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← Return to MBC and Going on Medicare soon, any advice.
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MBC and Going on Medicare soon, any advice.
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Mar 26 3:33pm | Replies (50)Comment receiving replies
Medicare Advantage is hooked up to federal funding but ADMINISTERED BY PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES. They make a profit by requiring referrals, pre authorizations and denials.
Traditional Medicare is ALL FEDERAL… they do not make a profit and ALL doctors who accept Medicare ( all of mine do) accept this form of Medicare. NOT ALL DOCTORS who accept Medicare accept Medicare Advantage plans.
Buyer Beware!
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Blue Cross Blue Shield is a non-profit, at least according to the Internet.
My Medicare Advantage Plan does not require referrals. Imaging (not x-rays) requires pre-authorizations but nothing else.
Most people I know on regular Medicare have expensive supplements and Rx plans. Again, I pay $79/month for everything, it is a PPO, and in 7 years have not run into any problems with coverage. I have "more than 5 serious health conditions." so am not a light user.
Half of people over 65 are on Advantage Plans. Every hospital financial counselor advised me to be on this plan (4 in all). I cannot generalize from state to state or company to company. I am on MA BC/BS.
I think we just need to be careful about the information we post. My info is admittedly specific to state and plan. Let's be specific- and accurate- about our info. This is a big decision and we need to take care with our advice.
ps for me the annual cap on out of pocket was a big factor