Any here work with seniors or have a senior parent, and helped with their "Part_" medicare choices?

[progressivebydesign]

My Mom is on Medicare. though it isn't perfect, and she still owes money from various health crises, it has enabled her to get care when she needs it. And Medicaid paid for her brief stint in nursing care last year.

But there is also Supplemental insurance that seniors can get, and is suggested (if you can afford it), as well as prescription coverage.

Have you ever worked with a senior to figure out WHICH company, which plan, what they offer, who does what? It's absolutely overwhelming. They have insurance helpers at the senior centers to try and sort it all out.

So Ryan is telling us that he wants to give people VOUCHERS to buy their own plans?? What kind of plans will it buy? Deductibles? Can they be denied? The process of even sorting out supplementals is so ridiculously daunting to many seniors and their families, that I can't even imagine what will happen when it could be the norm for ALL of their insurance.

The thing with Medicare, is it's there... when you need to see a doctor, you can see them. Private insurance? Not so much.

PLUS this is another giveaway to the insurance industry.. some guy in an office in Houston becomes the Death Panels Palin warned about. THEY are the ones deciding what care you get based on your age, and usefulness of life. And for those 55, this is not that far away...

[MineralMan]

1. Yes. My wife and I helped her mother choose a supplemental

plan when State Farm Insurance did away with their full coverage plan for retirees and their spouses. They're paying for the coverage, so it doesn't cost her anything. They just didn't want to administer it any longer. She was 83 when that happened. It was a very, very difficult choice for her, not because the plans weren't good. They were. But, because it was hard for her to understand the differences between them. Finally, we got her to decide on one - at the very last minute. It's a fine plan, and will work great for her, but the decision was very difficult for her.

I'm also on Medicare, but choosing a plan wasn't that difficult for me.

[Lars39]

2. I figred it out for my dad...it was a frikken nightmare!

And I'm computer literate and had unlimited time to devote to the process. It's criminal in its complexity.

[progressivebydesign]

4. Yes, I helped my Mom, and she's sharp as a tack, and it was till confusing.

Some of the plans aren't allowed in the State where she lives, most of them were too expensive... Then you have the salespeople who aren't exactly principled. Was a nightmare. Just trying to imagine it on scale where everyone will have to go through this.

[marybourg]

3. Some of us here are actually

seniors ourselves!

[procon]

5. I'm a senior

My DH and I opted for one of the Medicare Advantage plans precisely because of the confusing array of hundreds of different supplemental healthcare and drug prescription plans to choose from. With every provider offering something different, the lack of standardization, as well as cost, made it very difficult to make an informed choice.

I can surely sympathize with your plight. We are both retired professionals, but we found the selection process needlessly complicated and far too complex, all of which could be eliminated if we just had a simple, single-payer system... just sign up and go.

Medicare Advantage is offered through many different providers, but they all include Medicare and drug coverage with no need for any additional supplemental policy. The usual low-cost out of pocket copays apply. We have been with the Kaiser version for almost 10 years now, and the program runs very smoothly so we are satisfied with the hassle-free choice we made.

http://www.medicare.gov/navigation/medicare-basics/medicare-benefits/part-c.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1



Good luck!