A dying agents warning ‼️

[rmhaire]

Another one that is too stubborn to even think about offering a client options. 34 million on MA are all morons for being on it?By all means it's about what you think and not what is best for the client.

Well he ain't exactly wrong.

And maybe he wasn't talking about 34 million people. Could have been someone else.

 

[straightnochaser]

I have no idea how anyone can logically claim that restricting benefits from Original Medicare and requiring who what when where and how as a requirement for benefits is an improvement. By definition; it cannot be. I wont waste time suffering fools that cannot see that MA plans are inferior, and their arguments for are rationlized due to the commissions they pay and being less trouble than Med Supp, and so easily twisted to seem better. The original post is absolutely correct.

MAPD is way way more trouble than med supp, and im not sure anyone here is saying it's superior coverage - welcome to the forum

 

[kgmom219]

Actually what is even more convincing is credible research done on some of the topics discussed in this thread. Anecdotes, regardless of what they are about, isn't research and could easily be the rare exception that someone made the effort to only look at those and report on those (news articles), ignoring the overwhelming "other side" (as I am pretty sure was the point your comment was making about the cancer survivors given last rites).

Of course if there is a trend in negative (or positive) comments that are essentially about the same things across anecdotes that likely indicates there is a problem (or plus) that should be investigated more formally with actual research to find out the actual probability of that "outcome"/"complaint being true" happening.

I'm reasonably well educated and if you think anyone has time to read and decipher this in October, I've got a bridge to sell you. It goes over a Holiday Inn.

 

[annon123]

I'm reasonably well educated and if you think anyone has time to read and decipher this in October, I've got a bridge to sell you. It goes over a Holiday Inn.

Why are you taking offense and then attacking me? Credible research generally is more often "correct" than a bunch of anecdotes although a bunch of anecdotal comments often can lead creating hypotheses to test to see if, in fact, they are true (and of course they can be). Nowhere in my comment did I say to go read/look for that now when people are their busiest. Sheesh.

 

[somarco]

The original post is absolutely correct.

The agent dying from cancer?

I had to look back to see what the OP was about.

FWIW, someone facing a major illness quite often has one of those "Wow, I could have had a V-8" moments. Observations made retrospectively often are made with regret. Getting old and sick isn't for weenies.

Most of us will have one (or more) of those times when we want to take a Mulligan on life but will just have to suck it up and deal with our choices.

Some of you may remember this post & thread by Dr. Who. It puts a completely different perspective on life through the rear view mirror.

Former CMS Administrator Weighs in on Advantage Plans

Becker's sat down with Don Berwick, MD, who served as CMS administrator during the Obama administration and is a current health policy lecturer at Harvard Medical School in Boston, to discuss where the Medicare Advantage program stands and potential reforms in the coming years. Dr. Don Berwick...

www.insurance-forums.com

 

[kgmom219]

Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Releases Majority Staff Report Exposing Medicare Advantage Insurers' Refusal of Care for Vulnerable Seniors

Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Releases Majority Staff Report Exposing Medicare Advantage Insurers' Refusal of Care for Vulnerable Seniors | U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), released a...

www.blumenthal.senate.gov

 

[BALDELMO]

Clark Howard: Why I Think Medicare Advantage Plans Stink

Written by Clark Howard | October 22nd, 2024

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If you're approaching your 65th birthday, you may be shocked by how many solicitations you're getting from Medicare Advantage plans. By comparison, you may receive only one official notice about traditional Medicare. Salespeople, mailers, phone calls, and other forms of communication will tell someone turning 65 that the only wise choice is Advantage.
Let me explain the difference.

Medicare: Explaining the Difference

Traditional Medicare confuses the daylights out of people. There are parts A, B, and D, and then there are Medicare supplements.

• Part A: "free" (taxes pay for it) and covers hospitalization.
• Part B: premium-based and covers doctor visits and other expenses other than hospitalization. The premium for Part B is set each year and is the same for everyone except for people considered to be wealthy (who pay a surcharge that can be rather small to quite large).
• Part D: premium-based and covers prescriptions. The premiums vary based on how much drug coverage you buy and who you buy it from. This is different from Part B which is bought directly from the federal government.
• Supplements: You may still have a lot of out-of-pocket expenses even if you have Part B, so you can buy a plan known as a supplement from a private insurer. These plans are standardized in terms of coverage, and there are so many of them that they're labeled by letters A through N. Each letter has a different level of coverage (Plan G covers the most). The premiums will vary from one insurer to another but know that each plan of a letter will have identical benefits.

The reality is that people's eyes glaze over when I try to explain all the decisions you have to make when you become eligible for Medicare at age 65. And you face premiums for your Part B, Part D and your supplement such as Plan G. That is why roughly half of people go into privately-run Medicare Advantage plans. Everything is rolled into one. And your total premiums can be cheaper.

Avoid Medicare Advantage Plans

You should know I warn people away from Medicare Advantage plans.
About half of people who are eligible for Medicare choose Advantage plans for any of a number of reasons. And many people are happy with the Advantage plans they've picked. In fact, every time I say something negative about them, I hear from people who are upset with me because they are beyond thrilled with the Advantage plan they chose.
My objections are simple. Once you are in an Advantage plan, it's difficult to switch to regular Medicare. After your first 11 months, in most states, you can't easily buy a supplement without passing a medical evaluation. And you likely will have trouble switching to a competitor's Advantage plan if yours turns out to be a bad choice.
In other words, you could end up being a prisoner of the Advantage plan you pick at 65 for the rest of your life — even if it turns out to be crummy or becomes rotten over time. In my opinion, this is a fatal flaw of Medicare Advantage plans. You could also end up with a serious illness, and the choice of doctors and facilities you are allowed under your particular Advantage plan could be the difference between life and death. With traditional Medicare, you have many more options to seek out the best care, best specialists and best hospitals for your illness.
Yes, traditional Medicare is more difficult to understand and buy upfront. Your premiums may even be higher. But you are your own boss of your healthcare. With Medicare Advantage, understand that the insurer makes money by limiting your care and your options.
That lower cost could kill you.

 

[Todd King]

load of crap. It's a huge assumption that every senior can afford a Med Supp.

Funny that most people could afford them before MA plans were introduced. I understand that many struggled to make the payments, but I can guarantee you many that went onto an MA plan found out just how "affordable" those med supps were.

 

[Fisher]

If you're approaching your 65th birthday, you may be shocked by how many solicitations you're getting from Medicare Advantage plans. By comparison, you may receive only one official notice about traditional Medicare. Salespeople, mailers, phone calls, and other forms of communication will tell someone turning 65 that the only wise choice is Advantage.
Let me explain the difference.

Medicare: Explaining the Difference

Traditional Medicare confuses the daylights out of people. There are parts A, B, and D, and then there are Medicare supplements.

• Part A: "free" (taxes pay for it) and covers hospitalization.
• Part B: premium-based and covers doctor visits and other expenses other than hospitalization. The premium for Part B is set each year and is the same for everyone except for people considered to be wealthy (who pay a surcharge that can be rather small to quite large).
• Part D: premium-based and covers prescriptions. The premiums vary based on how much drug coverage you buy and who you buy it from. This is different from Part B which is bought directly from the federal government.
• Supplements: You may still have a lot of out-of-pocket expenses even if you have Part B, so you can buy a plan known as a supplement from a private insurer. These plans are standardized in terms of coverage, and there are so many of them that they're labeled by letters A through N. Each letter has a different level of coverage (Plan G covers the most). The premiums will vary from one insurer to another but know that each plan of a letter will have identical benefits.

The reality is that people's eyes glaze over when I try to explain all the decisions you have to make when you become eligible for Medicare at age 65. And you face premiums for your Part B, Part D and your supplement such as Plan G. That is why roughly half of people go into privately-run Medicare Advantage plans. Everything is rolled into one. And your total premiums can be cheaper.

Avoid Medicare Advantage Plans

You should know I warn people away from Medicare Advantage plans.
About half of people who are eligible for Medicare choose Advantage plans for any of a number of reasons. And many people are happy with the Advantage plans they've picked. In fact, every time I say something negative about them, I hear from people who are upset with me because they are beyond thrilled with the Advantage plan they chose.
My objections are simple. Once you are in an Advantage plan, it's difficult to switch to regular Medicare. After your first 11 months, in most states, you can't easily buy a supplement without passing a medical evaluation. And you likely will have trouble switching to a competitor's Advantage plan if yours turns out to be a bad choice.
In other words, you could end up being a prisoner of the Advantage plan you pick at 65 for the rest of your life — even if it turns out to be crummy or becomes rotten over time. In my opinion, this is a fatal flaw of Medicare Advantage plans. You could also end up with a serious illness, and the choice of doctors and facilities you are allowed under your particular Advantage plan could be the difference between life and death. With traditional Medicare, you have many more options to seek out the best care, best specialists and best hospitals for your illness.
Yes, traditional Medicare is more difficult to understand and buy upfront. Your premiums may even be higher. But you are your own boss of your healthcare. With Medicare Advantage, understand that the insurer makes money by limiting your care and your options.
That lower cost could kill you.

**And you likely will have trouble switching to a competitor's Advantage plan if yours turns out to be a bad choice.**

I posted this to my FB biz page today as yet another glaring example of the potentially damaging misinformation out there.

Stay in your lane, you blabbering nitwits.

Love,

Fisher

 

[Midlevel]

Funny that most people could afford them before MA plans were introduced. I understand that many struggled to make the payments, but I can guarantee you many that went onto an MA plan found out just how "affordable" those med supps were.

I do not have 1 client that has came out behind financially being on MA vs their old Med Sup. Trust me I have done the math with a few of them. If only they were 1/2 as bad as you all make them sound. I wrote 7 more BCBS MA's today and saved people thousands on their expensive drugs.

Why do I keep arguing, really could care a less what every other agent does. I will try to stop now with this post. Almost as stupid as the 1000 post political thread going on. lol