Southern Senior Care Blog

Hello Southern Senior Care Blog Readers,

My name is Amanda, and I had never anticipated being a caregiver or being responsible for my mother who has usually done most of the caregiving in my family. It is really stressful for me and my siblings to find information about taking care of my mom since we try to do it ourselves, being on a limited budget. However, we don’t always have time, and working with an agency can be rather expensive. I found a great website called TheCaringSpace.com where you can post a listing for free and get connected with caregivers in your area. It is a great option for people who want to independently connect with caregivers in an affordable, easy way without working with a third party. The site even allows caregivers to provide background checks and references so you don’t waste your time on people who aren’t serious. There is a lot of good information provided for people like me who don’t really know the ropes when it comes to caregiving or where to start when it comes to seeking respite care for my family.

Thanks!

Amanda

Why do most people go with an F or G plan instead of C, D or E?

I recently got the following question from a visitor to our website. My reply to her is below. I’m writing this pretty late at night, so for you Type A’s out there, if I have missed any of the finer points in my explanation, please let me know.

First of all, Medicare (CMS) creates the Medicare Supplement plans. Medicare Supplement Companies DO NOT create the plans. Whenever you see a copy of the Medicare Plan Table (see below) you will notice they are all the same - same plans, same options, same check marks, same percentages. No matter which Medicare Supplement company sends you the table, they are simply giving you the standardized table that Medicare created for everyone to use. This is a VERY important point to know. 

>>> Read the rest …

News May Not be as Bad as it Sounds

On July 15th, General Motors announced that retired salaried employees 65 and older will lose their GM medical benefits. In exchange, GM will increase pension payments by $300 per month. My father is a retired GM employee, so I am very familiar with this situation. >>> Read the rest …

What does that mean?

The senate passed House Bill 1633 on Wednesday July 9th, by a “veto proof” margin of 69-30. The bill passed through the house with an overwhelming 355 to 59 votes. So, even though the white house has threatened a veto, this bill will likely survive. So, what does that mean to the millions of retirees who have Medicare and Medigap Insurance, or a Medicare Advantage Plan?

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AARP Medicare Supplement Plans are underwritten by United Healthcare. I’m not going to spend a lot of time comparing AARP Medicare Supplement Plans to those offered by numerous other companies. There have been many articles and documents created that discuss the subject of “Standardization” of Medicare Supplements. In short, in 1997 Medicare standardized all medicare supplements. There are thirteen plans identified by the letters A-L. Companies can offer any or all of these plans and can charge any premium they wish. Plans of the same letter are “Identical” from one company to another. I REPEAT Plans of the same letter are 100% identical. The only difference between them is the premium.

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This is one of the most common questions we receive. When can I change my supplement, my drug plan, my advantage plan, etc. So here are the rules:

When can I change my Medicare Supplement?

Any time you want. That’s right. You could change Medicare Supplement Insurance every month if you wanted to. Realistically, you should review your rates every year, and you will probably find that you will want to change your Medicare Supplement company about once every three-four years to save money. To change to another Medicare Supplement Provider you will need to answer several health questions. Click here to see a list of common questions.

When can I change my Medigap Plan?

See Above. A Medigap Plan is just another name for a Medicare Supplement Plan. They are identical. They are synonyms. The reason for the confusion is the word “gap” which is also used to describe the gap (donut hole) in coverage in the prescription plan. Medicare also uses the two terms interchangeably which adds to the confusion.

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I get this question a lot. What IS the “best” Medigap plan? I think Plan G is the best in about 90% of the cases we see. The exception is if the client lives in a zip code in which they can get a Plan F for less than $134 more than the Plan G. The most significant difference between Plan F and G is coverage for the annual Medicare Part B deductible of $134.

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There are many things to consider when deciding whether to go with a traditional Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plan or a Medicare Advantage plan. I was not sure I wanted to try and create this comparison document, but I believe the infomation below will help you get an overview of these two Healthcare Options. Again, I want to stress that deciding between these two options is a very important decision. You should meet with an experience Medicare Supplement Agent to discuss your specific circumstances. So, on to the comparison… >>> Read the rest …