Hot Medicare News

[Travis Price]

There will be 80 million people on Medicare by 2030. Even if we reach 70% on MAPD, that still leaves a large number for Med Supp. There is plenty of room for both products. I know you may not believe this, but there are actually some Medicare beneficiaries who prefer a Med Supp over a MAPD.

Risk Tolerance. That's the prequal topic every agent should address before they even think about products.

I've had conversations with prospects where I think MAPD might be a good fit (lots of money in HSA, minimal health issues) They usually say something along the lines of (I just don't want to risk it.) Absolutely fair enough. Here are your Medigap options, which starts at G (N is okay, but the spread just isn't enough yet to rationalize the push) and to HDG.

Sometimes I get 175$ in commission. It sucks. However, I'd rather do that then ruin my reputation selling a product to someone that didn't want it.

FFS: Seniors gossip. I had one guy that was referred to me tell the person that referred them that I tried to shove MAPD down their throat.. I didn't even offer MAPD at the time.

 

[rousemark]

Oh no, I’m being attacked by all the Med Sup lovers. You guys keep doing you, in 10 years you will all be wondering how the business passed you all by. Keep telling yourselves all these falsehoods and pass them right along to all your poor clients. 70% MA by 2030 but they are terrible plans. Get your heads out do the sand.

Other than access to preferred physicians this is a good reason not to place your trust in an MA:
Probe finds Medicare Advantage plans deny needed care to tens of thousands

 

[rousemark]

Other than access to preferred physicians this is a good reason not to place your trust in an MA:
Probe finds Medicare Advantage plans deny needed care to tens of thousands

I have never once had a needed service denied or even delayed while some bureaucrat made a decision as to whether the procedure was necessary with my OM and Supp.

 

[goillini52]

Other than access to preferred physicians this is a good reason not to place your trust in an MA:
Probe finds Medicare Advantage plans deny needed care to tens of thousands

There you go with the scare tactics and false information.

 

[goillini52]

I have never once had a needed service denied or even delayed while some bureaucrat made a decision as to whether the procedure was necessary with my OM and Supp.

There are 3 medical groups in my area and we've used all 3. We weren't happy with my wife's Cardiologist, so I called one in another medical group and made an appointment. No network, no referral needed.

I believe I would've MOOPed out each of the past 3 years and my wife 2 out of 3.

 

[sman]

I believe I would've MOOPed out each of the past 3 years and my wife 2 out of 3.

To be fair, in general, this is the exception and not the norm. Every persons situation is different, and I know you know that so I'm not picking on you here. I have a client who has been on MAPD for better than a decade and she literally goes to the doctor no more than twice per year. Also, she takes no medications. In her scenario, even if she maxed out this year she's still way ahead of the game. I have several clients like this, but she is the one who came to mind. At age 70 she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. She's a true inspiration.

But as we all know, it takes one diagnosis to be stuck in MAPD forever and potentially have multiple years of maxing out. This is part of the risk analysis people have to weigh on top of the other things that have been mentioned in this thread. There is no one size fits all. For every argument for choosing MAPD an argument can be made for choosing Med Supp instead. I simply educate and let the client decide unless they are in poor health at T65. Then I push for a Med Supp.

The trend I've seen over the past few years is some of my very healthy Med Supp clients are opting for MAPD. It's not a large percentage, but it's enough to be noticeable at this point. The common theme among those who are changing is "I go to the doctor a couple of times per year. I feel like I'm wasting $1,500 to $2,000 per year because my Medicare Supplement isn't paying anything".

I don't make a hard sell to try and convince them to stay. I simply explain that if they eventually get sick, they may not be able to go back to the Medicare Supplement and as long as they understand the trade-off, I'm good with helping them find the right MAPD plan for them.

 

[LostDollar]

There are 3 medical groups in my area and we've used all 3. We weren't happy with my wife's Cardiologist, so I called one in another medical group and made an appointment. No network, no referral needed.

I believe I would've MOOPed out each of the past 3 years and my wife 2 out of 3.

not a problem because I have the money saved, but curious, do you have any ideas what I'll be looking at for my out of pocket on a hip replacement?

 

[sman]

not a problem because I have the money saved, but curious, do you have any ideas what I'll be looking at for my out of pocket on a hip replacement?

Procedure Price Lookup for Outpatient Services | Medicare.gov

 

[goillini52]

not a problem because I have the money saved, but curious, do you have any ideas what I'll be looking at for my out of pocket on a hip replacement?

No, but sman just left you a tool to look it up.

 

[rousemark]

So Drs. Know more then we do about insurance? You better take some extra training. Drs. see one thing and that’s ease of getting paid as much as possible.

They know which ones they have problems getting care approved In an expedient manner