Hi ALL! Im not posting much these days..sooo many 'situations' Im trying to cope with..but let me explain... I work at an Insurance Co. that is self-funded. I have been here for 19 yrs. in March. I have seen the Medicare go thru so many changes...meaning..things they use to pay for they won't IF you have another Ins (supplemental). I think Govmnt has really hit the Ins. industry hard..but what they are not hitting hard is the cost the Hospitals and Doctors charge... This is what makes Ins premiums so high.. When I first started working, if you took your child in for their immunizations it would cost average of $150.00 for everything... These days...they break every single charge down...office visit, to inject the imm. the imm. itself..and again inject the imm. another imm. etc...the average cost now for a regular well child visit is $650.-$800.00 (sometimes more) Same as a hospital stay..if you take one of their regular tylenol they charge you on average between $12.00-18.00 per pill! Sick office visits have soared from an average of $75.00 when I first started to average of $120.- $450. and prescriptions have gone too far!!! Medicare is able to only allow so much for these charges which is majorly lower than the actal charge.. (example: office visit: Dr charge $125.00 Medicare will allow $48.00, and pay 80% of that) but Ins. company's do not have this same right...IF all Ins. companies were to be able to allow the same thing Medicare allows, medical would be so much less expensive...I don't mean to cheat the great Dr's or Hospitals, but their charges have gone to the extreme now days...I see it everyday..and Im absolutely dumb founded..and Ive been there so long, I would think nothing would surprise me anymore...you should just sit and look at a hospital itemized billing... I do agree there is nothing out there that ppl can afford when they are on Medicare or more so when they retire and or not yet on Medicare (age 62).....its very scary!! My mom and dad are going thru this right now..and it is so sad to me! Why don't we fight the medical offices and hospitals to quit quadriple charging for everything, and then have the ability to fight soaring ins. costs... sighhh....its very sad to see this every day... Anyway...Im sorry If I offended anyone I really am not on the side of expensive insurance..but Im really not on the side of nothing being regulated for cost towards doctors or hospitals.... I know long post.. Hi EVERYONE! Dena

I don't think AARP offers insurance. They're not an insurance company. It appears to me that the organization lends an AARP endorsement to various policies. I don't know if the insurance companies pay AARP. I haven't investigated that much because we have better opportunities (group insurance) through DH's former employer. I see that some Advantage plans include drug coverage. If they do, you don't need a separate Part D. I think it is illegal for a company to sell you one that would duplicate drug insurance. It looks like we're sticking with the Original Medicare coverage (A and B) plus the Aetna Integration policy ('Medigap' policy) for us both. We'll add a separate Part D for me. We did that combination for 2009 and it has been good for us. The policies are still reasonable for 2010 ($522 each for the Aetna Integration plan -- which pays the Medicare deductibles for MD's and hospitals). We can use any MD or hospital -- no HMO's or in-network requirements. We paid nothing out-of-pocket in 2009 because the Integration policy picked up the 20% Meidcare doesn't pay. We filed no paperwork. We haven't run into an MD or hospital that didn't take Medicare as our primary (in Chicagoland or on Maui). We could buy another Aetna Integration plan for less. The *only* difference is that it doesn't pick up the Medicare doctor and hospital deductibles ($135 and $1068). It's unlikely that either of us will be hospitalized, BUT if either of is, we'd lose what we'd saved by taking this policy instead of the more generous one. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that premiums for insurance are stated in monthly fees, because the annual costs are staggering! I'm also surprised to see people *thrilled* with low co-pays for generic drugs or doctor visits -- not taking into account huge premiums they're paying for the policy. We have to be decided by Saturday since our insurance is coming via DH's former employer. I've juggled the numbers as long as I can. My arms are tired!

You really might want to consider the former employer's pharmacy plan - but where I'm a bit confused... if your husband goes for the pharmacy plan for drug coverage and that proves satisfactory - why would there be a need for a switch to the Medicare Part D in 2012? He would, in effect, be dropping his creditable coverage and that creditable status doesn't carry over to a new plan (ie Medicare Part D because they don't care what you might have had), and would be subject to the forever penalty. Creditable is just comparing what you have against whatever else is out there. An actuarial firm determines that your plan offers Rx coverage that is equal to or better than Medicare Part D. Should be easy enough for him to get the boiler plate notice of "creditable" insurance for drugs from his former employer to keep in his files if he goes with what they're offering. In fact, it's a requirement that the notice be sent each year. It's an unimpressive few sheets of paper stating simply: The Society (I'm retired from the Nat'l Geographic Society) is required to issue this annual notice to participants. Then it goes on to explain Medicare Part D, why I don't need it, why I can't be covered for drugs under more than one plan, and what happens if I drop what I have for something else. I still think that the Medicare Part D penalty is imposed whenever it is not signed up for when you initially become Medicare eligible at 65. Guess I would check with the former employer - HR there should be on top of what they offer. And I'd call Medicare too - or your closest SS office. I found the people at our Social Security office really helpful - on the phone and in person.

We also went with Plan F...and the Part D for prescriptions. Then BC/BS for supplemental. Yes, there are cheaper plans than "F" but, once you choose a plan, you can't buy "up" if you need more...you can buy "down" to the cheaper plans, but you can't buy up...So...I feel the best way to go in Plan "F"...Part "D" and BC/BS. That sort of puts it in a nutshell. If you don't take the Part D when you go on medicare, you are penalized something like a percent a month for not having it. Then, if you have a need for it later, it is cost prohibitive. We thought the Part D was mainly to protect lower income people, but have been pleased with the savings it has provided with our medications.