Hi, I'll be turning 65 in January, and am looking to find a way to avoid a personal horror story that happened to my Mother and her 2nd husband.
In 1993, my Mother had Medicare and some kind of Medicare catastrophic coverage (only info I have, no longer in communication with her second husband). She was in an automobile accident and ended up in the ICU for a couple of weeks before she eventually died of her injuries. My stepfather ended up with a lien on his house to pay for the blood transfusions which the insurance company said exceeded the "approved" amount. These transfusions all occurred the first night after the accident when they were trying to save her life. Since all plans have that "approved" qualifier, I wonder what protection does anyone really have against the whims of an insurance company. Before my mother was formally admitted to the hospital my stepfather had to sign a form agreeing to be responsible for any remaining charges. In this case, my stepfather took the insurance company to court but he lost.
I know all Medicare supplemental plans are "standardized" but I'm sure the way they are administered is not. Love any feedback on how to protect onself from these kinds of problems.
In 1993, my Mother had Medicare and some kind of Medicare catastrophic coverage (only info I have, no longer in communication with her second husband). She was in an automobile accident and ended up in the ICU for a couple of weeks before she eventually died of her injuries. My stepfather ended up with a lien on his house to pay for the blood transfusions which the insurance company said exceeded the "approved" amount. These transfusions all occurred the first night after the accident when they were trying to save her life. Since all plans have that "approved" qualifier, I wonder what protection does anyone really have against the whims of an insurance company. Before my mother was formally admitted to the hospital my stepfather had to sign a form agreeing to be responsible for any remaining charges. In this case, my stepfather took the insurance company to court but he lost.
I know all Medicare supplemental plans are "standardized" but I'm sure the way they are administered is not. Love any feedback on how to protect onself from these kinds of problems.