On 9/24/19 9:33 AM, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Mon, 23 Sep 2019 19:08:48 -0400,
wrote:

On 9/23/19 6:47 PM, Wade Gattett wrote:
On 9/23/19 6:21 PM, Dean Hoffman wrote:
Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* I need to sign up for Medicare in the next couple months and was
wondering if anyone had words of wisdom to offer.

Consider a Medicare Advantage HMO plan- as long as a good HMO is
available in your area.

Most have Rx coverage, no "supplement" plan is needed, emphasize
preventative care, and usually it's one-stop shopping when you need to
see the doc...lab, xray, pharmacy, etc., in the building.

Kaiser Permanente has been the top-rated HMO for many years *where I live*
and I've generally been happy with the quality of care I've received. I
was also with them for a long time before I went on Medicare.

But lately they've been hiring a ton of fresh-out physicians from
foreign medical schools in regions I'd hardly consider centers of
medical excellence. We'll have to see how it goes.


Unfortunately Kaiser's Part C Advantage plans are only available in 8
States & DC (and not all counties in those States). So Dean will need to
be in their Service Area to consider them.

https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/

And if he is eligble, what happens when he travels to other parts of the
country? I have no idea if that is a problem. I think I got letters
from them and that was part of the reason it took me 2 extra months to
decide.


Here is what the "Medicare and You" handbook says at the 6th bullet down
on page 59 at
https://www.medicare.gov/sites/defau...-and-you_0.pdf

"What do I pay?
Your out-of-pocket costs in a Medicare Advantage Plan depend on:

€¢ Whether you get services from a network provider or a provider that
doesnt contract with the plan. If you go to a doctor, other health care
provider, facility, or supplier that doesnt belong to the plans
network for non-emergency or non-urgent care services, your services may
not be covered, or your costs could be higher. In most cases, this
applies to Medicare Advantage HMOs and PPOs."