I have a question about the new AT&T Medicare Advantage Plan in 2024. Since we, as retirees, are dropping Medicare in order to enroll in the new plan, will UHC send a notice to Medicare.gov to drop us from the plan, or do we have to contact Medicare?
I am assuming that UHC will contact them. If so, then Medicare should no longer deduct Medicare Part B from Social Security payment each month.
Has anyone experienced moving from Medicare Part B/Supplemental Part B to a Medicare Advantage Plan?
@1ewy If AT&T is paying anything extra toward your UHC Medicare Plan it is minimal if not nothing. AT&T always cuts your benefits so they are not paying anything. They are probably making money off of you instead.
Once you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, there is indeed a risk of being locked in. While many people mistakenly believe they can easily switch back to traditional Medicare, the reality is different. In all but four states, switching from a Medicare Advantage plan to traditional Medicare can be effectively impossible for individuals with health conditions1. Here are some key points to consider:
Medicare Advantage Lock-In: Once you’ve joined a Medicare Advantage plan, you may find yourself unable to switch back to original Medicare. The process is not as straightforward as some assume.
Traditional Medicare Considerations:
Traditional Medicare lacks an out-of-pocket cap, which means your costs could be substantial if you have a serious health condition. To protect yourself financially, you’d need Medicare supplemental insurance (also known as Medigap).
However, obtaining Medigap coverage is not always guaranteed. You have limited rights to buy it, and insurers may refuse coverage or charge exorbitant premiums.
Without Medigap, your out-of-pocket expenses in traditional Medicare could reach tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I feel like I’m hated by this country.
Not a citizen!
I would recommend not to do any business with att. it may cost more on paper but guarantee it will always cost more with att.
T will do to the UHC Advantage plan exactly what they have done to employee benefits and cut it slowly to reduce your benefits then you will have to be underwritten to go to Medicare or have to find another advantage plan. Remember, T is not your friend and look only to their own bottom line
Seems like you have a few questions:
Q1: "...do we have to contact Medicare?"
A1: If you currently are enrolled in in a MAPD plan and are changing over to the new AT&T MAPD 2024 plan you do not have to notify anyone. You last choice up to and including Dec 7 will be the choice on record at Medicare. The insurance company providing you the MAPD plan sends that info to Medicare.
Q2: "..I am assuming that UHC will contact them..".
A2: UHC will contact Medicare if you are changing to the AT&T MAPD insured by UHC.
Important Note 1: If you currently have a Supplemental Plan (Medigap) and you elect to go with any MAPD plan then you should contact the provider of your Medigap plan and cancel that policy. Otherwise you will continue to pay for the Medigap Plan but not have any benefits from it.
Important Note 2: You will continue to pay for your Medicare Part B premium if you elect to go with any MAPD plan or stay in a Medigap Plan.
Important Note 3: There is a circumstance that allows you to go back to a Medigap Plan if you switched for the first time to a MAPD and subsequently want to go back to your original Medigap Plan within a 12 Month window without medical underwriting. But be careful, there could be additional circumstances that can impact to detailed to list here) what plan you may or may not end up with.
Well in reality Medicare Advantage is a policy that supersedes regular Medicare from an insurance perspective. Medicare pays the company that administrates the advantage plan, based on reporting on your health. This is why private insurers love it. They make millions from the Government. Medicare rules require subscription to Medicare Plan B in order to participate in an Advantage plan. The AT&T UHC administered Medicare Advantage plan is better than any other advantage plan on the open market. Overall less cost to the retiree. Pretty sure AT&T has to pay some part of something. They may still be paying all the claims minus the Medicare payments.
Advantage plans: beware
Never go with an Advantage Plan. Too risky.
It depends on circumstances, and it depends on the state. The problem is getting Medigap without underwriting. But, there are ways to do that, but that varies by state.
If the state is issue age Medigap, might get it early and lock in the rate. If on the other hand, the state is attained age Medigap, could try to save some bucks with MA, but not necessarily the AT&T plan. If you rent, move over the county line and out of the Medicare Advantage plan area - guarantee issue Medigap. (AT&T is a 50 state program, won't work with the AT&T plan.) Many MA plans have limited areas for an insured's residence, even though with a PPO there is nationwide coverage.
So, flirt with MA, better know the Medigap situation.
https://www.medicare.gov/publications/02110-medigap-guide-health-insurance.pdf
Never go with an Advantage Plan. Too risky.
https://retiree.uhc.com/att/enrollment-information
• You must be entitled to Medicare Part A and enrolled in Medicare Part B.
• You must continue paying your Medicare Part B premium.
Quite a while ago, I got a letter saying I would be automatically enrolled in the plan and I would have to call to opt out. So, since dental wasn't included, I opted out.
The plan is a good deal if the retiree has a lot of out of pocket expenses. But for me, I don't, and the rest of the plan just didn't add up to the best deal. So, I got one of these AARP Med Advantage plans. The funny thing about that was, the prescriptions were cheaper than AT&T's rates, and included free Sildenafil (generic Viagra).
There's enough information to see where this went. We were getting $2700 per retiree and $1500 per spouse. Now, comparing the subsidized non-subsidized rate, we're getting $600 for the retiree and nothing for the spouse.
Before, we could select any plan that was a good fit. Now, this one-size-fits-all is specifically designed to be a poor fit for many. And that degrades the $600 subsidy we're getting. They say if we opt-out, we can get back in at the next enrollment, so it's not now or never. So, it's not now for me. I can do better elsewhere.
Totally agree with Post ID: @vko+1pSUxvT6
"Since you are no longer with Medicare, it doesn’t seem that you should to have Medicare Part B deducted from your SS."
Absolutely INCORRECT. You must pay your Part B premium even if you are on ANY Advantage plan, including AT&T's UHC plan. And you MUST sign up for Part A and Part B in order to be on any Advantage plan, so there is no getting around this.
Deciding to go on ATT UHC is an important decision. It is only available if you are Medicare eligible AND you are eligible for ATT retirement benefits, which requires one to have reached MR75. The ATT plan does look good on the surface, since it is a PPO and not an HMO and you are not restricted to providers in network and confined to a local geographical area (as is the case with many other Advantage plans). However, like all other Advantage plans, this one puts UHC in charge of your health care. I urge anyone deciding to utilize this option to read the Evidence of Coverage document that the plan is required to publish. It states in there, that "medically necessary" treatment is under the plan's sole discretion. You can appeal decisions, but that can be a lengthy and frustrating process. Also, UHC is notorious for no authorizing procedures or for reimbursing doctors late. Providers are frustrated and many providers will not accept the UHC plan. So even if a doctor accepts Medicare, they may not accept THIS plan. Some notable providers, like Mayo Clinic (at least in some areas) are NOT accepting this plan. And some other providers are not accepting any Advantage plans, but they accept regular Medicare. If you don't like the Advantage plan, you may be entitled to a "guaranteed issue" right to go back to traditional Medicare, but this right is time sensitive and you may end up in a position where you can no longer go back on traditional Medicare without underwriting or paying much higher for a supplemental policy. And also, the ATT UHC plan can change its services any time through the year.
I don't trust AT&T, and I don't trust for profit insurance companies to be in charge of my medical care. So I am not going to take advantage of this plan. But please research this carefully. There is not a one size fits all solution.
Tried to do my due diligence and compare the different options. Got extremely confusing. One plan pays 5 dollars more for one thing and 5 dollars less for another. Had spreadsheets out of the wazzoo. Biggest issue is these plans hire a lot of people to get through the enrollment period. Some are clueless about the plans they represent. Ended up going with a plan a friend recommended. You have to pay the part B premium with every plan. It comes out of your retirement off the top. You will also pay a monthly 50 dollar cost for dental, eye care, etc. Went to a broker recommended to me by a friend this go around and knew about the AT&T plan. As soon as he found out I was a AT&T retiree he stopped me. Said there wasn’t any use taking all the info as he couldn’t recommend a better plan than the AT&T PPO plan due to the maximum out of pocket expense. Hope he is correct. My understanding is that even if AT&T changes the plan after this year you will still have the opportunity to opt out next year. Hopefully it doesn’t change too much. My wife won’t be Medicare eligible until next year. Those premiums have gone through the roof.
I must agree with @toa+1pSUxvT6, but will be a little less goofy about it. If it is not to late, stick with straight up Medicare and a Medigap plan, plan G if you can. Yes, it cost more up front each month, but no surprises on the back end, no copay, and if the doctor takes Medicare, they have to accept the Medigap, nationwide. Once retirements put T close to having all eligible persons on the plan, history shows it will slowly tweak the Advantage Plan over time, and not to your "advantage", though they surely will tell you all the great things they are doing for you. Plus, I am confident they have a target number of participates and once they drop below target, it all goes away.
@rfz+1pSUxvT6 you are INCORRECT. Part B still needs to be paid. OP contact Medicare or UHC please!
The only person I trust less than the Gooberment is the Stink.
If you are in good health, the Toxic-T Advantage plan is a good deal - currently.
However, we all know the Stink - and he will eventually pull the carpet from underneath you. If you elect the Toxic-T plan, and are in poor health, you will have to go through "Rating" to go back to traditional Medicare. You can pass Rating if you are in good health.
Again - do you trust the Stink?
NO - I don't
Even though I'm not quite Medicare age yet, the past couple of years I was on a quest to understand it all.
'Medicare Advantage', or 'Part C' in my opinion shouldnt even be called Medicare, but its meant to be confusing. Basically 'Advantage' replaces Medicare. CMS (the Medicare Fund) basically pays the insurance company over $1,000/mo for each Advantage participant, and basically say "Okay, you are in charge of their care." So the insurance company is in charge of which doctor/facility network you can see, what they will cover, and when, and to them, it's all about profit, so they can delay, deny, defer. Also the plan can change during the year. Often the network is limited to your County...
Yes, you are still required to pay the Part B monthly premium.
There are independent insurance brokers that charge you nothing to work with them, they are paid commission by the insurance carrier on the back end, but you never see it, and to work with a good one that understands both Medi-Gap (a.k.a Supplement Plans) they can fully explain the details, pros and cons of each.
I did breeze through the at&t Advantage Plan w/UHC a couple of weeks back, sure, they all sound appealing, but they can change often, heck, at&t can choose to drop it or change (like they've done with benefits in general).
Medicare Supplement Plans are also run by insurance companies, however, the Supp Plans are under the strict rules of Medicare. So what your doctor says is medically necessary, Medicare Part A (hospital in patient) and Part B (Doctors, Services, Tests, etc) will pay the 80%, and then the Supplement Plan MUST pay the remainder, per the terms of the Plan (G, N, etc). The insurance company underneath the Supp plan has no say, they have to pay. And, all the Supp are the same so whther it's Blue Cross, UHC, Kaiser, etc., a Plan G is a Plan G is a Plan G, so a cheaper premium isn't anything different from company A to company B...
ChatGPT provided this answer:
“Yes, individuals enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C) must continue to pay their Medicare Part B premium. The Part B premium is separate from any premiums associated with the Medicare Advantage plan. Keep in mind that specific details can vary, so it's essential to review the terms of your particular Medicare Advantage plan”.
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I didn’t realize Medicare Advantage is Medicare Part C, so that clears it up.
Enrolling in Medicare Advantage means you are no longer in Medicare, you are totally out of Medicare and now with an insurance company (UHC).
Since you are no longer with Medicare, it doesn’t seem that you should to have Medicare Part B deducted from your SS.
This is not how it works are all, Medicare Advantage is an addition to Medicare A and B not a substitute...unless I am very wrong.
Please contact the plan folks. you have only till the 7th.