Have any retirees moved back to one of the two AT&T Retiree Medical plans and away from a private insurance plan? I currently have AETNA ADVANAGE and have had good luck with it but I'm just wondering if anyone has shifted to the AT&T UHC plan.
Why did you make the move back and how has been your experience with UHC?
Advantage plan where I live should be regarded as an HMO and/or the AT&T select plan. Limited doctor and hospital list. Yes, you get dental but again the dentist list is very limited. Not a single doctor/dentist we used were in the plan. Felt like if I had anything major wrong, was putting my life in the hands of some desperate doctors who were so eager for patients that they would take this insurance.
Thanks but no thanks. Did what another poster said and just paid for a supplement out of pocket (which we used to be able to do with the post medicare payments until they changed the rules after the fact). I think offering this plan is a way to again take away benefits from retirees.
"But, my skeptical self feels tweaks to the plan will eventually start,"
My skeptical self feels tweaks to traditional Medicare might start since the public voted for Project 2025 when they elected Mr. Trump along with Republican majorities in Congress.
https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
One consideration is whether the "advantage" with MA might increase. We're gambling, no matter which way we go.
Supplement Plans are much better. Cost more but worth it.
"The current T Advantage offer is definitely great as those plans go. But, my skeptical self feels tweaks to the plan will eventually start, and not in a good direction. I rejected the T plan and went traditional Medicare along with Part D and G. Yes, it costs a lot more. My piece of mind is the ability to see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, no approvals, no private company dictating my medical care, and after paying the Medicare deductible, I never get a bill."
This is a good summary. The T Advantage plan for retirees is a good plan as far as Advantage plans go. But please do your research on this! All Advantage plans, including the one offered by T/UHC, allow the insurance company (in this case, UHC) to make decisions about weather your care will actually be authorized for payment. Your doctor doesn't decide; the insurance company does. Although the T UHC plan is a PPO, out of network providers do NOT have to accept the plan, even if they accept Medicare, and many providers are just not accepting UHC any longer due to delays in treatment authorization, denials of treatment authorization, and delays in reinbursement. Even if a certain procedure is allowed per Medicare, the UHC plan authorizers may decide that it's not medically necessary for you, as an individual. So beware of that. Also, generally, if you have the plan, and you don't like it, you can switch to traditional Medicare, but only during the first year. After that, in most states, you cannot go back to traditional Medicare without going through medical underwriting and possibly face much higher premiums (this varies by state). Finally, AT&T Alight and UHC have had many "hiccups" with the plan, historically, resulting in erroneous billing schedules, etc. I am happy to have nothing to do with Alight now that I am retired and chose the traditional Medicare route.
The current T Advantage offer is definitely great as those plans go. But, my skeptical self feels tweaks to the plan will eventually start, and not in a good direction. I rejected the T plan and went traditional Medicare along with Part D and G. Yes, it costs a lot more. My piece of mind is the ability to see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, no approvals, no private company dictating my medical care, and after paying the Medicare deductible, I never get a bill.
"If you have AT&T plan, do you still have to pay for Medicare part B premium?"
The answer is yes, you still have to pay Part B premiums, as well as any applied IRMAA charges.
https://retiree.uhc.com/content/dam/retiree/pdf/att/2025/2025-sb-att-16373-16374.pdf
If you have AT&T plan, do you still have to pay for Medicare part B premium?
Been looking and lots of options. Used AT&T plan for 24. No real issues. As usual some options come down to personal preference. In my case some of it boils down to having someone else do my yearly eye exam or teeth cleanings for free if I decide to go to an HMO with what seems to be better pricing. Funny how attached you can get to someone you might see an hour a year. Equation changes as your needs change.
I haven't gone back, but my other choices went downhill, so considering it. One thing I learned is, AT&T's prescription formulary is considerably larger than any private plan. So, from a Part D perspective, AT&T's coverage is superior.
At the moment, reasonably healthy, so I'm ambivalent on whether I'll switch to the group plan.