If you're currently covered by health insurance, you may not be in 2018.

[MineralMan]

Several companies are pulling out of offering ACA coverage. Blue Cross/Blue Shield dropped all of its coverage in 2017, except for a couple of HMO plans. Other companies, like Humana, are declaring that they're going to withdraw their offerings in 2018.

So, if you have a health issue that will require expensive surgery or other treatment at some point, get into your doctor now and schedule that treatment while you're still covered. Don't put it off for a later year. You may just not have insurance coverage much longer.

That's my free advice for the day. Thanks for reading it.

[pangaia]

1. I have Medicare with an advantage plan and am also scared shitless...

[MineralMan]

3. I think you'll be OK, actually.

I'm in the same position. I doubt very, very much that current Medicare recipients are at much risk. However, next year, during open enrollment, you might want to consider switching back to traditional Medicare Parts A & B with a supplement to cover deductibles and Part D pharmaceuticals. The Advantage plans may try to throttle down on expensive procedures.

Just something to consider.

[pangaia]

5. Actually I think what I have IS a supplement

It is with a non-profit - in this case Excellus in Western NY.. Until this year I used another non-profit- MVP.. It was very good coverage, as it this one...It got me through chemo treatments for lymphoma 5 years ago and so far yearly CT-PET Scans..

UH...
except they both have figured out to to only cover chemo at 80% !

[MurrayDelph]

12. I am theoretically 14 months away from Medicare

but my wife is more than 4.5 years away.

I'm not sure it will be there for either of us.

[pangaia]

13. God, I hope it is....

The pure evil of republicans is beyond description...

[Wounded Bear]

2. I have VA category 7...

VA was helped by ACA, too. I'm worried. Although, the guy Trump appointed could have been a whole lot worse.

[MineralMan]

4. I'm not sure what will happen to VA coverage.

I'm so low on that totem pole that I haven't even registered with the VA, frankly. All it would cover would be prescriptions.

[Wounded Bear]

6. I'm pretty happy with the VA...

Here in the Puget Sound area it seems to be pretty good. Can't really speak for any other region.

Currently, I pay co-pays on all my meds at $8/monthly dose. No charge on routine visits, have an assigned PC provider (nurse practitioner type) and access to specialists as required.

And I'm a non-combat, non-retired vet. Of course, I'm poor.

[WillowTree]

7. Which BC/BS is saying that they're dropping all but "a couple of HMO plans"?

There are many Blue Cross/Blue Shield companies and not all are doing that. Probably most are not.

[MineralMan]

8. Minnesota.

And they did it, starting in 2017. My wife was on a plan considered to be an HMO plan, restricted to one provider network, so she kept her coverage. She may have to change in 2018, though. That's why she's having her hip replacement surgery now. After she has it, she'll have met her maximum out-of-pocket number, so the rest of the year, she'll have no additional charges.

Even so, she was assigned a surgeon who is in network and has to have the procedure done in a specific hospital, as well. HMO-style plans do restrict your choices. Surgery is on Monday morning.

[WillowTree]

9. Hint.

You don't get to choose the anesthesiologist who administers the anesthesia and/or radiologist(s) who read the x-rays while inpatient and just because the hospital is in-network, those doctors sometimes are not. But I used to work for a company that did physicians' billing and when that happened, if I called the insurer and explained it, they were almost always agreeable to treating it as if they were in-network. Yes, you would think that they would know that and just do it that way, but so much of claim processing is automated anymore that it very often gets missed. But as I said, if you call and don't get confrontational, they tend to be reasonable about that because they do know that you have no control over it.

Lots of good luck and I hope that Mrs. Mineral has an easy time of it.

[MineralMan]

10. That has already been checked.

Everyone on the case is in-network. We've done all of our due diligence in advance.

[WillowTree]

11. Wise man!

Hope it all goes well.