Warsaw Doctor Warns Seniors about Medicare Replacement
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
Medicare replacement plans are private insurance policies that take the place of traditional Medicare and often present themselves as being advantage plans. Doctors warn that, with the upcoming Medicare open enrollment period from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, seniors may hear a sales pitch from insurance agents asking them to cancel Medicare and buy a replacement plan.
Seniors who buy these plans often feel deceived when they find out what is and isn’t covered, said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, DO, a family practitioner in Warsaw.
“The majority of the patients I've had contact with who now have the advantage plans were shopping for a Medicare supplement, and felt they were ‘tricked’ into buying a Medicare replacement plan,” she said Wednesday via email. “These plans take the place of traditional Medicare. So now these people not only have less coverage and monthly premiums, but they still don't have a supplement plan, which is what they were shopping for.”
She cautioned that seniors not make quick decisions about healthcare, but to read information about plans being offered, ask questions, and confer with friends and family before signing any agreements.
“They seem to promise people great savings, but what they fail to mention is that the traditional Medicare plans are already deducted automatically from the social security check and cover 80 percent of medically necessary office visit charges, tests, etc.,” she said. “With the replacement plans, patients are not only paying monthly premiums, but are getting less coverage and still have out-of-pocket expenses as they go. “
Be more concerned with what the plans don’t cover than with co-pays and premiums, Johnson advised.
“Many of these plans won't cover nursing home care, rehab care, or home health care. These are huge expenses that people on a fixed income can rarely afford,” she said. “In the current healthcare situation where hospitals are being reimbursed less and less and hospital stays are shorter, it's imperative that insurances pay for rehab and home care to help these patients convalesce, once they are dismissed from the hospital.”
She named Humana, a UnitedHealthcare product, as the biggest offender locally on replacement plans, though there are more than 50 such companies nationally. Others include Evercare, another UnitedHealthcare product, and Bravo, a CIGNA product.
“Humana and United Health Care apparently have played off their well known name for supplement plans and are getting a lot of people signed on for the so called ‘advantage plans,’” she said.[[In-content Ad]]
Medicare replacement plans are private insurance policies that take the place of traditional Medicare and often present themselves as being advantage plans. Doctors warn that, with the upcoming Medicare open enrollment period from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, seniors may hear a sales pitch from insurance agents asking them to cancel Medicare and buy a replacement plan.
Seniors who buy these plans often feel deceived when they find out what is and isn’t covered, said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, DO, a family practitioner in Warsaw.
“The majority of the patients I've had contact with who now have the advantage plans were shopping for a Medicare supplement, and felt they were ‘tricked’ into buying a Medicare replacement plan,” she said Wednesday via email. “These plans take the place of traditional Medicare. So now these people not only have less coverage and monthly premiums, but they still don't have a supplement plan, which is what they were shopping for.”
She cautioned that seniors not make quick decisions about healthcare, but to read information about plans being offered, ask questions, and confer with friends and family before signing any agreements.
“They seem to promise people great savings, but what they fail to mention is that the traditional Medicare plans are already deducted automatically from the social security check and cover 80 percent of medically necessary office visit charges, tests, etc.,” she said. “With the replacement plans, patients are not only paying monthly premiums, but are getting less coverage and still have out-of-pocket expenses as they go. “
Be more concerned with what the plans don’t cover than with co-pays and premiums, Johnson advised.
“Many of these plans won't cover nursing home care, rehab care, or home health care. These are huge expenses that people on a fixed income can rarely afford,” she said. “In the current healthcare situation where hospitals are being reimbursed less and less and hospital stays are shorter, it's imperative that insurances pay for rehab and home care to help these patients convalesce, once they are dismissed from the hospital.”
She named Humana, a UnitedHealthcare product, as the biggest offender locally on replacement plans, though there are more than 50 such companies nationally. Others include Evercare, another UnitedHealthcare product, and Bravo, a CIGNA product.
“Humana and United Health Care apparently have played off their well known name for supplement plans and are getting a lot of people signed on for the so called ‘advantage plans,’” she said.[[In-content Ad]]
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