Why are there 4 parts to medicare, not 5?

[ValeRosso]

Caveat, I am not an insurance agent.

This is not true. You are deliberately adding a piece of incorrect information to the horrific quantity of information flowing to Medicare beneficiaries about Medicare insurance.

Original Medicare is a Medical Insurance product which allows some individuals to control their costs for Medical Expense. Original Medicare Parts A and B leave covered Medicare Beneficiaries with a reduced, but uncapped, financial obligation for medical expenses. Medicare Supplements are a Medical Insurance product, sold by licensed insurance agents, which allow Medicare Beneficiaries to cap a potentially catastrophic level of loss from incurred Medical Expenses. Medicare Supplements are NOT a Fifth part of Medicare.

Kind of like how “medigap” and “supplements” are not confusing at all to seniors at all?

 

[LostDollar]

Kind of like how “medigap” and “supplements” are not confusing at all to seniors at all?

Caveat, I am not an agent.

I had to work that out for myself a few years ago.

I think there a way to explain "Medigap" or "Medicare Supplement" without resorting to making up a 5th part of Medicare that does not exist in the Medicare and You book each Medicare Beneficiary receives each year.

(There is already more than enough alphabet soup to go around with 4 parts and 10 or more plans.)

 

[ValeRosso]

Caveat, I am not an agent.

I had to work that out for myself a few years ago.

I think there a way to explain "Medigap" or "Medicare Supplement" without resorting to making up a 5th part of Medicare that does not exist in the Medicare and You book each Medicare Beneficiary receives each year.

(There is already more than enough alphabet soup to go around with 4 parts and 10 or more plans.)

Yeah I know what you mean. I haven’t had any pushback or confusion over it yet, (I find it reduces confusion and makes things simpler to retain) and I'm very thorough in explaining things to people and educating them on what they have/are going to have.

 

[somarco]

Kind of like how “medigap” and “supplements” are not confusing at all to seniors at all?

I am still amazed at folks who refer to their MAPD as a Medicare supplement . . .

 

[Newby]

rmhaire said:

The much scarier problem is that there is an ongoing discussion among some of the talking heads about creating a part E. It will include what's now a medicare supplement and a PDP.

By clicking the link you provided, it takes you to a story from 2005.

[EXTERNAL LINK] - Medicare Part E - PNHP

I just found out TODAY that Medicare.gov is emailing seniors telling them thry need to review their plan every year. They supply a link to do it now and it goes straight to Medicare.gov.
I’m pretty sure to be fair though they will have to mail them 48 hour scope of appointments and will have to explain to them that they can get better personalized service if they meet with the Local Agent in their area. Nah!

 

[Midlevel]

Yeah I know what you mean. I haven’t had any pushback or confusion over it yet, (I find it reduces confusion and makes things simpler to retain) and I'm very thorough in explaining things to people and educating them on what they have/are going to have.

And they forget 90% of what you said as soon as they get home. It has gotten so confusing and out of hand with the mailers and calls Seniors are stressed to the max. Feel bad for a lot of them. Drs. tell them one thing, Area agency on aging another, ladies at card club another, Agent another, newspaper another, TV another. They are overwhelmed.

 

[ValeRosso]

I am still amazed at folks who refer to their MAPD as a Medicare supplement . . .

I am still amazed at folks who refer to their MAPD as a Medicare supplement . . .

Never fails.

“Yeah I got medicare supplement with the hearing and dental and spending card”

Oh, nice, those supplements sure are great aren’t they?

 

[somarco]

Medicare.gov is emailing seniors

I seem to recall verbiage to the effect that Medicare will never email or call you. They only communicate via USPS.

So I searched and this is what I found . . .

If you give us permission, we’ll send you emails and text messages. We also may use the phone number you provide to call you about Medicare services.
https://www.medicare.gov/privacy-policy


If you read the entire page you might get a feeling that Big Brother is watching over you . . .

 

[somarco]

Never fails.

“Yeah I got medicare supplement with the hearing and dental and spending card”

Oh, nice, those supplements sure are great aren’t they?

I am thinking about posting my day where I started the day @ 9AM with a routine doctor appointment that ended up with seeing 3 more, all unscheduled before 4PM . . . but no one would believe me

 

[rmhaire]

I am thinking about posting my day where I started the day @ 9AM with a routine doctor appointment that ended up with seeing 3 more, all unscheduled before 4PM . . . but no one would believe me

Could have been worse.

At least you were going to see them and they were not coming to see you.

And I'm not talking about house calls.