Anyone here on Medicare and if so are you on a Humana advantage plan - or similar?

seebell

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Bazza

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You should be being bombarded by "insurance" calls by now, the vast majority of which are out and out scams...
Odd, I never thought about these being scams as much as just junk mail. People trying to make a buck by steering you in one direction or another.

I'm very skeptical of anything that comes in the mail anyway, so doubt I could ever be a victim.

Thanks to my Magic Jack call screening feature I no longer get any robo calls. :)
 

TIDE-HSV

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Odd, I never thought about these being scams as much as just junk mail. People trying to make a buck by steering you in one direction or another.

I'm very skeptical of anything that comes in the mail anyway, so doubt I could ever be a victim.

Thanks to my Magic Jack call screening feature I no longer get any robo calls. :)
A large number are scams. You pay up front for a consultation fees, which accomplishes nothing. Also, an insurance call outside the legal signup window is a sure sign it's a scam. We're still getting them in March...
 

Bazza

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Quick update in case it's of any interest......

Coming up to the end of May and on the home stretch, I still hadn't made a final decision on which Humana plan to sign up for. I happened to be in our local Walmart and at the Humana table in front was a Humana rep I hadn't seen before. No one else there so I decided to strike up a brief convo and get his take on things.

He turned out to be an employee of Humana (as opposed to an independent sales rep) - and whether than had anything to do with it or not - he told me about a plan that seemed to be a good fit for me.

It's called the H1036-157 (HMO) Humana Gold Plus, for Daytona - Flagler and Volusia counties

You get all the same features and benefits of the other advantage plans except this one has an $85 premium deduction.

The $85 premium deduction means instead of the $135.50 per month coming out of my social security - only $50.50 is taken out.

For those keeping track of the numbers.....this means this plan costs me (12 x $50.50) = $606/year and saves me (12 x $85) = $1,020/year.

Conventional plans would cost (12 x $135.50) = $1,626/year.

I will try to upload a couple scans showing all the details of the plan in my next post, but for now just wanted to share what I ended up with for those interested.

The sign up process was all done very quickly and easily. The Human rep filled out a one page application for me, looked me up in the system to confirm things were as they needed to be (which they were), and then we chose a local doctor to be my GP - who happened to be the one I had in mind and fortunately was currently accepting new customers. *You have to have a designated GP in order to sign up. When my Humana membership card came, his name and contact info were inscribed on it along with the other usual stuff.

I'm still very healthy (as far as I know - ha ha) so not sure when I will be using my new health care program. But it's nice to know in case of something major, I have this coverage.
 

Moro Creek

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Bazza, I know you will do what is best for you and your family, but I had a Humana HMO the first two years and changed to Florida Blue HMO for three years now. I went to a Florida Blue office and got a lot of information. As long as I stay in network, (which is easy) I like Florida Blue much more than Humana. Hope this helps.
 

Bazza

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Bazza, I know you will do what is best for you and your family, but I had a Humana HMO the first two years and changed to Florida Blue HMO for three years now. I went to a Florida Blue office and got a lot of information. As long as I stay in network, (which is easy) I like Florida Blue much more than Humana. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the input, my friend.

If there's any specifics you feel like sharing that influenced your decision to switch, I'm interested in knowing that. If you'd rather not say - that's cool too.

I don't really go to doctors - hardly at all (knock on wood). So right now it's hard to know I'll even be using it much.
 

Go Bama

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Thanks for the input, my friend.

If there's any specifics you feel like sharing that influenced your decision to switch, I'm interested in knowing that. If you'd rather not say - that's cool too.

I don't really go to doctors - hardly at all (knock on wood). So right now it's hard to know I'll even be using it much.
That’s a recipe for an early death or worse, Bazza. A lot of terminal diseases can be detected before symptoms occur. What would be horrible for me would be to become an invalid when it was avoidable and now rather than me taking care of my family I’ve become a burden.

An an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Do the smart thing, not the easy thing.
 

TIDE-HSV

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That’s a recipe for an early death or worse, Bazza. A lot of terminal diseases can be detected before symptoms occur. What would be horrible for me would be to become an invalid when it was avoidable and now rather than me taking care of my family I’ve become a burden.

An an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Do the smart thing, not the easy thing.
He's correct. You are of an age when disorders caused by age start to appear...
 

Moro Creek

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Blood test at least once a year can show a lot even if you feel great. I feel great all the time, but blood test show I have chronic kidney disease. See your primary care doctor at least once a year. You'll be glad you did.
 

Bazza

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Blood test at least once a year can show a lot even if you feel great. I feel great all the time, but blood test show I have chronic kidney disease. See your primary care doctor at least once a year. You'll be glad you did.
He's correct. You are of an age when disorders caused by age start to appear...
That’s a recipe for an early death or worse, Bazza. A lot of terminal diseases can be detected before symptoms occur. What would be horrible for me would be to become an invalid when it was avoidable and now rather than me taking care of my family I’ve become a burden.

An an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Do the smart thing, not the easy thing.
Thanks and I agree.

I do plan to get a checkup at some point before the year is out.

Typically though I've never had annual checkups, etc. I know I've been fortunate and every dog has it's day - or Gator in my case. :p

Sorry to hear of the kidney disease, Moro. :( Hang in there, buddy.....
 

TIDE-HSV

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Blood test at least once a year can show a lot even if you feel great. I feel great all the time, but blood test show I have chronic kidney disease. See your primary care doctor at least once a year. You'll be glad you did.
That and much, much more, cholesterol, etc. PSA for prostate cancer - saying you don't need doctor visits approaching Medicare age is simply dangerous denial. BTW, once on Medicare, you will be required to have an annual "wellness visit" at the minimum...
 

Bazza

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That and much, much more, cholesterol, etc. PSA for prostate cancer - saying you don't need doctor visits approaching Medicare age is simply dangerous denial. BTW, once on Medicare, you will be required to have an annual "wellness visit" at the minimum...
I do have a couple areas I'd like some medical advice and possible treatments for.

With the work I do outside - dermatology concerns.

And with the physical work I do - orthopedic concerns.

Outside of that - nothing right now that I know of.

Last week I had some ear clogging issues and had thought about getting some medical attention. Instead, I ended up getting a bottle of Debrox, which cleared the problem up for me, thankfully - even though it took a few days. At some point, I still want to have my ears checked by an ear doc, no doubt.

As an aside.....I'm amazed at how many folks my age I run into who also say they don't see doctors on a regular basis. So I guess I am not alone in that regard.
 

Moro Creek

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Bazza, you ask why I like Florida Blue better than Humana. I have a little better rate (co-pay) with Florida Blue, and their network of doctors seem to me to be much better. Case in point. My wife has Florida Blue and just had her first knee replacement this week. We were able to use the UF Orthopedic Institute and Shands Cancer hospital in Gainesville for her surgery because they were in the network. I have not checked to see if I could do the same with Humana, but I think we would probably have had to use Ocala Regional, a great hospital, but not as good as Shands.
 

TIDE-HSV

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I do have a couple areas I'd like some medical advice and possible treatments for.

With the work I do outside - dermatology concerns.

And with the physical work I do - orthopedic concerns.

Outside of that - nothing right now that I know of.

Last week I had some ear clogging issues and had thought about getting some medical attention. Instead, I ended up getting a bottle of Debrox, which cleared the problem up for me, thankfully - even though it took a few days. At some point, I still want to have my ears checked by an ear doc, no doubt.

As an aside.....I'm amazed at how many folks my age I run into who also say they don't see doctors on a regular basis. So I guess I am not alone in that regard.
At your age, I had an orthopedist and my regular internist. Because of heavy CAD in my family, I was having my blood lipids tested every six months; probably didn't need but annually. The skin concerns are real. I'm medium complected and don't work outside, although I've had a lot of sun exposure. I have a 6" scar on my forehead from basal cell cancer surgery...
 

Bazza

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At your age, I had an orthopedist and my regular internist. Because of heavy CAD in my family, I was having my blood lipids tested every six months; probably didn't need but annually. The skin concerns are real. I'm medium complected and don't work outside, although I've had a lot of sun exposure. I have a 6" scar on my forehead from basal cell cancer surgery...
Yep.....will be proceeding with all that at some point.
 

GrayTide

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I do have a couple areas I'd like some medical advice and possible treatments for.

With the work I do outside - dermatology concerns.

And with the physical work I do - orthopedic concerns.

Outside of that - nothing right now that I know of.

Last week I had some ear clogging issues and had thought about getting some medical attention. Instead, I ended up getting a bottle of Debrox, which cleared the problem up for me, thankfully - even though it took a few days. At some point, I still want to have my ears checked by an ear doc, no doubt.

As an aside.....I'm amazed at how many folks my age I run into who also say they don't see doctors on a regular basis. So I guess I am not alone in that regard.
I have been the "poster boy" for actinic keratosis (pre-cancerous skin lesions) since the late 1990's. Not all were non-cancerous and I have had 3 surgeries to remove skin cancer on my face and neck. I have had torn meniscus surgery on one knee and rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders. I visit my current dermatologist every 6 months. My former dermatologist's practice became so involved with Advanced Aesthetics and Laser Rejuvination that I had to find another skin doc. My latest surgery is scheduled for late August to repair a "trigger thumb". Old age basically sucks.
 

TIDE-HSV

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I have been the "poster boy" for actinic keratosis (pre-cancerous skin lesions) since the late 1990's. Not all were non-cancerous and I have had 3 surgeries to remove skin cancer on my face and neck. I have had torn meniscus surgery on one knee and rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders. I visit my current dermatologist every 6 months. My former dermatologist's practice became so involved with Advanced Aesthetics and Laser Rejuvination that I had to find another skin doc. My latest surgery is scheduled for late August to repair a "trigger thumb". Old age basically sucks.
The skin problems I had sneaked up on me. I'm not really light complected. The dermatologist who missed the cancer on my forehead, and whom I left, the first time he laid eyes on me proclaimed my skin "cancer-proof." As I've chronicled elsewhere, I ended up with a six-inch scar running from beside my right eye to the center of my forehead, after two surgeries. When I commented on his remark to my new dermatologist, she looked at me and and said that she had African-American patients with basal cell cancer...
 

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