was $20 less than what our renewal with Anthem was going to be so I was curious.

One was age pricing and one was community pricing, so they are different.

So I then went to Costco and used their link to get prices as they associate with ehealth I think it is called and the price was $144, not $131 for the exact same coverage with AARP/United Healthcare, so I called them and they confirmed for me that the higher price was accurate.

I am not surprised that United Healthcare was doing a bait and switch of sorts. I am surprised AARP puts up with it.

[Blue Dawn]

4. When my husband and I first got our Medicare supplement plans....

....I was certain to ask that question. I was assured that as long as we continued paying our premiums and had no lapse in coverage that we would never lose our insurance even if we happened to be diagnosed with any additional health issues.

Our premiums have gone up yearly, of course.

He has a Plan F with Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Plan F was phased out the year after my husband was able to get a Medical plan. But I was able to get Plan G through Mutual of Omaha, and Plan G took the place of Plan F. Our insurance premiums aren't outrageously high. Mine is under $100 a month. My husband's costs more, at $178 a month.

My mother and brother-in-law have an Advantage plan and they have no premiums whatsoever. However, my husband and I did our research and did not think an Advantage plan fit our needs. I am sure it works for some people.

I hope that we were given the correct information when we signed up. I would hate to lose our insurance should one of us develop a serious health condition.

[Eliot Rosewater]

5. Thanks...

I cant do Advantage because I have to have a primary care doc/practice that is not part of any of the big groups like Kaiser, etc.

[Blue Dawn]

9. Yes, I really do understand that.

We absolutely love our primary care doctor, as well as our other doctors, so we didnt want a plan with limited doctors to choose from. So far, our plans have worked out well. I think having a good established relationship with our doctors makes good sense, especially at our age. I bet you feel the same way......

However, I am doing research now for better Part D prescription plans. I hate having to meet our $480 yearly deductibles before either plan even pays one dollar of our prescriptions. My prescriptions don't even total $480 for the entire year, so I feel like we are throwing our money away by paying those premiums. I hope we can find plans that work better for us. I will keep looking.

The whole Medicare supplement experience can be stressful because of all the options available. I hope you continue to get good care with your plan.

I really appreciate that you asked the question you asked. I am always learning, and DUers are a wealth of great information!

Enjoy your weekend, ER!

[Eliot Rosewater]

11. I have found any part D plan that has Costco as a preferred pharmacy, it is a good deal

You can also get the ones that are exclusive to CVS, if you are willing to do that, it is also cheap.

[Blue Dawn]

13. That's a great idea!

I hadn't thought about doing that, but I am going to search for plans like that. Thank you so much! This will really help me.

[csziggy]

14. I don't know about other companies or changing supplemental plans

But about two weeks after my Medicare and Banker's Life supplemental kicked in, I had a MRI which diagnosed my stenotic aortic valve. Two months later while the cardiothoracic surgeon was working up the plan to do a valve transplant, they found a mass on my left kidney which turned out to be cancer.

So in the first six months of my coverage, I had a transarterial valve replacement (TAVR) and my left kidney removed. Banker's Life paid out a bunch of money that first year but never flinched on renewal of my policy.

Now, my insurance agent recommended Plan F which has no deductible and they pay full price (except for some of the local providers that do not follow Medicare rules and charge whatever the fuck they like so patients end up paying what Medicare and supplementals do not). I pay monthly and unless I want to make a change, it renews automatically.

The advantage in going with a private plan rather than through a group system such as AARP is that even if your plan, like my Plan F, is discontinued, you will be grandfathered in and be able to keep that plan as long as you live. Of course, to do that you have to stay with the same company and not jump around.

[dwayneb]

15. No they can't increase premium based on your new diagnosis BUT

It behooves everyone to do the math and project as best they can, what their premiums for Supplement will be as you get older.

Let's say at 65 you start at $130 a month for the premium. Every year that premium goes up based on either a age-based or a community-based policy; and, many companies, like UHC gives you a big "discount" that begins going away when you turn 71. Essentially, this is an age-based premium increase disguised as discount reductions.

For me, doing the math based on the local historical community increases, and factoring in the discount reductions beginning at 71, my premium that was $130 at 65 will be about $338 a month at 80, $411 at 85 and $484 at 90.