Anybody else here with an AARP Medicare supplemental health insurance plan?

[CTyankee]

If you are, I'd like to know how you made your decision re a plan. There are several to choose from. The phone contact I spoke to was very knowledgeable but it seemed to me to boil down to very little choice: pay a couple of hundred bucks a month or have a plan that might leave you owing a lot of money, once you add up co-pays, deductibles and what's not covered. And even if you are in pretty good shape now, things can go bad health-wise due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. a complication from a relatively simple surgery or a rapid onset, acute spinal stenosis -- both of these examples have applied to me and hubby, respectively).

What's been your experience?

[Sgent]

1. Shop around

I worked for years in a medical office.

Essentially, medigap policies all have the same benefits if they are the same letter (A-F, etc). Call up some local insurance agents and get quotes from people other than AARP -- in some cases they are significantly less.

Be aware that the AARP plans are community rated, but with a discount the first few years (cheap with increasing premiums). Most other policies are age rated (much cheaper with higher premiums as you get older). A good insurance agent will let you know the difference -- either will adequately cover you.

Also review the document at http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/02110.pdf if you can wade through it.

I should have mentioned, as long as their Medicare Participating Providers, they all have very easy claims process (the doctor's office / hospital will deal with it, and its essentially automatic).

[doc03]

2. I don't know about AARP Medicare Supplement but

I would be wary of it if it is administered by The Hartford. Had dealings with the AARP/Hartford homeowners insurance and they suck, I went through 3 months of hell to get them to pay for storm damage on my home. I cut my auto and homeowner premiums by about 50% when I switched to AARP then about 5 years later when I had the storm claim and they gave me all the grief I found out that over those years they had gradually jacked their rates up higher than what my old insurer was charging today.

[CTyankee]

3. No, not the Hartford. But thanks for the info. I'll be wary of their home owner insurance from here

on...

[Saturday]

4. I just went with AARP in May.

I chose them because my husband has had them for a few years and has had no problems using it. I found deciding and trying to untangle all the different plans extremely frustrating so I gave in and went with the plan I knew. I think seniors need simplier plans.

[DURHAM D]

5. All plans are the same A-L or something.

The difference is the cost. I understand that the majority of people have F. I have Mutual of Omaha and it was $60 cheaper a month than AARP for the same plan (F).

I live in one state. I visit in another state for weeks at a time. Plus, I will be moving part time to yet a third state. So, I made a spread sheet and checked cost in my current state and monthly cost in my destination state. In several cases a company sold F in my state, but not in my destination state. That eliminated those companies for me.

One thing to watch out for is if you travel out of the country. If you do you may want to look for the plans that covers it because some don't. F does. You can also get F* with a variation -a high deductible. It doesn't seem like a good plan.

[CTyankee]

6. I travel to Europe once a year (altho with these new health care costs I may NOT).

I hear people who have gotten sick or had an accident in Europe didn't have big bills when they got home...Europeans aren't accustomed to billing anybody! I don't know if this is true, but it certainly made me feel a little more secure on my trips...

[DURHAM D]

8. Most people under 65 will find much of what they need is not

covered under their private insurance policy. Before I turned 65 I always bought a trip policy to cover transportation, etc. The Europeans and Brits have gotten a whole lot better at charging foreigners for medical care.

Over 65 you definitely need a supplemental medigap policy if you travel abroad.

[CTyankee]

9. I still buy trip insurance. I learned my lesson a few years back when I had to cancel

a trip due to unavoidable health reasons (long recuperation from several surgeries). I got my money back.

[Blue_In_AK]

7. My MIL was on AARP supplemental,

I'm not sure which plan, but her final illness -- heart attack, surgery and an unsuccessful month in recuperation -- were covered completely.