High Deductible F for Vets?

kennethbroyles

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What are some thoughts? My story goes like this.. 10 yrs medicare broker, good BOB.

Thinking about choosing my medicare plan next year, when today I am on VA benefit being treated for Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), at Nashville VA by Vanderbilt DR's. I don't think could be much better. Stem-cell transplant scheduled to start 1/6/2017. I'm going to be the "poster-boy success story for AML treatment" doing so well on this treatment plan! "Lil bit of Chemo Brain right now." Please be gentle...:goofy:

I will be on a med sup next year with first thought being Plan N I don't have typical Chronic problems.

So not only for myself I am thinking H-D F for a Vet can also be a good option.

I also know that I can never change plans after OE.

Things I have to consider I might not always qualify for VA...

So just for discussion... what thoughts are out there?
 
Sorry to hear about your situation. All things considered I'd see a plan N or G for my choice, not hdF.

For other VA'rs I don't see the angle on hdF at all. They either want full coverage via plan N or G with and without part D or they go full bore into MAPD or MA.
 
What are some thoughts? My story goes like this.. 10 yrs medicare broker, good BOB.

Thinking about choosing my medicare plan next year, when today I am on VA benefit being treated for Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), at Nashville VA by Vanderbilt DR's. I don't think could be much better. Stem-cell transplant scheduled to start 1/6/2017. I'm going to be the "poster-boy success story for AML treatment" doing so well on this treatment plan! "Lil bit of Chemo Brain right now." Please be gentle...:goofy:

I will be on a med sup next year with first thought being Plan N I don't have typical Chronic problems.

So not only for myself I am thinking H-D F for a Vet can also be a good option.

I also know that I can never change plans after OE.

Things I have to consider I might not always qualify for VA...

So just for discussion... what thoughts are out there?


Sorry about your illness. Sounds like it's going well though, and I wish you the best.:yes:

I'll be getting a Med Supp myself next year, and I also won't be able to change once 65 1/2. I'll be writing myself a plan G, just not sure which company I'll use at this point. Good luck!
 
(Not an agent here.)

Why, as a broker with 10 years medicare experience, with access to VA care and intuitively not wanting HDF for yourself, would you want to recommend it as a wise choice for vets?

It seems to me that the things like retirement income/resources, health and assumptions one wants to make about future health, life span etc and one's tolerance for risk are the kinds of issues underlying an HDF decision; regardless of whether one is a CPA, a welder, a vet or a homemaker.
 
G. All the way.

High Ded F isn't going to work if you are meeting it every year.

And N stops working (usually) at 3-4 doc visits a month. While that can work for people in their 60's sometimes, doesn't seem like a good option for you.

And I hope you kick some cancer a**!!!!!
 
Assuming there's not some big difference in the market there compared to what I've seen in several other states, I'd go with Plan G.

----------

I think the OP's thinking may be that he is going to use the VA most of the time and wants the Medigap as a backup if he has to use Medicare instead. If so, I can understand the desire to save $$ on the monthly premium with HD-F or N. But often the premium savings with those plans isn't enough to make up for what you'd be potentially missing out on by not taking G instead and limiting your out of pocket costs to nothing more than the Part B deductible.

Regardless, with only having one shot at it, I'd go with Plan G based on the premiums I typically see for these plans.
 
What are some thoughts? My story goes like this.. 10 yrs medicare broker, good BOB.

Thinking about choosing my medicare plan next year, when today I am on VA benefit being treated for Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), at Nashville VA by Vanderbilt DR's. I don't think could be much better. Stem-cell transplant scheduled to start 1/6/2017. I'm going to be the "poster-boy success story for AML treatment" doing so well on this treatment plan! "Lil bit of Chemo Brain right now." Please be gentle...:goofy:

I will be on a med sup next year with first thought being Plan N I don't have typical Chronic problems.

So not only for myself I am thinking H-D F for a Vet can also be a good option.

I also know that I can never change plans after OE.

Things I have to consider I might not always qualify for VA...

So just for discussion... what thoughts are out there?

First off, before we can give you a good answer, are you a disabled vet? If so, why would you think you wouldn't always qualify? If you are a disabled vet, then you may want to consider not getting any sort of supplement at all. Are you a retired vet? If so, same answer...you don't need anything.

The only reason I've found that a disabled vet gets a Supp or MA plan is so they can see doctors outside of the VA. If you currently get all of your care through the VA then there's no good reason to get a Med Supp or MA plan.
 
What are some thoughts? My story goes like this.. 10 yrs medicare broker, good BOB.

Thinking about choosing my medicare plan next year, when today I am on VA benefit being treated for Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), at Nashville VA by Vanderbilt DR's. I don't think could be much better. Stem-cell transplant scheduled to start 1/6/2017. I'm going to be the "poster-boy success story for AML treatment" doing so well on this treatment plan! "Lil bit of Chemo Brain right now." Please be gentle...:goofy:

I will be on a med sup next year with first thought being Plan N I don't have typical Chronic problems.

So not only for myself I am thinking H-D F for a Vet can also be a good option.

I also know that I can never change plans after OE.

Things I have to consider I might not always qualify for VA...

So just for discussion... what thoughts are out there?

Todd, would you expand your comments a bit, with the bolded statement in mind?

The comments in this thread have the potential to help or harm a group of people of unknown size. This thread is an interesting counterpoint to another thread in which solely F and then F and G are going to be offered by an agent. There is an implication here that an agent would recommend HDF to an "occupational group" without considering underlying insurance needs.

I am being "taught" on site here that a good agent looks to needs and emotional drivers of a prospective purchaser, prior to recommending any course of action in regard to Medigap or MA. Your vocabulary distinction of "disabled vet" as a subset of "vet" is something else that needs to be remembered in this discussion.

I am a guest - above the line - if you will, but in this instance I am speaking as a 72 year old Vietnam era veteran with no service related disabilities who purchased, after some deliberation an HDF plan from another agent on the forum. After reading a lot of posts on the site, I know exactly why I got HDF, and it WAS an emotional reason. My approach to having that plan involves a "payment" that may very well get me into a plan F cash flow level. I would be hard pressed to recommend that anyone-as a component of some group or another-should take an HDF plan and I am concerned about veterans being hurt as a result of inappropriate advice.
 
First off, before we can give you a good answer, are you a disabled vet? If so, why would you think you wouldn't always qualify? If you are a disabled vet, then you may want to consider not getting any sort of supplement at all. Are you a retired vet? If so, same answer...you don't need anything.

The only reason I've found that a disabled vet gets a Supp or MA plan is so they can see doctors outside of the VA. If you currently get all of your care through the VA then there's no good reason to get a Med Supp or MA plan.

Todd,

Good point about qualifying for the VA in the future. I'm certainly no expert, but I have come across vets who express concern about no longer qualifying in the future for some reason or another. In one case it was a vet who had gotten cancer that the feds acknowledged was probably caused by exposure to Agent Orange. They treated him and he was in remission, but he was concerned that if it came back he wouldn't be covered by them based on something someone at the VA had told him.

I've spoken to many vets who are happy with the VA. I've spoken to others who will practically break down in tears or get red with rage at the mention of the VA and say they'll never go there again under any circumstances. It depends on the situation. I haven't come across very many who say they'll never use anything other than the VA. The VA could be working fine now, but what about 5 years from now and the Supp is no longer GI? Maybe the VA Hospital is further away than he likes and other providers are right around the corner? It could be a number of things.

A good many vets who mainly use the VA will get a Supp or a MA so that IF they have to use providers outside of the VA they at least have some limitation on out of pocket costs.
 
Todd, would you expand your comments a bit, with the bolded statement in mind?

The comments in this thread have the potential to help or harm a group of people of unknown size. This thread is an interesting counterpoint to another thread in which solely F and then F and G are going to be offered by an agent. There is an implication here that an agent would recommend HDF to an "occupational group" without considering underlying insurance needs.

I am being "taught" on site here that a good agent looks to needs and emotional drivers of a prospective purchaser, prior to recommending any course of action in regard to Medigap or MA. Your vocabulary distinction of "disabled vet" as a subset of "vet" is something else that needs to be remembered in this discussion.

I am a guest - above the line - if you will, but in this instance I am speaking as a 72 year old Vietnam era veteran with no service related disabilities who purchased, after some deliberation an HDF plan from another agent on the forum. After reading a lot of posts on the site, I know exactly why I got HDF, and it WAS an emotional reason. My approach to having that plan involves a "payment" that may very well get me into a plan F cash flow level. I would be hard pressed to recommend that anyone-as a component of some group or another-should take an HDF plan and I am concerned about veterans being hurt as a result of inappropriate advice.

I'm simply trying to find out if he is disabled, which would allow him to go to the VA for anything, anytime (except dental in most circumstances). If he is disabled then he has the ability to continue to use the VA. Even when he turns 65 and is on Medicare, the VA will bill Medicare and then pick up the extra. Now, that won't work if he uses a doc or hospital outside of the VA. At that point he would only have Medicare and would be responsible for the other 20%.

He mentioned that he may not be able to use the VA at some point in the future and I'm wondering why he is saying that. Is there some special circumstance where he might lose it? I can't think of one, but who knows?

Todd,

Good point about qualifying for the VA in the future. I'm certainly no expert, but I have come across vets who express concern about no longer qualifying in the future for some reason or another. In one case it was a vet who had gotten cancer that the feds acknowledged was probably caused by exposure to Agent Orange. They treated him and he was in remission, but he was concerned that if it came back he wouldn't be covered by them based on something someone at the VA had told him.

I've spoken to many vets who are happy with the VA. I've spoken to others who will practically break down in tears or get red with rage at the mention of the VA and say they'll never go there again under any circumstances. It depends on the situation. I haven't come across very many who say they'll never use anything other than the VA. The VA could be working fine now, but what about 5 years from now and the Supp is no longer GI? Maybe the VA Hospital is further away than he likes and other providers are right around the corner? It could be a number of things.

A good many vets who mainly use the VA will get a Supp or a MA so that IF they have to use providers outside of the VA they at least have some limitation on out of pocket costs.


I have never heard of a disabled vet losing their right to go to the VA and I don't see the gov't taking it away from all of us who rely on the VA.

I personally use the VA for everything (except dental). I live 15 minutes from the local VA hospital. I'm not even close to 65, but at this point I see no reason to have insurance to cover me when I'm already being covered at 100%. Now, if I didn't live that close or if I have to start seeing a doc outside of the VA for some reason, I may just want that Med Supp when I turn 65. Either way, I am not in any way, shape, or form fearful that I'll lose my ability to go to the VA.
 
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