THESE ARE SAD DAYS IN AMERICA WHEN OUR GREATEST GENERATION LOSES RETIREMENT HEALTHCARE BENEFITS!
We are hearing from so many people everyday from Fortune 500 companies that are losing their retirement healthcare benefits. It is such a shame that after you have worked all your life for a company and deserve what you EARNED, they take it away. Especially when they continue to have record profits and the CEO’s are making inflated salaries that seem ridiculous to most of us!
We have heard from folks at:
General Motors, Conoco-Phillips, Kodak, Alcate/Lucent, Whirlpool and American Airlines
We understand that you have never had to navigate the Medicare system and how confusing all of this is for you. Many times the companies have contracted with Agencies to come in and enroll thier retirees on healthplans and drug plans. Please be aware that YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY SPECIAL OPTIONS NOW THAT YOU ARE IN THE MEDICARE SYSTEM. No matter what agency you use to enroll, they do not have anything special or different to offer you than anyone else has.
The only difference is, WILL THEY GIVE YOU INSIDE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT COMPANIES HAVE BETTER SERVICE? WILL THEY DO A COMPARISON BASED ON YOUR MEDICATIONS OF ALL THE DRUG PLANS AVAILABLE TO YOU IN YOUR STATE? DO THEY JUST HAVE ONE PLAN TO OFFER BECAUSE THAT IS ALL THEY SELL? WILL THEY BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN ALL YOUR OPTIONS AND GIVE YOU OBJECTIVE ADVICE ABOUT ALL OF THEM, NOT BASED ON WHAT WILL MAKE THEM THE MOST MONEY IN COMMISSIONS?
If someone tells you they know what drug plan you should join before Nov. 15th, and they do not take a list of your drugs, you are getting incorrect information. The Centers for Medicare supplies us with the 2009 drug plan info with all the co-pays and premiums about a week or so before the 15th. That way when you give us a list of your meds, we check against every plan (there are over 50 plans in each state) to find the one that covers your meds at the lowest prices. Every drug plan does not cover every medication, so we check to make sure your drugs will be covered as well.
Most of the agencies we have talked to are recommending these retirees who have been accustomed to very good benefit packages, go with a Medicare Advantage Plan with a built in PDP or Drug Plan. This is very bad advice! There are many hoops to jump through as I have said before. Please read my other blogs on Medicare Advantage Plans. The most important thing to know is if you join an MAPD FIRST, you may lose your right to a choice if you are not happy with it. I have detailed this in a blog further down the page, so please read about this!!!!
The most horrible thing is Medicare does not have vision or dental coverage. I’m sure those of you who have retired from these companies have had great coverage for this. PLEASE GET ANY EYE EXAMS AND DENTAL WORK YOU NEED DONE NOW, BEFORE YOU LOSE YOUR BENEFITS JANUARY 1, 2009, OR BY THE TIME YOU LOSE YOUR COVERAGE! Even if some salesperson offers you dental or vision insurance, please know that it is probably NOT WORTH THE PREMIUMS YOU WILL PAY! These individual dental and vision plans do not give you much coverage and we don’t recommend them at all.
I have also written blogs about Medicare Supplements, please read these so you will understand exactly what you need. You just need 2 things:
1. Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement
2. A Stand Alone Part D Drug Plan
All the Medicare Supplements are regulated by the Centers For Medicare and contain the exact same benefits, the only difference is how much one insurance company will charge you from the next. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO PAY MORE FOR A MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT THAN YOU NEED TO. You must compare prices, just like you MUST compare prices for your drug plan and get a comparison based on your individual medications.
I hope this has answered some of the many questions I recieve everyday from those of you in this terrible situation. I am honored that you take the time to write in to me.
