How Does Medicare Advantage work for you as a full-timer?

Dave Jenkins

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2021
Messages
27
My wife and I have been full-time RVers for nearly two years. We have had medicare supplement policies for many years, but with the latest round of price increases we are paying nearly $750 per month. We could save a lot of money with Medicare Advantage,but we're concerned about being able to get health care in different areas we travel to. So far, most of our travel has been in the Southeast, but we plan to travel west next summer if the price and availability of diesel permit.
We would like to hear your experiences with Medicare Advantage, if you would care to share.
Thanks in advance,
Dave and Louise Jenkins
 
My wife and I have been full-time RVers for nearly two years. We have had medicare supplement policies for many years, but with the latest round of price increases we are paying nearly $750 per month. We could save a lot of money with Medicare Advantage,but we're concerned about being able to get health care in different areas we travel to. So far, most of our travel has been in the Southeast, but we plan to travel west next summer if the price and availability of diesel permit.
We would like to hear your experiences with Medicare Advantage, if you would care to share.
Thanks in advance,
Dave and Louise Jenkins

Dave and Louise, We have been fulltime going on three years now. As you know a lot depends on what health care plans are being offered for Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare, based on your zip code. It can be a real mess researching all the available plans in your area. With traditional Medicare A&B you will need a drug plan and if you want to have minimal pay then you need a supplement. It is different all over the US. Then based on your current health, you have to decide how much you are willing to pay in the case of catastrophic health care, like being diagnosed with cancer or heart issues. If your goal is to pay minimal out of pocket then traditional Medicare +Supplement + Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plans will cost more.

We are based out of Texas near Houston so the Medicare plans available to us are pretty good. We have an AARP Medicare Advantage plan HMO/PPO that does cover us if we are out of our area, anywhere in the US. Zero dollar premiums, zero co-pays, low hospital stays with minimal cost primary care office calls, minimal co-pays for health screening like xrays and MRIs and a great drug plan. We have refilled our prescriptions all over the US from the Houston area and on our trip out west to WY, MT, ID, UT, CO, and so forth. My drugs are for high cholesterol, my Wife is for her inhalers for asthma. We use CVS and Wallgreens for refills, and the drug price is always the same.
Like i said our plan is based out of the Houston area but our primary Care Dr. is based out of Austin. It is still in network. Of course our plan pays more using in network (HMO part) but also pays really well out of network (PPO part) for emergencies. Whether we use a hospital, Urgent Care or the like where ever we are. We have not yet had to use our plan out of network. It's worked out really well for us.

In January Medicare B is supposed to be lower and Social Security is supposed to increase a lot, so we'll see how that works out.
 
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Dave and Louise, We have been fulltime going on three years now. As you know a lot depends on what health care plans are being offered for Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare, based on your zip code. It can be a real mess researching all the available plans in your area. With traditional Medicare A&B you will need a drug plan and if you want to have minimal pay then you need a supplement. It is different all over the US. Then based on your current health, you have to decide how much you are willing to pay in the case of catastrophic health care, like being diagnosed with cancer or heart issues. If your goal is to pay minimal out of pocket then traditional Medicare +Supplement + Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plans will cost more.

We are based out of Texas near Houston so the Medicare plans available to us are pretty good. We have an AARP Medicare Advantage plan HMO/PPO that does cover us if we are out of our area, anywhere in the US. Zero dollar premiums, zero co-pays, low hospital stays with minimal cost primary care office calls, minimal co-pays for health screening like xrays and MRIs and a great drug plan. We have refilled our prescriptions all over the US from the Houston area and on our trip out west to WY, MT, ID, UT, CO, and so forth. My drugs are for high cholesterol, my Wife is for her inhalers for asthma. We use CVS and Wallgreens for refills, and the drug price is always the same.
Like i said our plan is based out of the Houston area but our primary Care Dr. is based out of Austin. It is still in network. Of course our plan pays more using in network (HMO part) but also pays really well out of network (PPO part) for emergencies. Whether we use a hospital, Urgent Care or the like where ever we are. We have not yet had to use our plan out of network. It's worked out really well for us.

In January Medicare A&B is supposed to have a substantial increase and Social Security is supposed to increase a lot, so we'll see how that works out.

Steve, I read somewhere (Medicare site) that in January Medicare Part B premiums will actually go down from the current $170 per month to $149 per month and yes Social security will go up by 8.7%.
 
Steve, I read somewhere (Medicare site) that in January Medicare Part B premiums will actually go down from the current $170 per month to $149 per month and yes Social security will go up by 8.7%.

Yes your right, I got my ups and downs mixed up, thank you for catching that,I edited my post
 
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My wife and I have been full-time RVers for nearly two years. We have had medicare supplement policies for many years, but with the latest round of price increases we are paying nearly $750 per month. We could save a lot of money with Medicare Advantage,but we're concerned about being able to get health care in different areas we travel to. So far, most of our travel has been in the Southeast, but we plan to travel west next summer if the price and availability of diesel permit.
We would like to hear your experiences with Medicare Advantage, if you would care to share.
Thanks in advance,
Dave and Louise Jenkins

Dave,

I reside in Florida and have a Humana PPO Advantage plan. We spend 6 months in Northern Michigan, and I've had no issues finding providers within network. My plan currently cost me $114.00 per month, which I believe may come down in 2023. I've had the same plan for 2 years and I am completely satisfied.
 
Dave,

I reside in Florida and have a Humana PPO Advantage plan. We spend 6 months in Northern Michigan, and I've had no issues finding providers within network. My plan currently cost me $114.00 per month, which I believe may come down in 2023. I've had the same plan for 2 years and I am completely satisfied.


Thanks for your reply. Have you or your wife had any major issues?
Dave
 
My wife and I have been full-time RVers for nearly two years. We have had medicare supplement policies for many years, but with the latest round of price increases we are paying nearly $750 per month. We could save a lot of money with Medicare Advantage,but we're concerned about being able to get health care in different areas we travel to. So far, most of our travel has been in the Southeast, but we plan to travel west next summer if the price and availability of diesel permit.
We would like to hear your experiences with Medicare Advantage, if you would care to share.
Thanks in advance,
Dave and Louise Jenkins

As others have stated above, it's based on your domicile (or home address) zip code, county, and/or state. It depends on the state you claim as your home state.

I still work full-time so I cannot contribute to the Medicare portion of the discussion and my wife is retired and Medicare eligible, but is on my employee healthcare plan. Many of us full-timers have selected states (Texas, Florida, and South Dakota) to domicile in, usually through an organization like Escapees which cater to full-time RVers.

Also, as you are probably well aware of, the premiums will vary considerably from location to location and company to company; as do the coverage options.

My advice, if you are not domiciled in one of the previous states I mentioned and are not part of an organization like Escapees or you are claiming a full-time address in one of those states but are not part of an organization like Escapees, I would highly recommend joining Escapees (no, this is NOT an advertisement and I don't get paid for it ;) ). Even if it's for just a year until you are all settled in, the tools and benefits that are available to you as a full-timer will pay for the membership in no time. They even have programs targeting full-timers that are making the transition to Medicare and fixed income living while on the road.
 
Thanks for your reply. Have you or your wife had any major issues?
Dave

My wife isn't old enough for medicare, so that would be no for her. I am a Diabetic and have HBP, for which I take several meds. My meds are 90 day supply and they are shipped by mail. I have a primary doc in Florida and another in Michigan. I had pneumonia while in Michigan and no issues with coverage or treatment.
 
I should have stated up front that we are Escapees members and that we are legally domiciled in Florida, although since we use the Escapees mail-forwarding service we mostly use the Livingston, TX address. I imagine we would need to use our legal state of residence address with a Medicare Advantage plan.
Thanks to all for your responses, by the way.
Dave Jenkins
 
Not full time, but things happen. I think it depends on whether the provider accepts medicare at all for some of the Advantage plans - seems not all do. We're covered under Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO through wife's retiree plan. When we were in Garryowen Montana early Sep, I had a meeting with a boulder at night - the boulder won. Nearest hospital was Crow Agency and this was the first time we've needed anything out-of-state and out-of-network and at a location that is probably federally subsidized. Still waiting on that one.
 
I never trust any product that bombards us retirees with telephone salesmen 10 hours a day. And then I've got to look at Joe Willie's mug trying to sell Advantage plans every 5 minutes of every day.

Just because a hospital and their doctors accept Medicare and regular Supplements doesn't mean that they accept Medicare Advantage Plans. Many don't, and patients have had to change doctors and even hospitals outside of their community. And many doctors that are on the Advantage lists are from foreign medical schools.

I would be looking for a national health insurance plan like BCBS Anthem that deals with patients from all over the country. There are others in the market too.

My wife has had about 4 serious health issues (and scares) in the last year, and I'm so thankful that we're on Plan F--the most comprehensive plan without deductibles. We see few bills, but I would think she's had $500K in healthcare expenses spent on her.

You might consider joining Early-Retirement.org and search their site for Medicare Advantage pros/cons. It's a popular subject there.
 
My wife and I have been full-time RVers for nearly two years. We have had medicare supplement policies for many years, but with the latest round of price increases we are paying nearly $750 per month. We could save a lot of money with Medicare Advantage,but we're concerned about being able to get health care in different areas we travel to. So far, most of our travel has been in the Southeast, but we plan to travel west next summer if the price and availability of diesel permit.
We would like to hear your experiences with Medicare Advantage, if you would care to share.
Thanks in advance,
Dave and Louise Jenkins

Humana now lets us go anywhere they accept Humana
 
I don't believe the Advantage plan covers Mexico or Canada. & beware you can go back to the other supplement 1 time, but that has to be used in the first year. Itriedc to go back to plan G after 2 years & was turned down. The Eye glass, Dental, & Hearing aid coverage is not good at all.
 
Medicare Advantage

My wife and I have been full-time RVers for nearly two years. We have had medicare supplement policies for many years, but with the latest round of price increases we are paying nearly $750 per month. We could save a lot of money with Medicare Advantage,but we're concerned about being able to get health care in different areas we travel to. So far, most of our travel has been in the Southeast, but we plan to travel west next summer if the price and availability of diesel permit.
We would like to hear your experiences with Medicare Advantage, if you would care to share.
Thanks in advance,
Dave and Louise Jenkins

The provider networks for Medicare Advantage plans is sketchy in the western states. You're much better off staying on a Medigap plan. If the cost is getting prohibitive you could always switch to the high deductible version of the Medigap plan like an HDF or HDG, depending on your age. The cost is much less and if you're reasonably healthy, you'll actual save a lot of money. If you're not then you'll end up paying about what you would have paid for the no deductible version of your plan.
 
My wife and I have been full-time RVers for nearly two years. We have had medicare supplement policies for many years, but with the latest round of price increases we are paying nearly $750 per month. We could save a lot of money with Medicare Advantage,but we're concerned about being able to get health care in different areas we travel to. So far, most of our travel has been in the Southeast, but we plan to travel west next summer if the price and availability of diesel permit.
We would like to hear your experiences with Medicare Advantage, if you would care to share.
Thanks in advance,
Dave and Louise Jenkins

You should truly talk to your Agent. We travel and Specifically asked about being out of our area for healthcare under Medicare Advantage. Our answer was YES you are covered under "EMERGENCIES ONLY" - Hospitalization.
If you can go to an urgent care out of area, you pay a bit more than usual.
 
We have a Medicare Supplement through Cigna and have had no network issues anywhere we have traveled. We home base in the Dallas area during the winter and campground host in far north east Oregon. We chose to avoid the advantage plans due to the network issues we kept hearing about.
 
We would like to hear your experiences with Medicare Advantage, if you would care to share.
Thanks in advance,
Dave and Louise Jenkins

I had really good health insurance through my employment, but when we reached Medicare Age i looked at Part B and the late sign up penalty. So I signed me and the wife up for Part B when we turned 65 and started looking at health insurance. What a quagmire.

I am a full timer who travels extensively in the US. My research, including several hours on the telephone with different insurance salespeople, boiled the Advantage plans down to 2 that would work for me. Aetna Medicare Premier Plus (PPO) and AARP® Medicare Advantage Choice. Both have clauses about leaving your service area. I am domiciled through St. Brendans Isle service in Green Cove Springs, FL; Clay county. The PPO's allow me to use in network services anywhere in the US. They will also pay for out of network to a lesser degree. You are not bound to a physician in your domicile location.

It was rare for me to talk with a salesperson who could comprehend a full timers RV lifestyle, they just don't get it. They deal almost exclusively with fixed address sticks and bricks people. I was fed a lot of bushwa, I finally got on the insurance companies web sites and downloaded the "Evidence of Coverage" booklets. After reading them and comparing the coverages I used their web sites to look for in network medical care in the areas that I planned on traveling over the next year, some are really strong in certain areas and almost non-existant in others, thats what ruled Humana out for me.


Then, with all that information I called the insurance companies directly. Easier said than done, lots of times I was redirected to a contract sales person who was not well trained. Eventually I got to talk to a claims specialist who did understand the "service area" issue. In both of the aforementioned companies they explained to me that the HMO's where definetly area driven, while the PPO's service area was anywhere medicare is accepted, with the in network out of network qualifier. I then looked up several physicians on the insurance companies specific web site, I found that the doctors I saw in Washington, Texas, Utah, South Dakota and Florida all accepted the insurance plans above.

I finally went with AARP® Medicare Advantage Choice through United Health Care insurance company. Partly because I own some of their stock, but mostly because they have facilities in the area I planned on traveling to.

This took me nearly 6 months to wade through. We have only been on the plan since last July when my wife turned 65. I went to the ER once when I took a fall rock climbing in South Dakota, and we have class 1 (i think that's the right term) prescriptions. Insurance paid. Health wellness is a big thing for them, lots of perks like gym membership, getting paid $50 so they will give us a home health check, that should be interesting. We get $40 a quarter to spend on over the counter products like vitamins, blood pressure checkers, lots of other stuff. Good enough dental I cancelled my other dental plan. A little bit on hearing aids.

Only time will tell if I made a good decision or not. But we have pretty good health insurance for our $170 each Part B payment.
 
The provider networks for Medicare Advantage plans is sketchy in the western states. You're much better off staying on a Medigap plan. If the cost is getting prohibitive you could always switch to the high deductible version of the Medigap plan like an HDF or HDG, depending on your age. The cost is much less and if you're reasonably healthy, you'll actual save a lot of money. If you're not then you'll end up paying about what you would have paid for the no deductible version of your plan.

Medigap plan G (BCBSTN non high-deductible plan) was the best option for me. Once you pay the $233 Part B deductible all you have to pay is the low monthly premium which is covered by my previous employer where I retired from.
 
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Medicare Advantage is just a way for private companies to profit from tax dollars. You're best to steer clear of it. Right now we're too young for medicare and am unemployed so no health insurance other than ACA. It's a problem because we don't get much coverage outside of our home state. So we end up paying cash if we need something. We tend to see all our doctors and get prescriptions before we head out for the winter.
 
Medicare Advantage is just a way for private companies to profit from tax dollars. You're best to steer clear of it. Right now we're too young for medicare and am unemployed so no health insurance other than ACA. It's a problem because we don't get much coverage outside of our home state. So we end up paying cash if we need something. We tend to see all our doctors and get prescriptions before we head out for the winter.
The biggest issue coming up is the new admin wants to make MA the default ins when signing up. That will only enrich MA ins companies even more.
 

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