I have no idea how it works. My wife is on medicare with a Humana PPO supplement. She travels quite a bit, with her home base in Florida and periods of time in Philadelphia and New Orleans. In Philly she has sought medical care for an injured shoulder. I called around to see what hospitals accept Humana, none would accept it. Using a relative who works for one of the hospitals, one agreed to accepting the Humana plan. Orthopedist recommended physical therapy, found one PT that would accept Humana. Among those who would not accept Humana, the response was "we take medicare patients, but not Humana". What the heck does that mean?
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- Thread starter rbockman
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Are you sure she isn't on Medicare Advantage through Humana? That is what it sounds like. A Medicare Advantage plan restricts you to their network of doctors and hospitals.
If she has original Medicare plus a medicare supplement plan then any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare should take her, no matter who the supplement plan is through because Medicare picks up 80% of the tab and the supplement is for the remainding 20% (plus whatever deductibles and co-pays the plan might have).
If one travels a lot you would be a lot better off with original Medicare and a medicare supplement than a Medicare Advantage Plan.
If she has original Medicare plus a medicare supplement plan then any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare should take her, no matter who the supplement plan is through because Medicare picks up 80% of the tab and the supplement is for the remainding 20% (plus whatever deductibles and co-pays the plan might have).
If one travels a lot you would be a lot better off with original Medicare and a medicare supplement than a Medicare Advantage Plan.
I see ads from Humana pushing their Medicare advantage but don't recall seeing an add pushing their Medicare supplement plan. So I am not sure they even offer a Medicare supplement plan.
The Medicare open enrollment period runs until Dec 7th. You can change your plan from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare during that time. Of course your premium will most likely be more with a Medicare supplement as opposed to Medicare advantage. Many people take the cheaper Medicare advantage and it works fine for them as long as they stay with the network of hospitals and doctors the plan provides. It does limit the doctors you can see and may require referrals to see a specialist, something that is not required under original Medicare. The big thing is if you frequently spend a lot of time away from your home area then you will be outside your network a lot, so original Medicare would be the best choice in that case.
But, as I said, open enrollment lasts until Dec 7th so if you wish you can switch from a Medicare advantage plan back to original Medicare during that time. Just make sure you get all the facts and weigh your choices with each plan before you change.
Medicare.gov has a good plan finder tool for finding Medicare supplement programs and drug programs, as well as Medicare advantage plans.
The Medicare open enrollment period runs until Dec 7th. You can change your plan from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare during that time. Of course your premium will most likely be more with a Medicare supplement as opposed to Medicare advantage. Many people take the cheaper Medicare advantage and it works fine for them as long as they stay with the network of hospitals and doctors the plan provides. It does limit the doctors you can see and may require referrals to see a specialist, something that is not required under original Medicare. The big thing is if you frequently spend a lot of time away from your home area then you will be outside your network a lot, so original Medicare would be the best choice in that case.
But, as I said, open enrollment lasts until Dec 7th so if you wish you can switch from a Medicare advantage plan back to original Medicare during that time. Just make sure you get all the facts and weigh your choices with each plan before you change.
Medicare.gov has a good plan finder tool for finding Medicare supplement programs and drug programs, as well as Medicare advantage plans.
Based on your situation, your wife needs to have a Medicare supplement. They function the complete opposite of Medicare Advantage plans. The Advantage plans have networks while the supplements do not. Most Advantage plans have little or no premiums while Medicare Supplements have substantial premiums. Advantage plans are pay as you go while supplements are pay in advance. When you start looking at supplements you'll find several plan letter options. The plan F covers everything that Medicare does not. Also, keep in mind that Medicare supplements do NOT include drug coverage so she would need to add a Medicare PDP plan as well. As Mack stated, now is the time to make the change as she is allowed to change her coverage up until December 7th. Click to find out what companies are offering Medicare supplements in Florida and what their current rates are. She will need to choose a plan for her home state of Florida.
thanks,
matt
thanks,
matt
rbockman said: