Medicare Advantage

I am sorry to read that there are insurance regulatory hurdles for many people in AZ and in FL, I read on this blog that FL just doesn't accept them. There are so many Medicare Advantage Plans out there - comparing them to each other is like comparing apples and oranges. I have read that there are patients very unhappy with advantage plans as well as everywhere on the continuum to extremely happy, which I am with mine. Rated the highest in NYS, mine is what my former employer offers to their retirees. Nonprofit. I have a PPO (preferred provider) plan which means I can make an appointment on my own (no referrals) at ANY place in the USA that accepts Medicare as compared to an HMO plan which requires a referral. Travelers with HMO are billed and submit it for payment. I was at Mayo in Rochester for a Septal Myectomy just about 2 years ago, the total of ALL of my copays were less than $450 including $350 for the hospital. No questions on the charges and they negotiated with Mayo about exactly how much they will pay, I was not responsible for the difference. Customer service is excellent, anytime I received a questionable bill, all it took was a phone call to them, gave the pertinent information, they investigated and it was resolved with Mayo. It's very sad that we are not all created equal in terms of medical insurance available to each of us.

Which Medigap plan does Mayo prefer? I am considering the G Plan.

Since a Medigap plan works alongside Medicare rather than replacing Medicare as an Advantage Plan does, I don't know that Mayo would have a preference. I think your best bet is to contact Mayo's billing folks and ask that question directly.

@jeniliz, fellow member @jml6812 is right. It would be best to contact a coordinator at Mayo Clinic Billing & Insurance https://www.mayoclinic.org/billing-insurance/contact-us

The answer may be specific to which Mayo location you attend and other factors specific to you.

From the Mayo Clinic website:

Mayo Clinic, UnitedHealthcare agree to multi-year commercial and Medicare Advantage relationship
June 23, 2022

@shoileygal
Just want to clarify, the Mayo Clinic / United Healthcare relationship your referring to is just for Mayo Clinic Rochester and Mayo Clinic Health System sites in the Midwest.

See announcement:
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-unitedhealthcare-agree-to-multi-year-commercial-and-medicare-advantage-relationship/
As Colleen mentioned earlier, is best to contact a coordinator at Mayo Clinic Billing & Insurance https://www.mayoclinic.org/billing-insurance/contact-us to see if your insurance is accepted at that Mayo location.

I go to Mayo in Phoenix, as I have said before they do not take Medicare Advantage.
Each year I receive a message telling me..........they do not take Medicare advantage.
Enough said.

Not only Mayo Clinic is not taking Advantage Plans. Many hospitals and providers are dropping them. I follow Becker's Hospital Review and there are frequent articles about a clinic or hospital system dropping an Advantage Plan.
Retirees have been fooled into enrolling in Advantage plans with the constant advertising.
There are many complaints against Advantage plans, and providers drop them because of the constant refusal to pay, required approvals etc. I was shocked when I went to Mayo Radiation Oncology Dept and saw a sign recommending that one check one's health care insurance benefits to see if cancer treatment is covered, and what to do if your insurance company refuses to cover your cancer treatment! It also said if you have traditional Medicare you don't need to check.
This is the deal: With original/traditional Medicare you can go to any doctor in the US who takes Medicare and you can self-refer, you don't need approval. You buy a Medigap/supplemental plan to cover the 20% Medicare does not cover.
BUT....with the Advantage plan you GIVE UP CHOICE AND CAN'T SELF REFER - you must go to their doctors and if they don't have the expertise and can't offer you the latest treatment, if you go outside their network you must pay$$$. You need approvals for tests and procedures, and you have copays. And every year you need to check to see if your doctor is still in their network. Because they make deals with doctors - we send you our enrollees and you take less than what Medicare would pay you. I keep calling my Representatives in Congress to outlaw the Advantage Plans....they rip off seniors and actually cost Medicare more

@vic83
Though I agree with some of your statements, need to correct you about Mayo acceptance of Medicare Advantage.
Mayo does take some Medicare Advantage Plans at certain locations. Everyone needs to check with their Mayo location and insurance company to verify coverage.

The type of Medicare / Medicare Advantage Plan is an individual choice that needs to be evaluated based on person's situation. I am on original medicare, but many friends are on Medicare Advantage, see providers at Mayo Rochester and are happy with coverage.

Choosing your Medicare coverage is an important choice and can be confusing. If in doubt, many communities provide education sessions to assist.

Yes, I know that Mayo Rochester does take some Medicare Advantage plans, I believe there were some special negotiations for that...I recall the discussion on TV and hearing that in Minnesota it is hard to sell a Medicare Advantage plan if Mayo not included.
Your happy friends are merely lucky and the exception because they live close to Mayo. And as I mentioned, many other providers are dropping Advantage plans. Including in the Twin Cities. Once dropped, or if one then wants to go to traditional Medicare, finding a new plan is a problem. Because plans are no longer required to take you like in the beginning. So if you have preexisting problems, they can refuse you.
It is a disservice to not explain the negative reality of the Advantage Plans.

My comments were based on financial analysis. Medicare Advantage plans are not to the advantage of enrollees. They are insurance companies and are profit driven. To make a profit (and pay extra sales and marketing costs, CEO bonus etc.) yet offer a cheaper premium. something must give. Just read their financial statements! Those sales and marketing costs and required profit margin easily add 30% cost to medical care. Yet Advantage plans promise more benefits and lower premiums. And that is why they require approval for tests and procedures, set up their own network of doctors who take less and require copays. That is why there are so many complaints and Congress is investigating Advantage plans. I recall when I went on Medicare reading that Medicare pays out 90 cents on the dollar in services, while my Medigap plan brochure said it pays out 67 cents on the dollar in services. Guess why the difference???? I did a comparison and if I had had an Advantage plan with my medical problems, apart from not being able to self-refer to Mayo, the actual costs of copays etc. in an Advantage plan would have cost me far more than my expensive Medigap plan.
I have seen some heart-breaking stories on Connect of people waiting to get a PET approved by their plan and not getting treated! Pigs cannot fly.