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

Well, getting back at little late, but couldn't sleep and saw my old post. I live in Texas and plans vary from state to state. But last year I went with United Amereican's Supplemental plan F on the advice of an insurance agent. It paid well, but the monthly premium was high and it went up quite a bit for 2009. I like the Supplement Plans because they seem, for me anyway, to pay the most. However, it was pricey so I did some research for 2009 and there are quite a few of them that I could get to look at through Texas Insurance online. My husband was in the military and we had previously had USAA auto insurance which is tops. I checked and it has a AA+ rating, so I we with them at half the price. It's the same coverage that I had before, Supplement Plan F. All Supplements, from company to company cannot vary, except for the price. So do check it out. Also, be sure to check the financial strength of the company you choose by going to AMBest.com. I also like to choose a minimum of an A rated company. If you need any help, let me know. Medicare was not very helpful, neither were some of the local state insurance organizations. I have learned a lot since first becoming eligible for medicare. Thanks and good luck to all. Remember prices vary very much from company to company, but the Supplement you select is the same from all companies.

You might talk to someone from your insurance company. Allstate does have several programs thru Blue Cross. Depending on what state you live in, you can contact the Insurance Commission for ratings on different plans or companies. If you get a HMO, like Kaiser, you could be better coverage, but it does limit you to a specific area. You can call different indepentent agencies listed in the yellow pages. Most insurance companies will send you information free, and sorry to say, also a salesman to convince you that theirs is the BEST. I would not talk to a the salesperson without someone with you. Most information you can get from the office. Also ask your Dr/medical group which one they honor or prefer. You are smart to start now so you will make a good decision later. Marie

Yes. I called Medicare and they were not helpful. They would not tell me what was covered and what was not. They advised me to buy what was needed and submit the claim. I asked her to call a supplier for me to see what their policy was and I fel like the Medicare agent was trying to poison the water for me. She said, "Is the variable height feature and upgrade?" - "Yes" - "Well this lady doesn't understand that she has to pay for upgrades." UGH! on their own site, Medicare says that it covers the upgrade with a diagnosis of severe arthritis in the lower extremities. This whole experience has been very frustrating!